How to Restart Alexa Smart Speaker

Top view of the Amazon Echo 3rd Gen Alexa speaker, shown connected to AC power and booting.

We show here how to restart a common Alexa smart speaker. Restarting, otherwise known as rebooting, often corrects unusual symptoms that these devices may have.

How to Restart Alexa Smart Speaker with No Power Button

Since none of the Alexa speakers issued so far has a power on / off button, you restart these Alexa units by unplugging them for a brief time. That is, disconnect them from AC power for roughly fifteen seconds. Next, reconnect them to power again. Once the speaker finishes booting, and the light ring darkens, then successful restart is complete.

Amazon Echo Dot 2nd generation smart speaker top view.

How to Restart Alexa Speaker with No Restart or Reboot Buttons

Note that most of these speakers, except a couple of the earliest generations models, have no physical reboot / restart button. Nor can you remotely restart it via the Alexa app. So currently, the only way how to do this is to cycle its power off then on again, as described earlier. That is, power it down for, again, fifteen seconds, then power it up again.

The Alexa Dot 3rd Gen speaker box, front view.

How to Restart Alexa Differs from How to Reset It

Also note that RESTARTING the Alexa is not the same as RESETTING it. By restarting, we mean simply rebooting the Alexa. But resetting does much more than this. Unlike a simple restart, resetting erases any stored settings and data in the smart speaker, and involves more work afterwards to get the unit running once more. So, please do not conflate the two terms, particularly if you wish not to change the Amazon account or WiFi network information that the Alexa currently uses.