Restart Amazon Echo Instructions

Amazon Alexa Echo Gen 1 smart speaker with its AC power adapter plugged in.

Use these restart Amazon Echo instructions to fix some unusual symptoms that your speaker may have. Often, choppy audio, not answering to the wake word, static noises, Etc., will clear up after a restart.

Restart Amazon Echo Instructions: Restarting Differs from Resetting

Also note that RESTARTING the Amazon Echo is not the same as RESETTING it back to factory default state. By restarting, we mean just rebooting the Amazon Echo Gen 1.

But a reset does much more than simply restarting. It also clears any settings and data in the speaker. Furthermore, it demands more work afterwards to get the speaker back up and running again. So, avoid confusing the two words. This is especially critical if you don’t have the Amazon account or WiFi network information to use. If you accidentally reset without these data, your life may get harder.

No Power Button to Restart With

Now none of the Amazon Echo tower speakers to date has a power on / off button. So you restart these by unplugging them for a short time. That is, disconnect them from the wall outlet for ten seconds or so. Then, connect them again. Finally, once the Amazon Echo finishes starting up, and the light ring goes dark, then successful restart is complete.

Amazon Echo Gen 1 front view.

No Restart or Reboot Button on Amazon Echo 1st Generation Speakers

Note that the first Amazon Echo tower speaker has no reboot button. Nor can you restart it via the Alexa app.

So the only way to restart this Echo is to power cycle it. That is, power it down for several seconds, then power it back up again.

Amazon Alexa Echo Gen 1. Rotating the volume ring, causing light ring to increase or decrease illumination.

It will tell you when it’s coming back to life by flashing its light ring on its top. It does this in several different blue-green patterns. Furthermore, some versions make a start-up noise as the restart finishes. Then you can try playing music or asking for news, to see if your issue did indeed clear up.

But if the problem persists, then you may have to reset the speaker. This would restore default settings. So you would have to set up the speaker again from scratch.

And finally, if resetting does not solve your problem, the speaker may be faulty, Or it could have corrupt firmware. In either case, your best bet is to just replace it.