Factory resetting a Nest Audio returns it to the state it was in when it left the box, removes it from your Google Home and erases its Wi-Fi details, and Google's help page for smart speakers describes the method. Slide the microphone switch on the back to off so that the lights turn orange, then press and hold the center of the top of the speaker, near the upper edge. After about five seconds the speaker begins the reset process, and you keep holding for roughly ten seconds more until a sound confirms that it is resetting.
The checks in more detail
Different sources quote slightly different total times, so hold until you hear the confirmation and do not release at the first sound. The speaker restarts and returns to set-up mode, ready to be added again in the Google Home app. Try gentler steps first: unplug the speaker for ten seconds, restart the router and check the Home app for the speaker's status, because many faults that people try to reset away are a router or an account problem.
A reset is right when you have moved to a new router or changed your Wi-Fi password and the speaker cannot rejoin, when the speaker is stuck and a restart does not help, when you bought it second-hand and it is tied to another account, or when you are selling or giving it away. In the last case, also remove it from your Home in the app first, so that the new owner can add it.
After the reset, open the Home app, add the speaker as a new device, and set up Voice Match and any music services again, because the speaker forgets them. Rooms, groups and routines that included the speaker need rebuilding. If the reset does not seem to start, check that the microphone switch is off, that you are holding the right spot at the top, and that the speaker is plugged in. If it still will not reset or will not set up afterwards, contact Google support.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest Audio will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A new router or password
What separates it The speaker cannot rejoin
How to confirm Factory reset and set it up again
- 2
A stuck speaker
What separates it A restart does not help
How to confirm Reset it with the microphone switch off
- 3
A second-hand speaker
What separates it It is tied to another account
How to confirm Ask the owner to remove it, or reset it
- 4
Selling or giving it away
What separates it It must be wiped
How to confirm Remove it from your Home, then reset
- 5
The reset will not start
What separates it Nothing happens when you hold the top
How to confirm Check the switch, the spot and the power
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether a restart was tried
- Whether the switch is off
- The sound heard when it resets
- Whether it was removed from the Home
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedTry a restart first
ReversibleUnplug it for ten seconds.
Switch the microphone off
ReversibleThe lights turn orange.
Hold the top center
ReversibleAbout fifteen seconds in all.
Wait for the sound
ReversibleIt confirms the reset.
Set it up again
ReversibleIn the Google Home app.
Rebuild routines
ReversibleThey are cleared.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Hold spot
- The center of the top, near the upper edge.
- Confirmation
- A sound tells you the reset is under way.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the speaker will not reset or set up afterwards, contact Google support
- !Remove it from your Home before selling
- !Keep the receipt for warranty
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I factory reset a Nest Audio?+
Switch the microphone off, then hold the top center until a sound confirms the reset.
How long do I hold it?+
About five seconds to start and ten more to finish.
Do I lose my routines?+
Yes, they must be rebuilt.
Should I remove it from my Home first?+
Yes, if you are passing it on.