Troubleshooting the Silk Browser

If you are having issues with the Silk Browser on your Kindle Fire, follow these steps.

Before you begin:

  • Confirm that your device is connected to a wireless network. Check the status of your wireless connection. If your device is not connected to a wireless network, you cannot access or browse the Internet with the Silk Browser.
  • Ensure that parental controls are off. If parental controls are turned on, some apps may be restricted. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap More, and then tap Parental Controls. If parental controls are On, tap Off and then enter your parental controls password (this is different than your lock screen password or PIN).
Issue Try this...
Silk Browser won't open or crashes

If the Silk Browser doesn't open or crashes when you use it, clear the cache and cookies.

  1. Open Silk Browser, then swipe from the left-hand side and select History.
  2. Tap on the Trash icon.
  3. Select Cookies and site data, and Cached images and files. Make sure everything else is not selected.
  4. Tap Clear Data.
  5. Next, swipe from the left-hand side again, and tap Settings.
  6. Tap Advanced, then Site Settings.
  7. Make sure the following are selected:
    • Cookies: Allowed
    • Location: Blocked
    • Camera: Ask first
    • Microphone: Ask first
    • Javascript: Allowed
    • Pop-ups: Blocked
    • Media: Protected Content: Ask First
    • Media: Autoplay: Allowed
Adobe Flash content won't play

Adobe is no longer developing Flash for all mobile devices.

Websites that use Flash may show the following in the Silk Browser:

  • An error message
  • A missing Flash plugin icon
  • An option to redirect to a non-Flash or mobile version of the page

If you're unable to view a website with Adobe Flash content, you can switch to mobile view to see if that solves your problem:

  1. While viewing a web page in the Silk Browser, tap the Menu icon.
  2. Tap Request another view, and then tap Mobile.

Some popular websites may also have an app available. Check the Amazon Appstore, accessible through the Apps or Games library on your device, for availability.
Reading View doesn't work on a website
Note: Not all websites are compatible with Reading View. If Reading View isn't compatible with the website, the Reading View button will not appear in the browser window.

If Reading View isn't working, force stop the Silk Browser and then restart it.

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and then tap More.
  2. Tap Applications, and then tap Installed Applications.
  3. Use the filter menu at the top of the screen to select All Applications.
  4. Tap Silk Browser, and then tap Force Stop.