How to factory reset Amazon Echo Dot

The Amazon Echo Dot platform with its popular Alexa personal assistant and home automation software package, while maniacally optimized, can often have problems.

The Echo Dot has all the features of the original Echo but is smaller. It has the same width as the original echo but much shorter and more compact. The Amazon Echo Dot eliminates the echo volume ring and instead uses two buttons on the top of the device to control the volume.

Related: Amazon Echo does not connect to Wi-Fi

There’s still a light ring that responds to voice commands so you can see if your commands are being heard, even if Alexa doesn’t always understand them. This article covers the factory reset process for these Amazon Echo variants: Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, and Amazon Echo Dot Gen 2 and 3.

The Amazon Echo Dot is a small and effective piece of technology but, of course, it’s not foolproof and can occasionally have problems. There are many solutions to the most common problems, but sometimes nothing works, and under these circumstances, you may have no choice but to resort to the dreaded factory reset to eliminate the problem and get everything working again.

Fear not, however, factory reset is actually quite simple to perform. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to reset like when the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Dot Gen 2 left the factory.

RESTORING AMAZON ECHO DOT (AND AMAZON ECHO) TO DEFAULT SETTINGS

Amazon Echo and first generation Echo Dot use the same reset process.It takes a second, it will reset the device as it did when it left the factory and behave exactly as it did when it was first turned on.

1. Make sure the Echo Dot is plugged into an electrical outlet.
2. Flip the Echo Dot over and find the reset switch. It’s a small hole.
3. Use a paper clip or safety pin – something thin and metal, really – to push the reset switch and hold it down until the light ring turns orange and then blue.
4. Release the reset switch and the Echo Dot will restart. You should see it flashing orange when it enters setup mode.
5. Use the Alexa app to connect the Echo Dot to your Wi-Fi and set it up as you did the first time you turned it on.

RESTORE AMAZON ECHO DOT GEN 2 FACTORY SETTINGS

The Amazon Echo Dot Gen 2 changed things up a bit by doing away with the recessed reset button. Here instead you have to use the controls above to restore factory settings.

1. Make sure the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 2 is plugged into an electrical outlet
2. Press and hold both the microphone and volume down buttons until the light ring turns orange and then blue
3. Release the buttons so the Echo Dot can restart. You should see the light turn orange indicating the configuration mode
4. Use the Alexa app to connect the Echo Dot to your Wi-Fi and set it up

RESTORE AMAZON ECHO DOT GEN 3 FACTORY SETTINGS

The factory reset process is slightly different for Amazon Echo Dot Gen 3. Here are the steps to factory reset Amazon Echo Dot Gen 3:

1. Press and hold the button Action for 25 seconds (the light ring will turn orange and then blue)
2. Wait for the light ring to go out and back on, then orange (setting mode)
3. You can now connect to WiFi and register Amazon Dot Gen 3 to an Amazon account

ALEXA DOES NOT UNDERSTAND ME AND ENOUGH

Voice control is a smart technology but it’s not without frustration. There are occasions when Alexa doesn’t understand you. All it says is “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.” This is apparently very common but it is also relatively easy to deal with. You just have to train it again.

Go to the Alexa app, select Settings and Voice Training. Even if you did this during the initial setup if you keep hearing “I don’t understand”, go back to training. If there’s a word or phrase that Alexa keeps getting wrong, go to the app and look at History. If there is a common word, find it and use a different word for that command.

ALEXA DOES NOT CONNECT TO WIFI

Alexa has a habit of ditching the Wi-Fi network, losing connectivity intermittently or permanently. A quick reboot should bring her back to life.

If it keeps happening, check your Wi-Fi network configuration. Are there too many other devices trying to connect? Other Wi-Fi networks competing for the same or similar channels? Are there complex machinery like A / C between the router and Alexa? Is it placed near a thick wall? Check all these things and make the necessary changes.

ALEXA CONTINUES TO DISCONNECT FROM BLUETOOTH

If the Echo Dot keeps disconnecting from Bluetooth on other devices, a reboot should fix. If it keeps happening and your paired devices can’t keep a connection, open the Alexa app. Navigate to Settings and Bluetooth and Erase all paired devices. Pair each device again and hopefully this will keep the connection a little longer.

Performing an Amazon Echo Dot factory reset must be the last thing to think about. Before moving on to this procedure, read this article.