How to Hard Reset JBL Xtreme

JBL Xtreme portable Bluetooth speaker, right front corner view.

This post tell how to hard reset JBL Xtreme, for returning the speaker to its default hard settings. Hard resetting the Xtreme restores it to default operation. It also clears any earlier paired Bluetooth devices from memory. Wiping old settings stops the Xtreme from pairing to any close-by active Bluetooth devices. Also, you might hard reset to get it ready for sale or re gifting, or to stop it from pairing with phones and tablets you no longer wish it to link with.

How to Hard Reset JBL Xtreme

1. Turn on the JBL Xtreme

When the Xtreme is off, all buttons are dark, including the Power button, as shown next.

Our Xtreme speaker powered OFF, showing its dark Power button.

Then, press and release the Power button. That button should right away light up as we show in the following pictures. Find the Power button, as shown in the last picture above, pointed at by the green arrow.

Next, the Power button lights up. In our case, since we’ve paired the JBL Xtreme with our tablet before this, it automatically pairs with it now. We know that because the Power button glows solid blue, rather than blinking blue or glowing steady white.

The speaker powered on and paired, showing its blue glowing Power button.

2. Wait for the Power Up Sound

The speaker makes a rising electric guitar strum sound when it powers up. The Xtreme is ready for hard reset after this sound ends. If your speaker pairs with an in-range Bluetooth device, you’ll also hear the three rising single guitar notes a few seconds after the startup cord. At any rate, whether or not the speaker pairs with any Bluetooth devices does not change how you hard reset it. In either case, the hard reset directions are the same, as we detail next.

3. Press the Volume UP and Play-Pause Buttons Together to Continue with How to Hard Reset JBL Xtreme

See the next picture to find the Play-Pause and UP Volume buttons on this Xtreme JBL speaker.

The reset button combination on the speaker highlighted.

The Xtreme then enters hard reset, as seen in the next picture.

Note that both the Power and Connect+ buttons come on for a few seconds as the reset advances. The Power button glows a pale blue or white, and the Connect+ button glows gray-white for a second or two. We circled these buttons in green in the following photo.

Showing the -Power- and -Connect- buttons glowing pale during reset, and circled.

Then after a short pause, hard reset finishes. Then the JBL Xtreme shuts off. All lights go off just after it plays the guitar power-down noise.

4. Next, Check that Hard Reset Did Indeed Happen

Next, power on the Xtreme again, as taught in step 1 above. In summary, press and release the Power button. See the Power button pointed out in the next picture.

Now this time, after hard reset, our speaker right away starts in Bluetooth pairing mode, as seen next.

Note that we did not press the Bluetooth button first. Why? Because after reset, the JBL Xtreme automatically enters Bluetooth pairing mode. Note that the Power button blinks blue to mean Bluetooth discovery mode. When the Power button blinks blue or shows as solid white, the Xtreme is not currently paired. We expect it would not pair to anything after a hard reset.

The speaker powered on, with its blue flashing -Power- button highlighted.

5. Done with the How to Hard Reset JBL Xtreme Routine

The hard reset is done at last. You may now pack it up for resale, or pair it once again with your media playing Bluetooth devices.

Note about Automatic Pairing after Hard Reset

The Xtreme will no longer automatically pair with any previously paired in-range Bluetooth device in Bluetooth pairing mode. So, to restore automatic Bluetooth pairing, you’ll need to forget the previously paired Xtreme listed in the Bluetooth devices section of your source device settings. Once done, then manually pair the Xtreme with that device again if so desired. Then any time that both speaker and that device have Bluetooth turned on, pairing automatically happens once again.