macbook won't recognize my Kindle Paperwhite

Just had that happened and realized I was using a usb cord that would charge from Mac to kindle, but wasn’t the kindle-issued charger cord. Found the original cord and it worked to ge the Mac to recognize.

I had to change the setting for "Allow accessories to connect" (under Preferences => Privacy & Security) to be "Automatically When Unlocked". It was originally "Ask Every Time", but the dialog that popped up to "ask" disappeared too quickly to notice or to interact with.

Re: macbook won't recognize my Kindle Paperwhite

There's a (non-Apple) online article that contains trouble-shooting tips that seem to have helped others.

https://www.epubor.com/connect-kindle-to-mac.html

shorinjin wrote:

Amazon claims it is a change in Apple products that no longer recognizes the Kindle and can be easily fixed by some unspecified remote intervention that involves a port reassignment (?) by Apple. I'm suspicious, since one of the MB's is still running it's original Mojave (10.14.6) because I have legacy 32-bit software and I keep one machine "old" to run the 32-bit software.

An Apple Silicon Mac notebook might require you to "approve" the Kindle to make a data connection. Maybe that's what the Amazon support representative was referring to, in a confused way. You wouldn't need some hypothetical remote intervention by Apple to "approve" the Kindle; that would be something you'd do locally, by yourself.

Since you are on Mojave, that implies that you are using an Intel-based Mac notebook where you would not have to "approve" a Kindle or other USB device.

I recently answered another thread about a Kindle Paperwhite (10th generation) not connecting a Mac - and found that my own Kindle would not show up as a USB drive on the Mac until it had a certain battery charge level. Prior to that, it just wanted to charge without letting the computer know that it was there.

manlio57 wrote:

you said

"You wouldn't need some hypothetical remote intervention by Apple to "approve" the Kindle; that would be something you'd do locally, by yourself."

Can you clarify how you would do locally, by yourself? Thank you.

If your Mac asks you to allow an accessory to connect - Apple Support

Allow accessories to connect to Mac - Apple Support

This doesn't apply to the OP, since the OP has an Intel-based Mac. It also doesn't apply to anyone who has an Apple-Silicon-based desktop Mac. Just to Apple-Silicon-based Mac notebooks.

you said

"You wouldn't need some hypothetical remote intervention by Apple to "approve" the Kindle; that would be something you'd do locally, by yourself."

Can you clarify how you would do locally, by yourself? Thank you.

Thank you - it worked!! :)