This post gives JBL Boombox hard reset instructions, that take the speaker back to its default settings. Hard resetting this Bluetooth speaker restores it to fresh-out-of-the-box state. It clears any earlier paired Bluetooth devices from memory. Wiping old settings stops this BT speaker from pairing to any close-by active devices. Also, you might hard reset to prepare the speaker for sale or re gifting, or to stop it from pairing with phones and tablets you no longer wish it to link with.
JBL Boombox Hard Reset Instructions, Step by Step
1. Turn on the Boombox
When the speaker is off, all buttons are dark, including the Power button, as shown next.

Then, press and release the Power button. That button should right away light up as shown in the following pictures. Find the Power button, as shown in the last picture above near the center of the photo.
Next, the Power button comes on, as shown next. It either blinks or flashes depending on pairing state.

2. Wait for the Power Up Sound
The unit emits a rising electric guitar strum sound when it boots. You may begin the JBL Boombox hard reset after this sound ends.
Now 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 the hard reset routine. In either case, the JBL Xtreme hard reset directions stay the same, as we list next.
3. Press the Volume UP and Play-Pause Buttons Together
See the next picture to find the Pause Play and UP Volume buttons.

The Boombox then enters hard reset, as seen in the next picture.
Note that both the Power and Connect+ buttons come on for a couple 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, and then the speaker powers down and all buttons go dark, as shown next. You’ll also hear the falling guitar strum as the unit shuts off.

4. Next, Check that the JBL Boombox Hard Reset Did Indeed Occur
Next, power on the Boombox again, as shown 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 JBL Boombox hard reset, our speaker right away starts in Bluetooth discovery mode, as the next picture shows.
Additionally, we did not press the Bluetooth button first. Why? Because after hard reset, the speaker automatically enters Bluetooth discovery mode. Note that the Power button blinks blue to mean discovery mode is ON. When the Power button blinks blue or shows as solid white, the speaker is not currently paired. We expect it would not pair to anything after hard resetting.

5. Done with JBL Boombox Hard Reset
Finally, the hard reset is now complete. So, you may pack the speaker up for resale, or pair it once again with your media playing Bluetooth devices.
Note about Automatic Pairing after JBL Boombox Hard Reset
The Boombox will no longer pair with any previously paired in-range BT device without you manually pairing it again. So, to restore automatic Bluetooth pairing, you’ll need to forget the previously paired connection for this speaker listed in the Bluetooth devices section of your source device settings. Next, once that’s done, then manually pair the Boombox with that device again if you wish. Then any time that both speaker and that device have Bluetooth turned on, pairing automatically happens once again.
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References
Revision History
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- 2021-08-10: First published.