ReaderTweaks

Kindle Scribe · Troubleshooting

Notebooks or notes aren't syncing from the Kindle Scribe

A notebook or book annotation is not showing up in the Kindle app, or an emailed export never arrives. Usually it is Wi-Fi, a sync that has not run, or the approved-sender list.

Software
Kindle firmware
Difficulty
Easy
Time
15 minutes
Last tested
August 2026
Last updated
August 2026

Symptoms

  • A notebook made on the Scribe is missing from the Kindle app on your phone or computer.
  • Notes written on a book page do not appear when you open that book elsewhere.
  • Emailing a notebook as PDF or text produces nothing in your inbox.
  • Changes made on the Scribe are not reflected after editing a notebook in the app.

Before you start

  • Confirm the Scribe has Wi-Fi on and a working connection.
  • Know which Amazon account the Scribe is registered to — Settings, then Your Account.
  • Have the Kindle app installed and signed in to the same account on a phone or computer.

Which fix do you need?

What is not working?

Most common cause

Notebook sync only happens over Wi-Fi and only when a sync runs, so the usual cause is a Scribe that has been offline or asleep and has not synced yet. For emailed exports, the usual cause is that the destination or sending address is not handled correctly, or the export simply has not finished uploading.

Fixes

Fix 1 Force a sync on the Scribe and in the app

Notebooks upload on a sync, not instantly. If the Scribe has been asleep or off Wi-Fi, the notebook is still only on the device.

  1. On the Scribe, make sure Wi-Fi is on. Open Settings and choose "Sync", or swipe down and tap the sync icon. Give it a minute.
  2. In the Kindle app on your phone or computer, pull to refresh or use the Sync option, and open the Notebooks section.
  3. If the notebook still does not appear, close and reopen it on the Scribe once — that can mark it as changed and push it on the next sync.
  4. Leave the Scribe awake on Wi-Fi for a few minutes. Large notebooks with a lot of handwriting take longer to upload.

Fix 2 Check the account and Whispersync for book notes

Notes written on a book page sync as part of that book's annotations, which only works if the book is an Amazon purchase or personal document on the same account, and Whispersync is on.

  1. Confirm the Scribe and the other device are on the same Amazon account (Settings, then Your Account).
  2. On Amazon's site, in "Manage Your Content and Devices", check that "Whispersync for personal documents" is turned on if the book is one you sideloaded.
  3. Open the book on the Scribe, sync, then open it on the other device. In-book handwritten notes appear as annotations; on devices without a pen they may show as markers you tap to view.
  4. Note that handwriting on a sideloaded PDF stays with that PDF and is exported from the share menu, not synced as book annotations.

Fix 3 Fix an emailed export that never arrived

Export uploads the file and emails it. It can fail if Wi-Fi drops during the upload, if the file is very large, or if it lands in spam.

  1. Re-run the export from the notebook's Share menu, choose email, and enter the address carefully. Stay on Wi-Fi until it says it has sent.
  2. Check the spam or junk folder of the destination inbox.
  3. For a large notebook, try exporting as text rather than PDF, or split it by exporting selected pages, then try PDF again.
  4. If exports never work, confirm the Scribe can send mail at all: the "Send to Kindle" side of your account settings and the approved-sender list can affect outbound notebook email on some setups.

Undo / recovery

Nothing here risks your notebooks — they stay on the Scribe until you delete them there. If sync is stuck, the safe way to get a copy off the device is to export the notebook by email as a PDF while on a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Most “missing notebook” reports are a Scribe that has not synced yet — force a sync on both ends and give a large notebook time to upload. Emailed exports that fail are usually Wi-Fi dropping mid-upload or the file landing in spam.