Picture of the JBL Charge 3 portable rechargeable speaker. Showing its left end. This Bluetooth speaker is powered on and paired.

JBL Charge 3 Reset

These JBL Charge 3 reset instructions show you how to reset your JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker to its default settings. Resetting restores this speaker to factory default state. Factory resetting erases any earlier paired Bluetooth devices from its memory. Clearing these stops the Charge 3 from pairing to any nearby Bluetooth devices after the reset. Also, you might reset your JBL Bluetooth speaker to get it ready for sale or re-gifting, or to stop it from pairing with devices you no longer wish it to pair with.

JBL Charge 3 Reset: Step by Step

1. Turn on the JBL Charge 3

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

Picture of the JBL Charge 3 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 glowing white -Power- button.
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 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 JBL Charge 3 during reset. Showing the glowing -Power- and -Connect- buttons.
The JBL Charge 3 during reset. Showing 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 control panel buttons.
The control panel buttons.

4. Check that your JBL Charge 3 Did Reset

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

Now this time, after reset, our speaker immediately comes up in Bluetooth discovery mode, as shown next. We did not have to press the Bluetooth button first, as after a reset, the speaker automatically enters Bluetooth pairing mode.  Note that the Power button blinks blue to denote Bluetooth discovery mode. When the Power button blinks blue or shows as solid white, the Charge 3 is not currently paired. We expect it not to pair to anything after a reset.

Picture of the -Power- button blinking blue.
The -Power- button flashing blue.

5. Done!

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

The JBL Charge 3 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 Charge 3 listed in the Bluetooth devices section of your source device settings.  Once you do that, then manually pair the Charge 3 with that device again if so desired. Then after that, any time that both speaker and that device have Bluetooth turned on, pairing with automatically take place once more.

Other Posts About the JBL Charge 3 

    1. Updating Firmware on JBL Charge 3
    2. JBL Charge 3 Change Name Details
    3. JBL Charge 3 Buttons Info

Related Posts to JBL Charge 3 Reset

    1. JBL Pulse 3 Reset
    2. JBL Flip 3 Reset

References

    1. JBL Charge 3 Official Product Page at JBL.com

Revision History

    • 2022-12-02: Updated links.
    • 2019-04-15: Removed ad code. Shortened post title and URL.
    • 2018-07-16: First published.