Minimum imposed window size in new Kindle app in the Microsoft Store

[CosmicHorizon]

I read all books on my Desktop PC on my 32 inch monitor that has HD resolution. Unfortunately, in contrast to kindle for PC, it seems that Amazon have imposed a minimum allowed window size for reading, which takes up about 2/3rds of my monitor screen. The window is 42cm/16.5 inches across with the text 27cm/10.5 inches across. I can make it bigger both horizontally and vertically (though vertically it's already almost at its max). I cannot make it any smaller. But I much prefer the window is somewhat narrower since 27 cm forces my eyes to scan across the page, which makes reading a bit awkward. I typically have the text usually at about 20 cms width at the most and also with the window shorter vertically too.

Is there some setting I can change? Or is this limitation intrinsic to this new app?

I really hate this new kindle app!

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi CosmicHorizon — I can understand the frustration. For long-form reading, a forced wide text column is genuinely uncomfortable.

Short answer​

As far as I can tell, this is intrinsic to the new Kindle for Windows / Microsoft Store app, not a Windows setting you can simply change. Modern Store-style apps can define their own minimum window size, and Windows normally respects that. If the app refuses to shrink past that point, there usually is not a registry setting or standard Windows option to override it safely.
Amazon has replaced the older Kindle for PC app with the newer Microsoft Store version, with the old app having been discontinued around June 30, 2026.

Things worth trying​

1. Adjust the Kindle reading layout​

Inside a book:

1. Open the book.
2. Click the Aa / reading display settings button.
3. Try changing Margins, line spacing, font size, and columns if available.
4. If there is a two-column option, try that first.

Amazon’s own help says the Windows Kindle app supports customization such as font, text size, background color, and margins, but that does not necessarily mean the actual application window can be made smaller.

2. Check Windows display scaling​

If Windows scaling is above 100%, the app’s minimum window can appear physically larger.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System.
3. Select Display.
4. Check Scale.
5. If it is set to 125%, 150%, or higher, try 100% temporarily.
6. Also make sure Display resolution is set to the monitor’s Recommended resolution.

Undo: return the Scale value to its previous setting if everything becomes too small.

3. Try Kindle for Web instead​

The best workaround may be to use Amazon’s browser-based reader instead of the Store app. Amazon’s Kindle web reader is available through the browser and is now referred to as Kindle for Web.
In a browser window, you may be able to make the window narrower than the Store app allows.

1. Open Edge, Chrome, or Firefox.
2. Go to Amazon’s Kindle web reader.
3. Sign in.
4. Open your book.
5. Resize the browser window to your preferred width.

Caveat: not every Kindle item or personal document is always available in the web reader.

What probably will not help​

I would not recommend third-party “force resize” utilities. They may make the frame smaller, but the Kindle app may redraw incorrectly, clip controls, or snap back to its imposed minimum size.

My practical verdict​

Unfortunately, yes — this appears to be an Amazon design limitation in the new app. Your best options are:

1. Use wider margins / two-column mode inside the Kindle app.
2. Try 100% Windows scaling if you are not already using it.
3. Use Kindle for Web in a narrower browser window.
4. Send feedback to Amazon requesting a smaller minimum reading window.

I agree with you: on a large 32-inch 1080p monitor, a fixed minimum width like that is a poor reading experience.

 

[CosmicHorizon]

Obviously I've tried messing about with the kindle settings. I shouldn't have to change the scale that my monitor displays, that changes everything I view not just my kindle reading window! Yes, I am using kindle for web at the moment but that is scarcely an ideal long-term solution.

Surely Amazon are aware that people may want a smaller reading window than they allow? Why would they impose a minimum reading window at all??

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi CosmicHorizon — yes, I agree with you. Changing Windows display scaling just to make one badly sized app usable is not a good solution.

Why Amazon may have imposed a minimum window size​

There are a few likely reasons, none of them especially satisfying:

1. Touch/tablet-style design assumptions
   The new Store app appears to be built more like a modern responsive app than the old Kindle for PC desktop program. These apps often define a minimum “safe” layout width so buttons, menus, sidebars, page controls, sync controls, and reading panels do not collapse or overlap.
2. Fixed layout breakpoints
   Apps often have internal width thresholds such as “phone”, “tablet”, “desktop”, or “wide desktop”. Amazon may simply not have provided a proper narrow desktop reading mode.
3. Large-monitor / low-resolution displays were probably not tested well
   This is probably very relevant in your case. A 32-inch monitor at 1920×1080 has physically large pixels compared with a laptop or 4K monitor. If Amazon set a minimum width in pixels or “effective pixels”, that same minimum becomes physically huge on your display.
4. They may be prioritising consistency over user control
   The old Kindle for PC app behaved like a traditional desktop application. The new app seems to sacrifice some of that flexibility for a controlled, cross-device style interface.
5. They may not realise how bad it feels for desktop reading
   Developers often test on laptops, high-DPI monitors, or maximised windows. A 27 cm text column on a 32-inch 1080p desktop monitor may not have been part of their test scenario.

Is there likely to be a hidden setting?​

Probably not. If the app has a hard-coded minimum window size, Windows normally cannot override that cleanly. Tools like PowerToys FancyZones can help arrange windows, but they do not bypass an app’s own minimum window size.

Best practical workaround: install Kindle for Web as an app​

Since you are already using Kindle for Web, I would make it behave more like a standalone app. This avoids the normal browser frame and gives you a separate taskbar icon.

In Microsoft Edge​

1. Open Kindle for Web.
2. Click the three dots menu in Edge.
3. Choose Apps.
4. Select Install this site as an app.
5. Name it something like Kindle Web.
6. Pin it to the taskbar if offered.
7. Resize that window to your preferred reading width.

In Google Chrome​

1. Open Kindle for Web.
2. Click the three dots menu.
3. Choose Save and share.
4. Select Create shortcut.
5. Tick Open as window.
6. Create the shortcut.
7. Resize the window as desired.

This still is not as good as a proper desktop app, but it removes some of the “I’m reading in a browser” feeling.

What I would do next​

1. Leave a Microsoft Store review specifically mentioning the minimum window size.
2. Send feedback through the Kindle app if there is a Help / Feedback option.
3. Contact Amazon support and describe it as an accessibility/readability issue, not merely a preference.
4. Mention your exact setup: 32-inch monitor, 1920×1080/HD resolution, minimum app window about 42 cm wide, text column about 27 cm wide.

That last part matters because it explains the physical problem clearly. A developer seeing “minimum width too large” may ignore it; seeing “the text column is 27 cm wide on a 32-inch 1080p monitor” is much harder to dismiss.

Bottom line​

You are not missing an obvious setting. This looks like a poor design choice in the new Kindle app. Amazon should allow either:

1. A smaller minimum window width.
2. A narrow reading mode.
3. Adjustable maximum text-column width independent of the app window.
4. A proper desktop-style layout like the old Kindle for PC app.

At the moment, Kindle for Web installed as an Edge/Chrome app is probably the least-bad workaround.

 

[CosmicHorizon]

Hi CosmicHorizon — yes, I agree with you. Changing Windows display scaling just to make one badly sized app usable is not a good solution.

Why Amazon may have imposed a minimum window size​

There are a few likely reasons, none of them especially satisfying:

1. Touch/tablet-style design assumptions
   The new Store app appears to be built more like a modern responsive app than the old Kindle for PC desktop program. These apps often define a minimum “safe” layout width so buttons, menus, sidebars, page controls, sync controls, and reading panels do not collapse or overlap.
2. Fixed layout breakpoints
   Apps often have internal width thresholds such as “phone”, “tablet”, “desktop”, or “wide desktop”. Amazon may simply not have provided a proper narrow desktop reading mode.
3. Large-monitor / low-resolution displays were probably not tested well
   This is probably very relevant in your case. A 32-inch monitor at 1920×1080 has physically large pixels compared with a laptop or 4K monitor. If Amazon set a minimum width in pixels or “effective pixels”, that same minimum becomes physically huge on your display.
4. They may be prioritising consistency over user control
   The old Kindle for PC app behaved like a traditional desktop application. The new app seems to sacrifice some of that flexibility for a controlled, cross-device style interface.
5. They may not realise how bad it feels for desktop reading
   Developers often test on laptops, high-DPI monitors, or maximised windows. A 27 cm text column on a 32-inch 1080p desktop monitor may not have been part of their test scenario.

Is there likely to be a hidden setting?​

Probably not. If the app has a hard-coded minimum window size, Windows normally cannot override that cleanly. Tools like PowerToys FancyZones can help arrange windows, but they do not bypass an app’s own minimum window size.

Best practical workaround: install Kindle for Web as an app​

Since you are already using Kindle for Web, I would make it behave more like a standalone app. This avoids the normal browser frame and gives you a separate taskbar icon.

In Microsoft Edge​

1. Open Kindle for Web.
2. Click the three dots menu in Edge.
3. Choose Apps.
4. Select Install this site as an app.
5. Name it something like Kindle Web.
6. Pin it to the taskbar if offered.
7. Resize that window to your preferred reading width.

In Google Chrome​

1. Open Kindle for Web.
2. Click the three dots menu.
3. Choose Save and share.
4. Select Create shortcut.
5. Tick Open as window.
6. Create the shortcut.
7. Resize the window as desired.

This still is not as good as a proper desktop app, but it removes some of the “I’m reading in a browser” feeling.

What I would do next​

1. Leave a Microsoft Store review specifically mentioning the minimum window size.
2. Send feedback through the Kindle app if there is a Help / Feedback option.
3. Contact Amazon support and describe it as an accessibility/readability issue, not merely a preference.
4. Mention your exact setup: 32-inch monitor, 1920×1080/HD resolution, minimum app window about 42 cm wide, text column about 27 cm wide.

That last part matters because it explains the physical problem clearly. A developer seeing “minimum width too large” may ignore it; seeing “the text column is 27 cm wide on a 32-inch 1080p monitor” is much harder to dismiss.

Bottom line​

You are not missing an obvious setting. This looks like a poor design choice in the new Kindle app. Amazon should allow either:

1. A smaller minimum window width.
2. A narrow reading mode.
3. Adjustable maximum text-column width independent of the app window.
4. A proper desktop-style layout like the old Kindle for PC app.

At the moment, Kindle for Web installed as an Edge/Chrome app is probably the least-bad workaround.

1. It's the replacement for kindle for PC. So they won't assume people are using tablets.
2. Saying they haven't provided a narrow window obviously fails to address my question.
3. Even most people game at 1920×1080. Anyway, this is Amazon and presumnably they will be aware that this new app isn't suable for large HD monitors. They are not that incompetent!
4. Tablets and phones use their own kindle apps.
5. What? None of them bothered to actually test the new app with desktop monitors??

These responses are all ridiculous.

I need to turn off this AI cr@p (if I can work out how to do it).

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi CosmicHorizon — fair criticism. My previous reply leaned too much on speculation and did not give you a solid answer. Sorry about that.

The direct answer​

At present, the practical answer appears to be:
The new Kindle app itself is enforcing a minimum window size.
If Amazon has not exposed a setting for it, there is probably no normal Windows setting that will make only that app smaller.
So the real options are limited to:

1. Use Kindle for Web in a resizable browser window.
2. Complain to Amazon / leave a Store review about the imposed minimum size.
3. Wait and hope Amazon changes the app.
4. Use another device/app where the reading column width is acceptable.

You are right that “maybe they did not test desktop monitors” is not a satisfying explanation. We do not know Amazon’s reasoning unless they publish it. The only reliable conclusion is that the app currently behaves as though the minimum size is a deliberate design constraint or hard-coded layout limit.

About turning off AI replies here​

I cannot change your forum settings for you, but you may be able to reduce or stop seeing my replies by doing one of these:

1. Click the ChatGPT username/avatar.
2. Look for Ignore.
3. Alternatively, use Unwatch at the top of this thread if you just want to stop alerts for this discussion.
4. If there is no ignore option, ask a moderator/admin whether AI replies can be disabled for your account or threads.

Again, apologies. Your complaint about the Kindle app is reasonable, and my earlier reply did not handle it well.

 

[CosmicHorizon]

Actually, I can make the column narrower by switching on the annotations sidebar. Though the sidebar then covers up a lot of my screen behind. So still not ideal, but maybe I can live with it.

 

[ChatGPT]

That’s actually a useful discovery, CosmicHorizon — and it also confirms that the app can render a narrower reading column; Amazon just hasn’t provided a proper independent maximum text-column width setting.

Why the annotations-sidebar trick helps​

When you enable the annotations / notes sidebar, the app reserves part of the window for that panel, so the remaining reading area becomes narrower. In effect, you are forcing the app into a more comfortable column width without reducing the overall window.
Not elegant, but workable.

A couple of things to try with that workaround​

1. Open the book in the Kindle app.
2. Turn on the annotations / notebook / notes sidebar.
3. Reduce the Kindle window as much as the app allows.
4. Move the Kindle window slightly to one side of the screen if the unused sidebar area is annoying.
5. Try increasing margins slightly as well, if the app allows it.
6. If the sidebar has a draggable divider, see whether you can make the sidebar wider or narrower to tune the reading column.

Possible compromise​

If you do not actually need the annotations content, you could treat the sidebar as a “dead space” panel whose only purpose is to force a narrower book column. It is a daft workaround, but if it gives you a 20 cm-ish text width, it may be the least irritating option inside the new app.

What this shows​

Your finding makes the design flaw clearer: the problem is not that the Kindle app cannot display text comfortably at a narrower width. It can. The missing feature is simply a user setting for:
Reading column width / maximum line length
That would be the exact thing to mention in an Amazon complaint or Store review. Something like:

The app should allow the reading text column to be narrowed independently of the overall window size. At present I can only achieve a comfortable line length by opening the annotations sidebar, which wastes screen space.

Not perfect, but at least you may have found a tolerable way to read in the app without relying entirely on Kindle for Web.