6 Best Ways to Export Kindle Highlights

The Amazon Kindle device and apps offer more than just reading books. You can also highlight and take notes. But what if you want to export those highlights to a different service like Google Docs, Word, Notion, Roam, Evernote, and more? Luckily, there are several methods for exporting Kindle highlights. Let's explore them below.

Method 1: Send Highlights From Kindle to Email

One of the simplest ways to export your Kindle highlights is by using the native email option. Here's how it works on different devices:

Android

  1. Open the book you want to export highlights from and tap in the middle of the screen.
  2. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select “My notebook” from the menu.
  3. On the next screen, press the “Share” icon and choose “Export notebook.”
  4. Select your preferred citation style or choose None and hit the “Export” button.
  5. Choose the email app from the Android Share menu and send it to your desired email ID. Alternatively, you can open the file in a mobile browser or document reader app and copy the content into your preferred app.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the book in the Kindle app and press in the center of the screen.
  2. Tap on the “Notebook” icon at the top to go to the Highlights screen.
  3. Press the “Share” icon and choose “Email” from the menu. Select the citation style and hit the “Export” button.
  4. Enter the email where you want to send the highlights file and hit the “Send” button.
  5. Download the HTML file from the email and open it in a browser or any supported app. You can copy-paste its content to other note-taking apps, upload it to a cloud service, etc.

Kindle E-Reader

  1. On Kindle devices like Basic, Paperwhite, and Oasis, open the book and tap on the top edge of the screen.
  2. Press the three-bar icon, go to the “Notes & highlights” tab, and hit the “Export notes” button.
  3. Amazon will email you the highlights file in PDF and CSV format to the email address linked to your Amazon account.

Desktop

  1. Launch the Kindle desktop app and open the book. Click on the “Show notebook” button to view your notes and highlights.
  2. Press the “Export” button.
  3. Click on the “Save As” button to download the highlights file in HTML format on your PC. Open it in a browser and copy-paste the content.

Method 2: From Kindle Cloud Website

While there is no export feature on Amazon's Kindle Cloud website, you can still access your highlights and notes. Simply copy and paste them into a note-taking app or use web clipping tools like Evernote and OneNote. Similarly, you can export Kindle highlights from Goodreads if your Kindle account is syncing with it.

Method 3: Using Javascript Bookmarklet

Bookcision, a free Javascript bookmarklet by Readwise, allows you to download Kindle highlights from Amazon's cloud. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open “readwise.io/bookcision” in your PC's browser.
  2. Drag the “Drag to bookmarks bar” button to your browser's bookmarks bar.
  3. Open “read.amazon.com/notebook” and launch a book to view its highlights.
  4. Click on the newly created Bookcision bookmark to begin the export process.
  5. Use the “Copy to clipboard” button to copy the highlights or download the .txt file to your PC. You can choose from TXT, XML, or JSON formats.

Method 4: Export Using My Clippings.txt File

On Kindle e-readers, all your highlights are stored in the My Clippings.txt file. You can use this file to export your highlights. Connect your Kindle to the PC using a USB cable and navigate to the Documents folder inside the Kindle folder. You will find the My Clippings.txt file. Open it and copy-paste the content into note-taking or document apps like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Method 5: Using Calibre

If the previous methods don't work for you, you can export Kindle highlights using the Calibre desktop app. Connect your Kindle e-reader to the PC, open the Calibre app, and click on the arrow next to “Send to device.” Choose “Fetch annotations” to find the exported file inside “Calibre Library > Kindle > My clippings > My clippings–kindle.txt” on your PC. Copy the content to an app of your choice. Learn more about using Calibre with Kindle for additional assistance.

Method 6: Using Third-Party Services

If you still haven't found a suitable method, you can try third-party services like Clippings.io or readwise.io to export Kindle highlights. These apps are well-integrated with popular platforms like Notion, Roam Research, Evernote, and more.

Bonus Tip for Exporting Kindle Highlights

  • Use kindle-formatter.com web app to convert Kindle HTML files to markdown and Roam formats.
  • Utilize the Find and Replace tools in document apps to delete extra or repeated data from your highlights.
  • Convert HTML to PDF format using web apps like ilovepdf.com/html-to-pdf or html2pdf.com.

With these methods and tips, you can easily export your Kindle highlights and use them in other apps or services. Enjoy exploring the possibilities of Kindle!