Amazon Alexa smart speakers make your home… smarter! Want to know the weather forecast or who won that footy match you missed last night? Just ask Alexa any question and she’ll reply within seconds. You can even pair Alexa up with a Ring doorbell to talk to visitors before opening your front door.

But if your Alexa-enabled Echo device has stopped responding or isn’t syncing up with your other smart home tech — it might be time for a reset. In this guide, we’ve got all the advice you need to reset various Amazon Echo speakers with or without the Alexa app.

Before you start

Carrying out a full factory reset on your Alexa device will remove all your personal info and connections to your other smart home tech.

So, before doing an Amazon Echo factory reset — try restarting your Alexa smart speaker by unplugging its power adapter and waiting 10 seconds. Then plug it back in and see if that sorts out the issue. This could fix your Echo speaker without erasing your data, which will save you from having to set up your device all over again.

How to reset Echo devices with the Alexa app

Alexa not working? You can use the Alexa app for iOS and Android to reset any Amazon Echo smart speaker. Just follow these steps:

1. Open up the Alexa app on your phone or tablet.

2. Tap on the ‘Devices’ icon in the menu bar (near the bottom-right of your screen).

3. Select 'Echo & Alexa' and then pick the Echo speaker you want to reset.

4. Scroll down and choose the 'Factory Reset' option.

How to factory reset Alexa without app

If you can't get your Echo talking to your phone, then fortunately you can reset Amazon Alexa speakers from the device itself. But you'll need the Alexa app to set it up again after.

Got a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation Echo Dot that's unresponsive? Give this type of reset a go first if you want to keep your connections with your other smart home gadgets:

1. Press the Action button (circle) and hold for 20 seconds.

2. Wait until the light ring turns off and on again.

3. Your Echo Dot will now go into setup mode. Use the Alexa app to set it up again.

If you want to do a full reset so your Echo Dot reverts to its factory settings, follow these steps:

1. Press the Volume Down and Microphone Off buttons together and hold for 20 seconds.

2. The light ring will turn off and on again and your device will enter setup mode.

3. Open the Alexa app on your phone to get your Echo Dot back up and running.

3rd and 4th generation Amazon Echo devices are super easy to reset. Here’s how to do it if you want to keep its connections to your other smart tech intact:

1. Hold down the Action button for 20 seconds.

2. Wait until the light ring disappears and reappears.

3. This will put your Echo into setup mode. Use the Alexa app to set it up again.

To do a full factory reset of your Amazon Echo — press and hold the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons for 20 seconds instead of the Action button.

There are a couple of ways to do an Echo reset for your Amazon Show. For a full factory reset using buttons on the device, do the following:

1. Hold down the Mute and Volume Down buttons for around 15 seconds.

2. Let go when you see the Amazon logo appear on the screen.

3. Set up your device again by following the on-screen instructions.

If you want to reset your Echo Show and keep your smart home connections, use the on-screen menu instead. Here's how to do it:

1. Open your settings by swiping down from the top of your screen. Or simply say "go to settings".

2. Choose 'Device Options'.

3. Tap 'Reset to Factory Defaults' for a full reset, or if you have an Echo Show (2nd gen) or Echo Show 10 — select 'Reset to Factory Defaults but retain Smart Home Device Connections'.

4. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen to set up your Echo Show again.

The Echo Studio is Amazon's best-sounding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth smart speaker — featuring immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound tech no less! But this top-of-the-line device might still have the odd glitch and require a reset if Alexa stops responding.

To reset your Amazon Echo Studio without losing all your smart home connections, follow these steps:

1. Press the Action button on the top of your device and keep it held down for 20 seconds.

2. The light ring will turn off and on again to confirm it's entered setup mode.

3. Set up your Echo Studio again using the Alexa app for smartphones and tablets.

For a full factory reset that'll erase all data and smart home connections, follow the steps above but press and hold down the Volume Down and Microphone Off buttons instead.

If you've hooked your Echo Pop up to other smart home tech in your house and want to keep those connections, follow these instructions:

1. Press and hold the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons together for about 15 seconds.

2. Your Echo Pop will enter setup mode when you see the light bar turn off and on again.

3. Use the Alexa app to set up your Echo Pop again.

Want to completely restore your Echo Pop to factory settings and delete all data and smart home connections? Use the same steps outlined above but hold down the Volume Down and Microphone Off buttons for 25 seconds.

FAQs

How do I deregister my Alexa device?

If you're selling your Echo speaker or passing it onto a friend or family member, you'll want to deregister it from your Amazon account. This will erase all its settings so it can be set up from scratch by the new owner.

Here's how to deregister your Alexa device:

1. Log in to your Amazon account on a browser or using the Amazon app.

2. Go to 'Your Account' and select 'Manage Content and Devices'.

3. Click on the 'Devices' tab.

4. Choose your device and select 'Deregister'.

Why is Alexa not responding but lighting up?

If your Alexa device lights up to let you know it's listening but won't respond, it's probably because it didn't understand you. So, try repeating the question or command — or rephrase it. If that doesn't work, check your Wi-Fi connection or reset your Echo speaker using our advice in the sections above.

Any more questions?

We hope Alexa's sharp and responsive once again after that reset. To make your Echo speaker a better match for you, check out our piece on 7 ways to customise Alexa. Or if you haven’t hooked up your Alexa device to other gadgets in your house yet, find out how to connect Alexa to your home.