The Kindle DRM situation is really bad right now. It used to be possible to install the DeDRM plugin in Calibre and get decrypted KFX files from the Kindle for PC application. That hasn't been possible since early 2025. The pros can still break it but they aren't sharing with the rest of the class anymore.
> Even the maintainer of the DeDRM plugin has gone underground, refraining from issuing an official new release out of concern that Amazon will simply slap it down.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4516384#p...
> This works for most Kindle books currently, but Amazon is cracking down hard on the workarounds lately. So free any books you need to asap.
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/discussions/...
In How I bypassed Amazon's Kindle web DRMapprenticeharper
DeDRM_tools
Python2015–2025
apprenticeharper / DeDRM_tools
DeDRM_tools
DeDRM tools for ebooks
27Distinct people
30Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
15.4KGitHub stars
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DeDRM tools for ebooks
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| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
No Longer Maintained
I have not had the time to devote to this project in recent years that I would have liked. I am delighted to find that someone else has taken on the task of keeping the tools updated, and making releases. I shall be using noDRM's version of the tools from now on.
[Guide] How to remove DRM
Refer to Wiki Page
DeDRM_tools
DeDRM tools for ebooks
This is a repository that tracks all the scripts and other tools for removing DRM from ebooks that I could find, committed in date order as best as I could manage. (Except for the Requiem tools for Apple's iBooks, and Convert LIT for Microsoft's .lit ebooks.) This includes the tools from a time before Apprentice Alf had a blog, and continues through to when Apprentice Harper (with help) took over maintenance of the tools.
The individual scripts are now released as two plugins for calibre: DeDRM and Obok.
The DeDRM plugin handles books that use Amazon DRM, Adobe Digital Editions DRM (version 1), Barnes & Noble DRM, and some historical formats.
The Obok plugin handles Kobo DRM.
Users with calibre 5.x or later should use release 7.2.0 or later of the tools.
Users with calibe 4.x or earlier should use release 6.8.x of the tools.
For the latest Amazon KFX format, users of the calibre plugin should also install the KFX Input plugin from the standard calibre plugin menu. It's also available from the MobileRead thread here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291290
Note that Amazon changes the DRM for KFX files frequently. What works for KFX today might not work tomorrow.
I welcome contributions from others to improve these tools, from expanding the range of books handled, improving key retrieval, to just general bug fixes, speed improvements and UI enhancements.
I urge people to read the FAQs. But to cover the most common: Use ADE 2.0.1 to be sure not to get the new DRM scheme that these tools can't handle. Do remember to unzip the downloaded archive to get the plugin (beta versions may be just the plugin don't unzip that). You can't load the whole tools archive into calibre.
My special thanks to all those developers who have done the hard work of reverse engineering to provide the initial tools.
Apprentice Harper.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
30 sourceshttps://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/releases
Import the plugin into Calibre, provide your Kindle serial number, and then DRM removal is transparent.
I have over 2000 books in my library, all DRM-free, thanks to these excellent tools.
In DRM-free e-books are a big deal (2019)Alf no longer updates his repo[0], best to switch to noDRM's fork[1]
[0]: https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools
[1]: https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools
In Roald Dahl ebooks remotely updated to censored versions after purchaseOne can also get the commit from github itself.
Also, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29932282 for a newer hash.
# clone the old repo noDRM/DeDRM_tools forked from
git clone https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools
cd DeDRM_tools
# fetch the commit hash archive.org tells us about:
git fetch origin 8c819c71376ab76445dd79d5cf2b28b6c0c2819e
git checkout -b noDRM FETCH_HEAD
In noDRM's GitHub repo DeDRM_tools is disabled due to Readium's DMCA noticeWhy do we use DeDRM tools or equivalent? to be able to move a file from one ereader to another, from another brand; to feel that we "own" ebooks we have "bought"; to be sure that we keep ebooks in case the booksellers goes off-market; to be able to give and ebook we bought to a few friends.
What does kindle and other proprietary DRMs offer? none of it.
What do companies adopting Readium LCP offer? all of the above.
The original https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools is still open, everybody can use it, Amazon, Adobe, B&N, Kobo don't bother, so it can be used, updated without bits of Readium LCP. LCP which is moving in the right direction IMO: being able to give an ebook to a friend by simply giving the password is great.
Plus, why do some people want to keep and share with the world ebooks they had for free from a public library:
Read the rest
they totally crush the only solution which makes litterature available to everyone: if this spreads, libraries will not be able to get ebooks from major publishers anymore. Is it what they really want?
> I see it's available on Amazon but... well, I don't want Kindle format...
It's trivial to de-drm and convert a lot of ebooks.
You need Calibre (free/open source, gui [1]), its DeDrm plugin (free/open source, gui [2]), and its KindleUnpack plugin (free/open source, gui [3]). There's a guide [4], but the toolchain is all point/click, not a hassle at all to use.
> The DeDRM plugin handles books that use Amazon DRM, Adobe Digital Editions DRM (version 1), Barnes & Noble DRM, and some historical formats. The Obok plugin handles Kobo DRM.
For kindle books, it'll be less hassle over time if you install the Kindle app on your not-phone, not-tablet and just never update it. It'll just be a matter of import click + browse to the Kindle app's data folder and pick the most recent item after you buy one to instantly de-drm it and convert it to Epub
Read the rest
. Amazon doesn't force upgrades of the app presently, and newer DRM schemes won't be pushed to you if your version doesn't support them.
1. https://calibre-ebook.com
2. https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/releases
3. https://github.com/dougmassay/kindleunpack-calibre-plugin/re...
4. https://www.epubor.com/free-kindle-drm-removal-calibre-plugi...
All of this is very well maintained and very well presented by the calibre community. Converting an Amazon format to Epub loses nothing in terms of functionality or aesthetics, the resulting Epubs in iBooks look identical to the drm versions on Kindle, and iBooks syncs notes/highlights across devices in non-drm Epubs just like Kindle does with its book formats (sans the public sharing of notes/highlights of course). The ability to embed your own metadata once the drm is gone is a nice plus as well.
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools works pretty well once setup. Allegedly...
In Google Drive of historical footage locked and flagged as terrorist activityThe open-source Calibre eBook management software has a plugin called DeDRM [1] which provides the ability to decrypt any Amazon eBook.
[1] https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools
In The Open Book Project: open-hardware e-ink eBook readerI use DeDRM. Works as a plugin for Calibre. I import the books into Calibre and the DRM is stripped away automatically. Mostly painless.
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools
In How Amazon Crushes UnionsBuy off Amazon, rip the DRM using https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/releases, and then read with KOReader on Kindle.
In My Life in E-InkThe GitHub repo for the DRM removal tools is here:
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools
The README says this:
> Note that DRM can only be removed from KFX format files downloaded with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.26 or earlier. Amazon changes the DRM for KFX files in Kindle for PC/Mac 1.27 and later.
KFX is different from older versions in that the file is tailored to the device it is downloaded on. If you download with the Kindle for PC, the file is optimized for your big, high resolution screen and isn't going to be great on an eink device.
There are no cracks that work with the KFX files extracted from the Kindle reader.
In Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an APIRemoving drm from .azw3 is easy. [0] All you need is the ID of your kindle, since it's tied to your device.
There is also a plugin for Calibre, although I haven't tested this myself. I'm not sure if it requires a device ID or not. [1]
[0]: https://alexwlchan.net/2019/08/removing-the-drm-from-my-kind...
[1]: https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/wiki/Exactly...
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