How To Reset Your Ring Doorbell (And What Happens When You Do)
The Ring video doorbell has changed home security. Before the Ring doorbell, you either had to pay for an expensive security camera set up in order to see who was at the front door, or you'd have to look out the peephole or window. With Ring, you could see who was approaching your door from your smartphone and use it to speak to people without ever opening your door. While this technology has made our lives easier, it does experience hiccups and glitches from time to time.
As with most electronic devices, there will probably come a day when you need to reset your Ring doorbell. This could happen for a number of reasons: Maybe you're having trouble turning it on after the power goes out, or you're experiencing WiFi connectivity issues. The good news is that a factory reset gives your device a fresh start and will often solve many of these problems. Fortunately, resetting the Ring doorbell to its factory settings is a straightforward process too.
Reset the Ring doorbell (1st and 2nd generation)
Whether you have a brand-new Ring Battery Doorbell Pro or a first-generation Ring doorbell, a factory reset can often fix any problems you're experiencing with the device. The steps you take to reset your doorbell will depend on the model you have. If you don't have that information, you can find it under Device Health in the Ring app.
Follow these steps to reset the first-generation Ring Video Doorbell:
- Take out the security screws and detach the doorbell from the mounting bracket.
- Press and hold the orange set-up button at the back of the device. Keep holding for 10 about seconds.
- The light on the front of the doorbell will flash for a few minutes.
- The light will turn off when the reset is complete.
Follow these steps to reset the second-generation Ring Video Doorbell:
- Take out the security screws and detach the doorbell from the mounting bracket.
- Press and hold the orange set-up button at the back of the device. Keep holding for about 10 seconds.
- The doorbell will go into setup mode once the reset is complete.
Follow these steps to reset the Ring Video Doorbell 2:
- Remove the security screw and take off the face plate.
- Press and hold the setup button (usually an orange dot) on the top right of the device. Keep holding for about 10 seconds.
- The light will flash for a little while, and turn off when the rest is finished.
How to reset newer Ring doorbell models
If you have a new version of the Ring doorbell, the steps you need to go through to perform a factory reset will be slightly different. Don't worry, it's still a simple and quick process like the other models. Once you've finished, you may want to try out some of the things you never knew your Ring doorbell could do to make sure you're getting everything you can out of the device.
Follow these steps to reset the Ring Video Doorbell 3, Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, Ring Video Doorbell 4, and Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus:
- Remove the security screws and take off the face plate.
- Press and hold the setup button (usually an orange dot) on the top right of the device. Keep holding for about 10 seconds.
- The doorbell will go into setup mode once the reset is complete.
Follow these steps to reset the Ring Video Doorbell Wired, Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, and Ring Video Doorbell Elite:
- Remove the security screw and take off the face plate.
- Press and hold the setup button on the right side of the device for about 10 seconds. (On the Ring Video Doorbell Elite, you'll find the setup button above the camera.)
- The doorbell will go into setup mode once the reset is complete.
What happens after I reset my Ring doorbell?
Resetting your Ring doorbell will return it to its original factory state, just like it was in the box when you bought it. That means you'll lose all of your saved settings, configurations, and linked user data when you perform a factory reset. However, it's often the best solution if your device isn't working properly. Also, if you're giving your device to a new owner, resetting it will ensure it's wiped clean, removing all of your personal information and history.
After you've reset your Ring doorbell, you'll need to reconfigure it from scratch, including reconnecting it to WiFi, setting your user preferences, setting up motion zones, and figuring out privacy settings. Although a factory reset wipes your device clean, your Ring subscription information will still be saved.
If you're transferring your device to a new owner, you must remove the doorbell from your Ring account so the new owner can set it up under their account.
Follow these steps to remove your device in the Ring app:
- Go to Device Settings.
- Tap General Settings.
- Tap Remove this Device.