How to remove DRM from Kindle ebook

Digital Rights Management—or DRM, as it's more affectionately known by absolutely no one—exists to ensure that the digital things you think you own are, in fact, only kind of yours. It’s a cunning little trick, designed to keep all the shiny ebooks, tunes and flicks you’ve shelled out for comfortably locked away in a digital safe, accessible only through a very specific set of hoops—hoops which, as luck would have it, belong to whoever sold you the stuff in the first place. You want your new Kindle ebook? Sure! But you’d better be ready to read it only on a Kindle device or a Kindle app tied directly to your Amazon account. After all, freedom is overrated, isn’t it?

But let’s be honest. There are moments when DRM feels a bit like being told you can only eat chocolate if you're standing in the shop you bought it from. Sometimes, you might want to enjoy that delectable ebook you bought on a different device—perhaps one that doesn’t have “Amazon” stamped all over it. Or maybe you simply fancy backing it up, so that when the next inevitable apocalypse strikes (or Amazon, whimsically, decides you don’t need that ebook anymore), your reading material is safely tucked away.

Now, I must say, the concept of removing DRM from your Kindle ebook is not so much a feat of technical wizardry as it is a dance with fate, legality and a fair dose of "Look, I just want to read my book, okay?" And like any good adventure, it requires tools. Specifically, a piece of free and open-source software called Calibre and a sneaky little plugin known as DeDRM.

Fear not, intrepid reader, for we shall now embark on a bold journey through the murky terrain of DRM removal. Please ensure your towel is securely fastened.

Step 1: Install Calibre

First things first. Calibre—an ebook management system that is a bit like your favorite Swiss Army knife. It slices, it dices and more importantly, it liberates. Head over to the official website (you know, in that vague, terrifying place we call "the internet") and download it for your Windows, Mac, or Linux machine. Once installed, Calibre will sit there, unassuming, waiting for you to call it into action.

Step 2: Install the DeDRM plugin

Now, Calibre is fantastic, but if you want to banish the DRM demons from your Kindle ebook, you’ll need a bit of extra muscle in the form of the DeDRM plugin. Download the latest version from a dark corner of the web known as GitHub (don’t worry, it’s completely safe… mostly). Then, in Calibre, go to the Preferences menu (because, of course, the path to digital freedom involves fiddling with settings). Select Plugins, and, with the delicate precision of an intergalactic engineer, click on “Load plugin from file.” Locate your DeDRM plugin file, click Open and voilà! You’ve now armed yourself with the ultimate ebook liberation tool.

Step 3: Remove DRM from Kindle ebook

With your Kindle device now tethered to your computer (via USB cable, obviously—this isn’t the future, after all), open Calibre and click Add books. Select the ebook in question and it will obediently hop into Calibre’s library. From here, all you need to do is right-click, select Remove DRM, and—cue triumphant music—Calibre will free your ebook from the digital chains it was once bound in. Now, you can convert it to another format or transfer it to any other device you fancy, as if you were some sort of rebellious ebook Robin Hood.

Note: A word of caution, dear reader. While the thrill of DRM removal might leave you giddy with newfound power, be aware that in some countries, fiddling with DRM can be a bit of a legal grey area—sort of like owning a spaceship without a license. You should only remove DRM from ebooks you’ve rightfully purchased and keep it all to yourself, for personal use. Spreading DRM-free ebooks to others could land you in a bit of hot water and not the relaxing spa variety.

See also: Top 5 DRM removal software