Here, we go over how to hard reset the JBL Clip 3 Bluetooth speaker to return it to its default settings. Hard resetting restores this speaker to its hard default state. Plus, it clears any prior paired BT devices from its memory. Erasing these stops the Clip 3 from pairing to any nearby Bluetooth devices after hard 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 Hard 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.

First, find the Power button, as we see in the last picture above.
Then, the status light comes on, as the next picture shows.

2. Wait for the Power Up Guitar Sound
The speaker makes a rising electric guitar strum sound when it boots. Then, the 3 is ready for hard 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 hard 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.

The speaker then enters its hard 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 hard reset in the following pictures.

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

4. Check that The Hard Reset of the JBL Clip 3 Did Indeed Work
Next, power on the Clip 3 again, as we did in step 1 above.
Note that after a hard 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 Hard Reset JBL Clip 3 !
The hard reset is now done. So you may now sell or gift it, or pair the speaker again with your favorite Bluetooth devices.
After 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.
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Revision History
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- 2022-09-20: First published.