While Microsoft’s Surface and Apple’s iPad are among some of the best tablets out there, you still can’t go wrong with Amazon’s Kindle and Kindle Fire HD tablets and e-readers. With the Kindle, you can download and read everything from books to magazines and even newspapers. Simultaneously, the Fire is perfect for those already deep in the Amazon ecosystem looking for a tablet that takes advantage of that. The Fire HD and HDX have all the reading capabilities of the Kindle but also provide access to internet browsing, video streaming, and more apps than you can count.

Like other tablets, the Kindle, Fire HD, and Fire HDX all receive occasional updates that add new features and improve security. These updates usually happen automatically, but in some cases, they don’t, meaning you’ll need to start the update yourself or manually apply the update to your device. Neither process is particularly hard or lengthy, but it helps to know what, exactly, you need to do when it’s on you to keep your devices up to date. That’s where we come in. Below, we’ll detail how to update your various Kindle and Fire HD devices, including what software version you should be on and what to do if the update doesn’t install properly.

Before any update, check your current software version to ensure the update hasn’t already been installed. You can check this by doing the following:

Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Settings > Device Options > System Updates. At the top of the screen, it should read, “Your device is running Fire OS X.X.X.X.” At the time of this writing, the current version of Fire OS is 7.3.1.7.

Normally, when your Fire HD/HDX is connected to Wi-Fi, the device will update automatically without any user input when a new update is available.

Like the Fire HD and HDX, you should check the software version of your Kindle before attempting to update it, as it may have applied the update without your knowledge. To check, start from the Home menu and tap Menu > Settings > Menu > Device Info. At the time of this writing, the current software and firmware version is Kindle 5.13.4 or 5.12.2.

Update automatically

Usually, when your Kindle is joined to Wi-Fi, the device will update immediately without any user input when a new update is made available.

Starting the update manually

From the menu, navigate to the . If you decide to start the update process, you’ll notice the message, “Your Kindle Is Updating.” After the update is complete, the device will reboot automatically.

Update using your PC or Mac

Troubleshooting the Kindle update

Problem: Update Your Kindle option is grayed out, or there’s an error message

If at any point you try to trigger the update on your own manually or after transporting the update file, the update selection is grayed out and isn’t responding, or you get an error message after hitting .

Possible solutions:

Problem: Update begins but fails to complete

After approving the update, the process starts as anticipated but crashes before the install is done. For some people, the update won’t even get going at all.

Possible solution:

This specific issue is most likely triggered by the update file being renamed inaccurately or copied update files existing. We recommend checking your computer and Kindle device and deleting all the update files. Then, go ahead and start the installation process over as outlined above. Be cautious in how you choose to rename the update file. According to Amazon Device Support, the file name can have “no trailing spaces or characters, such as (1), after the file name.”

Annoyance: Previous software version number remains after updating

After downloading the update, be aware that the software version number has not changed from its previous state before the update.

Possible solutions: