Is your Kindle Paperwhite stuck on tree screen? This is a common problem that many users have encountered while reading on the Kindle Paperwhite.
Fortunately, we’ve found the quickest and most efficient ways to troubleshoot the problem in a matter of minutes so let’s learn more!
When your Kindle Paperwhite is repeatedly getting stuck on the tree screen, reboot the e-reader and hold the power button to perform a “force reset”.
If the issue still persists, check the battery, test the e-reader in “Drive Mode” by connecting via USB to a computer.
We’ve barely scratched the surface so let’s continue unwrapping…
Why Is Kindle Stuck On Tree Screen?
A part of your Kindle’s loading process is the image with the tree hence it will appear upon starting up your e-reader from a turned-off state.
This image will appear on the display first and a loading bar will show up at the bottom shortly after, indicating the loading progress.
Here are the reasons causing your Kindle to stay on the tree screen for long:
- The battery of your Kindle is low or not charged
- The e-reader is performing software processes
- The e-reader’s software has glitched on loading
- Conflict with a memory card or peripheral devices
- Bad charging equipment or port issues with Kindle
Are any Lights Coming On?
To determine if your Kindle Paperwhite is experiencing a hardware problem, plug the device into the charger and check the indicator light.
If the charging LED is not coming on, it usually means that there’s an internal hardware problem with the e-reader which can’t be fixed at home.
Note: If every time you start up the e-reader it gets stuck on the tree screen and then shuts down by itself, it is possible that the battery is low!
Kindle Paperwhite Stuck On Tree Screen – Proven Solutions!
The tree image you’re seeing is part of your Kindle Paperwhite’s loading process. You will know that the device is starting up, once a loading bar appears in the tree image.
The loading bar should fill up, and in case the bar is not appearing, your e-reader is frozen!
Here’s how to fix it!
1. Wait For a bit Longer!
Sometimes your Kindle e-reader may take a little longer to load than usual. This could be because of an ongoing firmware update or some sort of software file repair that must be done before the startup of the device.
What Causes Prolonged Loading Time?
In most cases when your Kindle Paperwhite loads up for longer than usual, it is due to an ongoing firmware update.
When turned off, there is no way for your Kindle to scan and perform necessary firmware updates, so those are initiated as soon as the device starts up!
Note: Wait for at least 5 minutes while your Kindle e-reader stays on the tree screen!
2. Reboot the Kindle E-Reader
The quickest way to resolve any freezing issues with your Kindle Paperwhite is to reboot the device ahead of everything.
If the problem your Kindle has developed is only temporary or there’s a software glitch in the loading process, a power cycle should fix the problem!
Follow these instructions to properly reboot your Kindle Paperwhite e-reader:
- Press and hold the power button on the panel of the Kindle device.
- Keep holding the power button for at least 40 seconds to turn it off.
- Wait for the screen of the Kindle Paperwhite to flash once or twice.
Info: Once the reboot is complete, the image with the tree should appear again but hopefully this time the loading bar will also show up.
3. Fully Charge Kindle Paperwhite
One of the reasons why your Kindle Paperwhite does not complete the loading process but stays frozen on the image with the tree is its low battery.
Charging your Kindle Paperwhite for too short a time may prevent the device from starting up correctly.
- Plug your Kindle with the charging cable and wait for at least 30 minutes!
How Do I Know that Kindle is Charging?
As we’ve mentioned above, upon plugging in your Kindle, one of the LED lights should stay solid as long as the device is charging.
Disconnecting your Kindle from the charger will cause the LED light to blink once and then go off.
Note: If no LED light on your Kindle Paperwhite comes on upon plugging the device, make sure that the charger is secured on both ends!
4. Test with a Different Cable
If you suspect that the charging equipment of your Kindle Paperwhite does not work properly, you should attempt to refill the battery of the device, using a different cable.
Kindle Paperwhite uses a standard micro-USB to USB charger as well as a standard adapter for power outlets!
Here’s how to test charging your Kindle Paperwhite with a different cable:
- Unplug the charging cable of your Kindle from the power adapter.
- Acquire a USB-to-microUSB cable and connect it to the adapter.
- Plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet tightly and securely.
- Connect the micro-USB end of the cable to your Kindle Paperwhite.
- Check if your Kindle Paperwhite e-reader will now charge successfully.
It’s important to verify that the USB cable used for the setup is working by checking whether any other device would be able to charge.
If you’re not able to verify the workability of the USB cable proceed further but keep in mind the possibility of your e-reader not being able to charge!
5. Allow the Battery to Run Out
In case you’re still seeing the tree screen and the e-reader is still stuck, leave the device aside and allow the battery to run out completely.
This is one of the best-working solutions since the reason why the e-reader freezes is sometimes due to battery throttle or false charging!
How Long It’s Going to Take?
It’s not clear how long will this take but be patient and watch when the tree screen will turn pitch black.
This is the indication that the battery is now at 0%, allowing you to charge up to 100% by leaving the device plugged in for 2 hours. Yes, more than enough but to be sure!
Tip: Continue reading the guide while the Kindle Paperwhite battery is draining out!
6. Test Kindle in *Drive Mode*
One of the most convenient ways to check whether your Kindle Paperwhite can still function is by connecting the device to a computer or laptop.
Upon connecting the e-reader via USB cable to a computer machine, the device will start functioning in “Drive Mode”.
This means that only the hard drive of the device will be in use, hence if your Kindle Paperwhite screen is faulty or broken, you can extract the information.
In addition, sometimes entering Drive Mode can unstuck your e-reader and solve the entire mess.
How to Connect Kindle to PC/Laptop?
- Disconnect the charging cable of your Kindle from the power adapter.
- Use the USB to connect the e-reader to any USB-enabled computer.
- Ensure that the e-reader is turned on and the tree screen is there.
- Check whether your computer recognizes the Kindle Paperwhite.
- If yes, select “Browse Files and Data” to see if the HDD is operational.
- In case you have access to the files, reboot the e-reader and test again.
Note: If your computer doesn’t recognize the Kindle Paperwhite it’s likely that the device has malfunctioned and you need servicing.
One More Thing – Tried Giving it a *Slap*?
Yes, as weird and unconventional as it sounds, we’ve found an exceptional amount of users that reported, slapping the e-reader unstuck the display from the tree screen.
We don’t say hitting the device, we only mean applying pressure, or if you want – gently slapping the device!
It’s unclear whether this helps because HW components in the e-reader are being re-connected together due to vibration or because the display malfunctions.
Simply hold the e-reader and give the device a few gentle smacks on the side panel and the outer part of the display.
Note: In case that doesn’t help, don’t overdo it, and seek servicing from a qualified professional!
Quick Recap:
Hence, when the Kindle Paperwhite is stuck on tree screen, the solution is to reboot the e-reader and allow the battery to drain to 0%. Then we need to connect the Kindle device to a working power outlet for about 2 hours (100% battery) and test booting again!
If you’re still experiencing issues, seek professional help from Amazon!
Read Next: How to Fix Kindle Not Responding To Touch? – Complete Solutions
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.