How to Fix Kindle Not Responding To Touch? – Complete Solutions

With capacitive touchscreens technology, Kindle not responding to touch becomes a common problem. Fortunately, we have some quick fixes you can do on your own. 

When your Kindle Fire screen stops responding to touch, the most common cause is a dirty screen.

If the screen is clean, check the battery. Your device may not have enough power.

When your Kindle stops responding to touch, clean the screen. If it does not have enough battery power, charge it for a few more minutes.

Giving your device a rest for a few minutes also helps. If none of these work, try performing a hard reset or updating your Kindle’s software. 

Before we proceed to the solutions, let us discuss the causes of the Kindle Fire screen not responding. 

What Causes Kindle Fire Screen Not Responding to Touch

Knowing why your Kindle Fire is not responding to touch can help you choose the best solution.

You will save time from trying troubleshooting steps that won’t work. Check which of the following is the likely culprit of your Kindle screen issue. 

✅ Not enough Battery Power

If the battery is low, it can’t power your Kindle’s processor, and, as a result, your device may freeze. 

✅ Processor Overload and Overheating

You use the browser to visit web pages. Kindles do not have a high-performing processor, so it overloads and overheats easily.

✅ Dirty Screen

A dirty screen not only expose you to germs but also causes unresponsiveness. If your Kindle doesn’t respond to touch, it’s likely your screen needs cleaning. 

✅ Corrupted Files or Books

Another reason your Kindle Fire freezes is you downloaded corrupted files or books. These files can cause discrepancies in the system, which can cause freezes and crashes.

Now that you know the possible reasons your Kindle Fire isn’t responding, let us proceed to the fixes. 

Quick Fixes to Kindle Not Responding to Touch

If you have a Kindle Fire not responding to a touch problem, don’t panic. You may deal with something as simple as a dirty screen or a low battery.

Check your battery and clean your screen to rule these out. 

If your screen is dirty and the battery is enough, try resetting your Kindle. Temporary bugs and glitches may be causing your device to freeze. 

If resetting your Kindle doesn’t work, proceed to the solutions below. 

Solution #1: Charge Your Kindle for a Few More Minutes

If your Kindle does not have enough battery power, it can shut down certain components to preserve it.

It can dim the screen, and sometimes in the process, it can disable the touchscreen mechanism.

It’s more of a malfunction rather than a battery-saving measure. However, instead of the entire device that goes haywire, it’s only the display.

Here’s how to properly charge your Kindle to fix this issue:

1. Plug your Kindle into the wall outlet to charge it.
2. If the battery is low, leave it charging for at least 15 minutes before using it.
3. If the battery is already full, leave it charging for 2 more hours.
4. If your Kindle’s battery is empty, charge it to full and leave it charging.

Note: If your Kindle is more than 2 years old and continues to malfunction, you can consider looking at a battery replacement.

Solution #2: Give Your Kindle a Rest for a Few Hours

Overheated components, especially the processor and the screen, can make your Kindle hot. Whenever it gets too hot, your device can stop working properly.

You will experience some sluggishness, and one of the first things you’ll notice is that your device can stop responding to your touch commands.

Whenever this happens, you’ll need to cool down your Kindle to use it properly.

You will also want to find the root cause of the overheating issues to prevent it from happening again.

Here’s how to deal with an overheating Kindle:

1. When you feel that your Kindle is hot, turn it off.
2. Leave it in a cool place with air circulation.
3. Let it cool for up to an hour or more.
4. Make sure your Kindle has cooled down to room temperature.
5. Don’t use your Kindle directly under the sun.

Note: Whenever you feel that your Kindle is heating up more than usual, avoid using it while it’s charging.

Solution #3: Perform a Hard Reset on Your Kindle

Apps and programs can cause your Kindle to freeze up and stop responding to your touch commands.

Whenever this happens, you can rely on resetting your Kindle. However, a reset might not be the best solution, there’s an alternative you can use.

Your Kindle comes with a different reset mode called a hard reset.

This is the most useful type, especially if the cause of your device not responding to touch is software related.

Doing this forcibly shut down all programs running on the device.

Here’s how to perform a hard reset on your Kindle:

1. Press and hold the Power button down.
2. Hold it for at least 20 seconds.
3. Release the button and wait for your Kindle to reboot.
4. The screen will flash, and your Kindle will restart.

Note: If holding the power button for 20 seconds does not force the reset process, you can continue to hold it for 40 seconds.

Solution #4: Drain the Battery to Force Your Kindle to Shut Down

There are instances when your Kindle malfunctions and loses all response to control. You will not be able to use the screen, or the buttons will be unresponsive.

One of the ways to get your Kindle to shut down is to force it by draining the battery. 

You want to ensure that charging your Kindle does not resolve the issue first, as there are times when the screen can start to respond when you plug your device in.

If it doesn’t, you’ll need to run down the battery until it shuts down by itself.

Here’s how to drain the battery of your Kindle to force it to shut down:

1. Don’t plug in your Kindle to charge.
2. Keep it in a cool place to prevent it from overheating.
3. You will have to wait for a day or two until it shuts down completely.
4. After the battery is drained out, plug the Kindle to charge it.
5. Charge it until it reaches full battery before turning your Kindle on.

Solution #5: Clean the Screen Thoroughly

Sometimes the cause that your Kindle is not responding to touch is as simple as the screen being dirty.

If there’s a thick layer of dirt and residue on the display, the touchscreen property can start to malfunction.

Oil residue can be thick enough to prevent the screen from sending out the signals properly.

If this is the case, you want to clean your Kindle’s screen thoroughly and get as much dirt and oil residue off it as possible.

Here’s how to properly clean your Kindle’s screen:

1. Get a clean, non-abrasive cloth such as microfiber.
2. Turn off your Kindle.
3. Wipe your Kindle’s screen with the cloth thoroughly.
4. You can moisten the cloth with a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution.

Note: You can use a screen protector, so you don’t have to worry about wiping the screen directly.

Solution #6: Remove Your Kindle Books Through a Browser

If your Kindle isn’t responding to touch, it’s possible that you have downloaded a corrupt book that’s causing your device to malfunction.

To resolve this, you want to remove the latest books you got to see which one is causing the error.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do this on your Kindle.

You can still manage your books by logging into your Amazon account on a browser and removing the suspected books with corrupt files.

Here’s how to remove your Kindle ebooks on a browser:

1. Open a web browser and log in to your Amazon account.
2. Select Manage Your Content and Devices.
3. Click on the Your Content list.
4. Right-click on the book you want to delete.
5. Select Remove from Device.

Note: You want to ensure you did not switch off your Kindle’s syncing feature so the books with corrupt files will be deleted from your device.

If you experience repeated issues with your Kindle’s screen that’s not responding to touch, you can update your device’s firmware.

It may be outdated and can cause an error on your device. You can update by connecting your Kindle to your PC via a USB so you can do it even if you can’t control your device.

Bottom Line

Don’t panic if you experience your Kindle not responding to touch. You should have no problems fixing it as long as you follow the instructions closely.

However, if you continue to experience it, you will have to consider contacting Amazon’s customer support to get it repaired.

You may be dealing with a display hardware malfunction that needs replacement.

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