Picture of the JBL Charge 3 portable wireless speaker. Showing the front right end view. The Bluetooth speaker is powered on and paired.

JBL Charge 3 Hard Reset

These JBL Charge 3 hard reset directions show how to return the unit to its default settings. Hard resetting restores this speaker to default state. It erases any earlier paired Bluetooth devices from its memory. Doing this stops the speaker from pairing to any nearby Bluetooth devices. Also, you might hard reset your speaker to prepare it for sale or re gifting. Or you just might want to stop it from pairing with devices of no interest.

JBL Charge 3 Hard Reset: Step by Step

1. Turn on the Speaker

Press and release the Power button.  It should immediately light up.

Picture of the speaker, powered off. Showing the dark -Power- button.
The JBL Charge 3 powered off. Showing the dark -Power- button.

Find the power button, as shown in the last picture above.

Then, the Power button comes on, as shown next. In our case, since we’ve paired the speaker with Bluetooth devices before this, it does not enter Bluetooth discovery mode. We know that because the Power button is glows solid gray, rather than blinking blue.

Picture of the speaker, powered On, not paired. Showing the glowing white -Power- button.
The speaker, powered On, not paired. Showing the glowing white -Power- button.

2. Wait for the Power Up Sound

The speaker makes a rising electric guitar strum sound when it powers up. The JBL Charge 3 is ready for resetting after this sound finishes.





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

See the next picture to find the Pause Play and UP Volume buttons.

Picture of the -Volume UP- and -Play Pause- buttons.
The -Volume UP- and -Play Pause- buttons.

The Charge 3 then enters hard factory reset, as shown in the next picture. Note that both the Power and Connect+ buttons light up for a couple seconds as the hard reset progresses. The Power button glows a pale blue, and the Connect button glows gray-white.  We circled these buttons in green, as shown next.

Picture of the glowing -Power- and -Connect- buttons.
The glowing -Power- and -Connect- buttons.

Then after a short pause, the JBL Charge 3 turns off. All the lights go off, and it makes the power-down guitar sound.  The next picture shows the JBL Charge 3, powered down.  All buttons are dark.

Picture of the JBL Charge 3 top, showing its dark buttons.
JBL Charge 3 top view, showing its dark buttons.

4. Check that your JBL Charge 3 Did Hard Reset

Next, power on the Charge 3 again, as described in step 1 above.  In short, press and release the Power button, as shown next.

Now after the hard reset, our speaker comes up in Bluetooth discovery mode. So no need to press the Bluetooth button since the speaker now automatically enters pairing mode.  Note that the Power button blinks blue to denote Bluetooth discovery mode. When the Power button blinks blue or glows solid white, the Charge 3 is not currently in a connection.

Picture of the JBL Charge 3, powered on after hard reset. Showing the -Power- button blinking blue.
The JBL Charge 3, powered on after hard reset. Showing the -Power- button flashing blue.

5. Done!

Finally the JBL Charge 3 reset is now complete. You may now pack it up for sale, or pair it again with your favorite Bluetooth devices.

The speaker will no longer automatically pair with any previously paired device. So, to restore this, forget the previously paired Charge 3 in the Bluetooth devices settings of your source device. Then manually pair the Charge 3 with that device again. Finally after that, pairing automatically takes place again.

Other Posts About the JBL Charge 3

    1. JBL Charge 3 Reset Button Location
    2. How to Tell if This Speaker is Charging
    3. Picture Gallery
    4. The Battery Life Explained
    5. How to Pair with iOS Devices

References

    1. JBL Charge 3 Official Product Page