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How to Sideload an App Onto a Kindle Fire HDX

 & Jill Duffy Contributor

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One of the best apps for Kindle Fire is Easy Installer, an installer program that can help you sideload apps onto your Kindle Fire when they aren't available to download directly from the Amazon Appstore. But how do you do it?

These instructions are specifically verified for installing an APK file onto a Kindle Fire HDX using the free app Easy Installer for assistance.

1. First, you'll need the apps you want to install as APK files. Sometimes developers make these files available freely online, and sometimes you'll have to get them through other means (such as when someone sends you the file via email or another delivery method). Whatever the case, you can't do much without that APK file. It is the app. These next steps just tell you how to install it.

2. Install an app that will let you sideload apps. For this tutorial, I'll use Easy Installer (free). Another popular choice is ES File Explorer (free).

3. From the home screen, swipe down from the top and select Settings.

4. Select Applications.

Kindle Fire HDX - sideloading apps - Applications from Unknown Sources is On

5. At the top, toggle on Apps from Unknown Sources, and hit OK when the warning appears (and, you know, read it and make sure you want to go through with this procedure).

6. Connect your Kindle Fire HDX directly to your computer using the USB mini cord.

7. Open a Windows Explorer window and click on Fire and then Internal storage. Right-click to create a new folder, and name it whatever you want, although I'd recommend something along the lines of "External Apps" or "Sideloaded Apps."

8. Drag the APK file into your new folder.

9. Launch Easy Installer. Click in the upper right corner and select Scan Apps.

Easy Installer for sideloading apps onto Kindle Fire HDX

10. Your app(s) should appear. Press and hold the app you want to install until an option appears to do so. You'll have to click through a few more screens, and possibly select whether to first scan the app if you have anti-malware apps installed (never a bad idea).

11. Finally, after the Kindle Fire gives you a warning, hit Install on the bottom right, and your app should be all set.

About Our Expert

Jill Duffy

Jill Duffy

Contributor

My Experience

I'm an expert in software and work-related issues, and I have been contributing to PCMag since 2011. I launched the column Get Organized in 2012 and ran it through 2024, offering advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, email, and other technology that can make you feel overwhelmed. That column turned into the book Get Organized: How to Clean Up Your Messy Digital Life. I was also the first product reviewer at PCMag to test fitness gadgets, including everything from early Fitbits to smart bras.

Currently, I'm passionate about the meaning of work and work culture, and I enjoy writing about how managers and employees can communicate better, with or without software. My most recent book is The Everything Guide to Remote Work. I also love a good workplace drama. 

In addition to writing about work, I cover online education, focusing on learning for personal enrichment and skills development. I have a soft spot for really good language-learning software. Although I grew up speaking only English, some twists and turns in life led me to learn Spanish, Romanian, and a bit of American Sign Language. I've studied at the university level, as well as at the Foreign Service Institute, where US diplomats and ambassadors learn languages.

My writing has also appeared in WIRED, the BBC, Gloria, Refinery29, and Popular Science, among other publications.

Follow me on Mastodon.

The Technology I Use

Squeezing every last bit of usage out of the devices I already own is the only way I can tolerate my personal consumption. In other words, I do not own the latest cutting-edge technology. I buy things that will last and try to take care of them.

My life is organized by Todoist, and my notes live in Joplin. Where would I be without Dashlane as my password manager? Probably locked out of all my many online accounts—I have more than 1,000 of them.

When I share my contact information, it's an excruciatingly long list of phone numbers, messaging apps, and email addresses, because it's essential to stay flexible while also remaining somewhat mysterious.

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