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Microsoft revealed today on a new support page that it is closing the books category in Microsoft Store effective immediately.

Microsoft Store customers cannot buy new ebooks anymore from today on, the category is no longer listed in the Store.

Customers who have bought ebooks in the Microsoft Store will lose access to these books starting July 2019. Microsoft will give customers a full refund for any purchased books provided that the original payment method is still valid. Customer whose payment method is no longer valid and customers who paid using gift cards or Store credit receive Microsoft Store credit instead.

Commercial and free ebooks will be removed starting July 2019. Customers can read the books and access notes until July 2019. Customers who added notes to books will receive an extra $25 credit to their Microsoft Account.

Microsoft made Microsoft Edge the default ebook reader on Windows 10 when it launched the Creators Update back in 2017. Books in Microsoft Edge will be removed at the same time.

Microsoft did not roll out the book category of the Microsoft Store to regions outside the United States which suggests that the closure affects a limited number of users.

The book category is not the first that Microsoft removed from Store; the company discontinued Groove Music and Music Pass in 2017 and retired Groove Music for iOS and Android in 2018.