Kindle Refusing To Turn Off? Try Following These 4 Steps

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Is your Kindle refusing to turn off, and the situation is giving you a headache?

Welcome to the club! Although this device is great for portability and reading virtually anywhere, it can sometimes encounter technical difficulties that make it act strange.

I know that having this happen is annoying, to say the least. Especially considering that you likely bought the device for convenience and relaxation.

But don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place for answers. Below, you’ll find a list including 4 easy steps to get things back to normal.

When your Kindle is refusing to turn off, try updating its software, letting the battery run out, or factory resetting it. If that doesn’t work, you can also try calling Amazon’s customer support and make your warranty valid.

Keep reading to give your Kindle a rest!

#1 Update Your Kindle

Let’s start off by making sure that you’re using your appliance with the latest available software version. I know this might sound unnecessary and completely unrelated to your problem, but trust me – it’s crucial.

Every software update, regardless of the platform you’re using, typically comes packed with new and improved features, optimized settings, and patches for bugs. That alone is reason enough to keep an eye out for them.

Failing to keep your Kindle running on the latest operating system version available could explain why it’s refusing to turn off, as well as other issues, such as the inability to open certain books and files.

Now, don’t worry. In most scenarios, this isn’t something you have to watch closely, as there’s an automatic updating feature within every modern device. However, occasionally a corrupted file, a coding bug, or a network interruption during updating can get in the way.

If you suspect this to be your case, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands.

Solution: To manually check for updates and install them if necessary, follow these easy steps:

  1. Go to the Home Screen, and tap on the “Menu” icon.
  2. Tap on “Settings”.
  3. Tap on the “Menu” icon again, and then select “Update Your Kindle”.
  4. Select “OK” to confirm the update.
  5. You’ll see a message saying “Your Kindle Is Updating”.

#2 Let the Battery Run Out

Assuming that you’re already working with the latest Kindle operating system version available, let’s try waiting until your battery runs out. I know this hardly sounds like a potential fix, and you might be thinking it will be wasted time, but it could actually be just what the doctor ordered.

How so? Great question!

You see, in order to work as expected, every app and device out there needs thousands of background processes to be running at the same time, all the time. In most cases, this happens without us noticing, and that’s the end of it.

But occasionally, a bug or a corrupted file can make said processes crash, making your experience terrible.

A low battery icon
Letting the battery run out can work like a charm

By letting the battery on your device run out, you’ll be forcing it to restart unconventionally, which can help reload critical resources, and patch up any bugs that might have been present. In many cases, this can solve your current issue, and get things back to normal.

Solution: Not much to do here. Use your device as you normally would, and wait until it powers off due to extremely low battery levels.

When that happens, plug it into a power source to charge it and wait for it to turn on. If your Kindle was refusing to turn off due to an error in its internal coding, you should now be able to power it on or off at will.

#3 Do a Factory Reset

If nothing has worked so far, trying a factory reset would be my next recommendation.

As its name suggests, this method will revert your Kindle back to brand-new condition in terms of settings, user preferences, and storage. This means that you’ll be losing all your files, apps, and e-books, so try this only as a last resort.

An Amazon Kindle next to a cup of coffee and assorted cookies
Factory resetting your device is permanent, so use this method carefully

Factory resetting the device can help delete deep-rotted corrupted files or bugs that are preventing it from powering down. I know this is far from ideal, but sometimes it’s the only way around the problem.

Solution: To revert your Kindle to factory settings, please follow these easy steps:

  1. On the Home Screen, swipe down to open the “Quick Actions” menu.
  2. Select “Settings”.
  3. Find “Device Options”, and tap on it.
  4. Select “Reset”. If your device is an older model, you’ll be asked to confirm, in which case, please select “Reset Device” one more time.
  5. If you’re asked to confirm again, tap on “Yes”.
  6. Wait for the process to be completed. Once your device has restarted you can begin re-downloading your apps, files, and e-books.

Note: All your information is conveniently stored on Amazon’s cloud servers, so you can redownload anything you want from your account after factory resetting.

#4 Call Amazon’s Customer Support

Lastly, if nothing else works, you might have a defective model in your hands. Although most modern companies subject their products to strict quality standards and thorough testing, a faulty Kindle can always slip through the cracks.

A bad model can manifest itself in many ways, including problems with constant restarting, charging bugs, and of course, the inability to turn off when prompted to.

Typically, if this were a software issue, the factory reset you performed in the previous step should have taken care of the issue. But since you’re still experiencing technical difficulties, it’s likely that the source of the inconvenience does not lie on your end.

Solution: Depending on when you purchased the device, you might still be under warranty coverage. Amazon normally offers a 1-year limited warranty with every one of their Kindle products, so if you bought your model more recently, that’s great news.

Amazon's costumer support team
Make sure your warranty is still valid

The only downside to this is that you’ll likely have to wait for the company’s response to see whether they’ll reimburse you for a new model, or repair the one you already have.

To know where to contact Amazon to make your warranty valid, you can visit their Amazon basics website. There, you’ll find a phone number and some other useful information regarding your case.

Conclusion

All done.

When your Kindle refuses to turn off, you might find that a convenient device can quickly turn into a source of frustration.

Luckily, I hope this piece has helped you see that, in most cases, simple and quick actions can go a long way in getting things back to normal. More often than not, keeping your Kindle fully updated, letting the battery run out, or factory resetting the device, should do the trick.

Thank you very much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If this article piqued your interest and was helpful, it’ll make you glad to know that there’s new content to learn from every week. While we work on our latest release, please check out our other incredible resources below to become a Tech Detective yourself.

Have a wonderful week!