Sony XB21 Hard Reset Instructions

We give Sony XB21 hard reset instructions to return this Extra Bass portable party speaker to its factory default settings. Hard resetting restores this model of the XB series Bluetooth speaker to fresh-out-of-the-box state. Plus, doing this erases any earlier paired Bluetooth devices from memory. Then this clearing stops the XB21 from pairing to any nearby Bluetooth devices. Further, you might hard reset to get it ready for sale or re-gifting, or to stop it from pairing wirelessly with devices you no longer wish it to connect with.

Sony XB21 Hard Reset, Step by Step Instructions

1. Turn the Speaker ON

Press and release the Power button for a half-second or so. Find the Power button as shown in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony XB21. Sony XB21 Hard Reset. — Sony XB21 -Power- button.

Then, the status light comes on, as shown next.

The glowing -Power- light on the speaker. — The speaker’s -Power- lamp glowing.

The speaker may make a ding-dong tone sound when it powers up, should it link to a nearby device. Or it may make no noise if it does not do so. But whether the unit pairs or not, this hard reset routine works the same way, as follows.

2. Press and Hold the Power and Volume DOWN Buttons Together

Find these buttons as shown next. They are both on the top button panel, as we point out in the next picture.

Picture of the -Power- and -Volume DOWN- buttons. — The -Power- and -Volume Down- buttons.

The XB21 then enters hard reset mode.

Then after a mini pause, the unit turns OFF, and the Power lamp goes dark, as shown next. Note that on the SRS XB21, there is no shutdown sound.

The dark -Power- lamp on the Sony XB21. — Sony XB21 -Power- lamp dark.

3. Check that your Sony XB21 Did Indeed Hard Reset

Next, power up the unit again, as explained in step 1 above.

Note that after hard reset, the XB21 comes up in discovery mode. The Pairing Mode lamp blinks quickly to let you know this.

The glowing -Bluetooth Status- light. — The -Bluetooth Status- lamp glowing.

This is a signal that you may then look for this speaker on a nearby source Bluetooth device, and pair to it if you so desire.

4. Done with Sony XB21 Hard Reset !

The hard reset is now finished. So you may now sell or gift it, or pair it again with your favorite Bluetooth devices.

After a hard reset, the XB21 no longer auto syncs with any previously paired Bluetooth device. Thus, to restore auto linking, you manually pair it with a device. Then after that, any time that both speaker and that device have Bluetooth activated, and they’re near to each other, pairing would automatically take place once more.

References

1. Official Sony XB21 Support Page
2. Where to Buy the Sony XB21

Revision History

- 2023-03-18: First published.