Give your Echo speaker a factory reset with this handy guide

If things go wrong, you may need to reset your Amazon Echo speaker to get things back on track. Giving Alexa a factory reset shouldn’t happen too often, but, if the smart assistant has backed itself into a corner, or you simply want to give your device to someone to start from scratch, it’s good to know how to hard reset your Echo.

The problem is that there are different reset processes depending on whether you have a standard Amazon Echo, an Echo Show or Echo Hub with a screen or the ever-popular Echo Dot.

Below, we’ll be going through each type of Echo device – including the Echo Dot and screened Echo models – and giving you the lowdown on how to reset Alexa. It’s all very straightforward stuff, luckily, and it could be just the ticket you need to get your Echo back on track.

Types of Amazon Echo and Alexa reset

You’ll first want to figure out what type of reset you want to do. If your Echo just appears to be unresponsive, your first call should always be to turn the power off. To do this, simply pull the power adapter out of the back, give it a few seconds, and then plug it back in.

Sometimes the color light your Echo speaker is shining can be a clue as to what might have gone wrong.

If your Alexa speaker still isn’t working after it’s been powered down and up again, you’ll want to perform a factory reset. You’ll also want to factory reset your Echo speaker if you’re selling it, or giving it to someone else.

How to factory reset Echo using the Alexa app

The steps for factory resetting your Echo speaker through the Alexa app have changed over the years so it will depend on what version of Alexa you are running and what firmware your Echo is on to what the steps are. We have listed the most recent as many of us have automatic app updates on and so there’s a good chance your Alexa app and Echo device are running the most recent software.

What you’ll need

Your Amazon Echo device
You smartphone
The Alexa app

The short version

Try and reset your Echo device using the Alexa app on your iOS or Android smartphone by following these steps. Be sure to also perform a physical hard reset using the method listed below these steps for your specific Echo smart speaker.

Open the Alexa app and head to Devices
You’ll first want to open the Alexa app. From here, tap on the ‘Devices’ tab in the centre at the bottom of your screen. This will pull up a list of all your Alexa devices and your Echo devices.
Head to the settings of the Echo device you want to factory rest
From the list of devices, select the Echo device you are looking to factory reset. When you tap on it, you’ll see a settings cog appear, you’ll want to tap on that to open up the settings and get to the options you need.
Choose deregister
If you are running the latest version of the Alexa app, you’ll see an option to ‘Deregister’ your Echo device if you scroll down the settings menu. Previously this option was called ‘Factory Reset’ so you might see that too depending on what software version you are running. Either way, you’ll need to confirm the de-registration or confirm the reset.

Factory reset buttons on Echo speakers

Once you have deregistered your Echo device through the Alexa app, you’ll want to make sure you hard reset it too. Just to be sure. We’ve listed the various different methods to do that below, depending on the Echo device you have.

Echo Dot models — (Image credit: The Ambient / Amazon)

How to reset Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, 4th Gen, 5th Gen)

Resetting an Amazon Echo varies depending on the type of device it is – and that’s even true for the different generations of the same model.

To reset the Amazon Echo Dot second generation, press and hold the Microphone Off and Volume down buttons at the same time. Wait until the light ring turns orange, which should take about 20 seconds.
To reset the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen, 4th Gen, 5th Gen) or Echo Dot with Clock, press and hold the Action button for 25 seconds.

Echo models — (Image credit: The Ambient / Amazon)

How to reset Amazon Echo (1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, 4th Gen)

As with the Echo Dot, resetting your standard Echo devices varies depending on whether you have the original or another generation in your home.

To reset your Echo (1st Generation), use a paper clip (or something similar) to press and hold the Reset button. Wait for the light ring to turn off and on again.
To reset your Echo (2nd Generation), press and hold the Microphone Off and Volume down buttons at the same time. Wait until the light ring turns orange, which should take around 20 seconds.
To reset an Echo (3rd Generation, 4th Generation), hold down the action button for 25 seconds. The light ring will pulse orange, then turn off. It will then come back on, go blue, and then orange again. It’s now ready for setup.

Echo Plus models — (Image credit: The Ambient / Amazon)

How to reset Amazon Echo Plus (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)

If you’re working from a different generation of Echo devices, the rebooting process is going to be different. That’s the case for the two kinds of Echo Plus models. It’s worth nothing that you won’t lose your smart home device connections if you do decide to reset.

To reset your first-generation Echo Plus, use a paper clip (or something similar) to press the Reset button once and quickly release. Wait for the light ring to turn off and on again.
To reset your second-generation Echo Plus, press and hold the Action button for 20 seconds. Wait for the light ring to turn off and on again.

Echo models with screens — (Image credit: The Ambient / Amazon)

How to reset Amazon Echo Show, Echo Show 5, Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, Echo Show 15, Echo Hub or Echo Spot (all generations)

If you have an Echo speaker with a screen, whether you have an Echo Spot, one of the Echo Show models, or the Echo Hub, things change slightly.

If you have a second-generation Echo Show or newer, you can, of course, use the built-in Zigbee chip to connect to your external smart home devices – and how you reset affects those connections.

To reset your second-generation Echo Show without losing your smart home device connections, say, “Alexa, go to settings,” or swipe down from the top of the screen and select ‘Settings’. From there, select ‘Device Options’, and then ‘Reset to Factory Defaults’, but retain ‘Smart Home Device Connections’. Follow the same steps for the Echo Show 5, Show 8, Show 10, Echo Show 15 and Echo Hub.
To reset your first-generation Echo Show or Echo Spot to its factory settings, say, “Alexa, go to settings,” or swipe down from the top of the screen and select ‘Settings’. Then, select ‘Device Options’, and then ‘Reset to Factory Defaults’. This erases all your personal information and settings on the device.
You can also use the following method to reset your Echo Show: Press and hold the mute and volume down buttons for 15 seconds until the Amazon logo flashes on the display (you may even notice it says “Factory reset mode” in the bottom corner too).
To rest the Echo Hub using buttons, press and hold the mute button for 5-10 seconds until the device restarts.

How to reset Amazon Echo Sub

Given the Echo Sub requires some extra setup to get right, and it’ll need to sync with your Echo, Echo Plus or Echo, there’s a chance you’ll need to reset the Sub every now and again.