Picture of the JBL Clip 3 portable Bluetooth speaker package, showing the sliding out of the box contents.

How to Factory Reset JBL Clip 3 Speaker

Here, we go over how to factory reset the JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth speaker to its default settings.  Factory resetting restores this speaker to its factory default state. Moreover, it clears any prior paired Bluetooth devices from its memory. Erasing these stops the Clip 3 from pairing to any nearby Bluetooth devices after factory reset. Also, you would do this to get the unit ready for sale or re gifting, or to stop it from connecting with devices you no longer wish it to pair with.

How to Factory Reset a JBL Clip 3, Step by Step

1. Turn on the Speaker

Press and hold the Power button until the status lamp lights up and the guitar strum sound plays.

Picture of the JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth Speaker, showing its -Power- button highlighted.
JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth Speaker, showing its -Power- button highlighted.

First, find the Power button, as we see in the last picture above.

Then, the status light comes on, as the next picture shows.

Top view picture of the speaker, showing the status lamp glowing white and highlighted. JBL Clip 3 reset instructions.
Top view of the speaker, showing the status lamp glowing white and highlighted.

2. Wait for the Power Up Guitar Sound

The speaker makes a rising electric guitar strum sound when it powers up. Then, the 3 is ready for factory reset after this sound ends.

Now the speaker may or may not pair with a device. That depends on whether there are any in-range Bluetooth devices that know about this Clip.  However, whether paired or not, the factory reset works the same way, as follows.





3. Press the Volume UP and Play-Pause Buttons Together

Find the Play / Pause and UP Volume buttons.  The Play / Pause button is in the middle, and the Volume UP button is on the right, as circled in the next picture.

Picture of a JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth speaker reset button combination suggestion. -Play-Pause- and -Volume UP- buttons circled.
The speaker reset button combination. -Play-Pause- and -Volume UP- buttons circled.

The speaker then enters its factory reset routine.

Next, after a short pause, the Clip 3 turns off. The status lamp goes dark, and the speaker makes the power-down guitar sound.

See how the speaker status lamp changes during factory reset in the following pictures.

Top view picture of the speaker, showing Status lamp glowing.
Top view of the speaker, showing the Status lamp glowing.

Finally, the status lamp goes out (dark), as highlighted in the next picture.

Picture of the speaker turned OFF. Showing dark status lamp highlighted.
The speaker turned OFF. Showing dark status lamp highlighted.

4. Check that The Factory Reset of the JBL Clip 3 Speaker Did Indeed Work

Next, power on the Clip 3 again, as we did in step 1 above.

Note that after a factory reset, our speaker comes up in pairing / discovery mode.  The status lamp fast flashes white to tell us this, and you should now be able to see the speaker in a BT source device when connecting to it.

5. Done with How to Factory Reset JBL Clip 3 !

The factory reset is now done. So you may now sell or gift it, or pair the speaker again with your favorite Bluetooth devices.

After a factory reset, the speaker no longer automatically pairs with any previously connected device that is in range and in pairing mode. Thus, to restore automatic Bluetooth pairing, you have to first manually pair the Clip 3 with a device. Finally, after that, any time that both speaker and that device have Bluetooth turned on, pairing would automatically take place once more.

Other Posts About the JBL Clip 3 

    1. JBL Clip 3 Speaker Charging Time
    2. JBL Clip 3 Not Charging, How to Fix
    3. Buttons Guide for the JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth Speaker
    4. How to Read the JBL Clip 3 Battery Indicator Light
    5. How to Turn Off JBL Clip 3 Speaker

Related Posts to How to Factory Reset a JBL Clip 3 

    1. How to Factory Reset JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth Speaker
    2. How to Factory Reset a Sony SRS XG500 Bluetooth Speaker
    3. Factory Resetting the JBL Pulse 3 Speaker
    4. How to Factory Reset JBL Go 2 Portable Speaker
    5. How to Factory Reset a Sony Cube Bluetooth Speaker

References for How to Factory Reset JBL Clip 3

    1. JBL Clip 3 Official Product Page at JBL.com

Revision History

    • 2022-08-05: First published.