Kindle Paperwhite · KOReader
Install KOReader on the Kindle Paperwhite
The 2026 method — a browser-based jailbreak, then KOReader through Kindle Package Manager (KPM). No computer needed. Plus how to keep it working through firmware updates.
In 2026 the hard, risky part of putting KOReader on a Kindle is the jailbreak and keeping firmware under control. The KOReader install itself is now two commands in the search bar — Kindle Package Manager does the rest, with no computer involved.
This guide is deliberately light on the jailbreak specifics. Those are firmware-specific, they change every few months, and the Kindle Modding project maintains a wizard that walks you through the right one for your exact device. Follow that; use this page for the overall shape and the KPM steps. The 2026 Kindle KPM guide has the full background.
The one habit that matters afterwards is the over-the-air update block plus Airplane Mode. A Kindle that quietly updates itself is the usual reason a working KOReader setup breaks — and if it updates to firmware with no available jailbreak, KOReader is gone until a new method appears.
Before you begin
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Check your firmware version and stop automatic updates
On the Paperwhite, open Settings, then Device Options, then Device Info, and note the firmware number. Then turn on Airplane Mode. A firmware update is the most common way a working jailbreak breaks, and some methods only cover a specific firmware range.
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Run the jailbreak from the Kindle's browser
The jailbreak in 2026 runs on the device itself — no computer. On kindlemodding.org, use the jailbreak wizard: it asks for your model and firmware and sends you to the right method (commonly NoseBleed, WinterBreak or AdBreak). You open that page in the Kindle's own web browser and let the script run; the screen flashes a few times.
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Finish every post-jailbreak step
After the jailbreak the wizard has a short checklist — it installs the launcher, blocks over-the-air firmware updates properly, and clears the temporary files the exploit used. Do all of it. The update block is what keeps the jailbreak alive; Airplane Mode alone is not enough long term.
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Install KOReader with KPM
Turn Wi-Fi back on. In the Kindle's search bar (the magnifying glass on the home screen) type ";kpm update" and press enter, then ";kpm install koreader". Wait a minute or two. When it finishes you are returned to the home screen and a new launcher — a "scriptlet" — has appeared.
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Launch KOReader
Tap the new scriptlet on the home screen, or type ";kpm launch koreader" in the search bar. The first start takes 15 to 30 seconds. To leave KOReader, open its top menu and choose exit, which returns you to the normal Kindle interface.
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Set your Wi-Fi habit
With updates blocked you can leave Wi-Fi on, but many people still keep the Paperwhite in Airplane Mode except for deliberate syncs, as a second layer of protection against an update slipping through.
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Update KOReader when you want to
Run ";kpm update" then ";kpm install koreader" again. KPM fetches the current build. There is no need to touch a computer.
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Optional: make KOReader the reader you land in
KOReader can start automatically instead of the Kindle reader, set in KOReader's own settings or through a KPM option. Leave it off at first so the normal interface is easy to get back to while you learn KOReader.