Devices with a built-in smart assistant offer a convenient, hands-free way to control the rest of your smart home, but as with any tech, they occasionally run into technical issues. If your Amazon Alexa-enabled device—such as the Echo or Echo Dot—has intermittent connection issues or is unresponsive, you may need to restart it.
How to restart Alexa
If you do need to restart your unresponsive Alexa device, you simply need to turn it off and back on. You can do this by unplugging the device or power adapter from the wall or power strip and plugging it back in. (If your device is battery-powered, take the batteries out and put them back in.)
If your Alexa device is tucked away or the power adapter is difficult to reach, you can make restarts easier by plugging it into a power strip with a foot switch you can tap on and off or a smart plug that can be controlled from your phone. Alternatively, plug your smart speaker into an outlet that's connected to a light switch.
When (and how) to reset Alexa
If your Alexa-enabled device is still unresponsive after switching the power off and on, you may need to reset it. Amazon has specific instructions for various models, but a commonality for the newest generation of devices is the choice between a soft reset (which keeps your smart home connections) and a hard reset (which returns your device to factory settings).
For a soft reset, press and hold the Action button on your device for 20 seconds until the light ring turns off and back on. This activates setup mode. Follow the process to set up your specific device. For a hard reset, press and hold the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons for 20 seconds until the light ring turns off and back on. This kicks your device into setup mode but also erases personal information and connected devices, so don't do this unless you need to.