The Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen) has two resets, and mixing them up causes most of the grief in the community threads. A restart is a single press of the reset button, after which the doorbell chimes and the front light turns white. A factory reset needs a pin pushed into the reset hole, which on the wired 2nd gen sits above the two terminal screws on the back:
hold it, and at ten seconds the status light blinks yellow four times with a countdown tone, then at twelve seconds the light turns steady yellow and a confirmation tone confirms the reset has started. After a factory reset the doorbell shows as offline in the app until you remove it under Settings, Remove device, and set it up again. Owners who cannot factory reset a wired doorbell have usually either not held the pin the full twelve seconds or not had power connected.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest Doorbell will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The pin is not held long enough
What separates it The light blinks yellow but the reset never completes
How to confirm Hold the pin until the light is steady yellow and you hear the confirmation tone, at about twelve seconds
- 2
A restart is mistaken for a reset
What separates it The doorbell chimes and the light turns white but settings remain
How to confirm A single press is only a restart; use a pin for the factory reset
- 3
The doorbell has no power
What separates it Nothing lights and the pin does nothing
How to confirm Check the transformer and the breaker, then retry with power on
- 4
The old device is still in the app
What separates it After a reset the app shows the doorbell offline
How to confirm Settings, Remove device, Confirm, then set up again
- 5
A wrong reset hole
What separates it The pin enters the wrong opening
How to confirm On the wired 2nd gen the reset hole is above the two terminal screws on the back
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether you pressed once or used a pin and for how long
- What color the status light showed at 10 and 12 seconds
- Whether the doorbell still appears in the app
- Whether the doorbell has power at the transformer
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedChoose restart or reset
ReversibleA single press restarts it; a held pin resets it to factory settings.
Find the reset hole
ReversibleOn the back above the two terminal screws.
Hold the pin
ReversibleHold at ten seconds for four yellow blinks and a tone, and keep holding to twelve seconds for a steady yellow light and a confirmation tone.
Remove it from the app
ReversibleOpen the Google Home app, Settings, Remove device, Confirm.
Set it up again
ReversibleAdd the doorbell from the app and follow the setup steps.
Check power if nothing lights
ReversibleTransformer, breaker and connections.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- The reset sequence
- Ten seconds: four yellow blinks and a countdown tone. Twelve seconds: steady yellow and a confirmation tone.
- Where the hole is
- Above the two terminal screws on the back of the wired 2nd gen.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the doorbell never completes a factory reset with power on and a held pin, contact Google Nest support
- !If it shows no light at all, the transformer or wiring needs checking by an electrician
- !If setup fails after a reset, check the Wi-Fi and the app connection steps
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I factory reset a Nest Doorbell wired 2nd gen?+
Hold a pin in the reset hole above the terminal screws until the light turns steady yellow at about twelve seconds and you hear the confirmation tone.
How do I just restart it?+
Press the reset button once; the light turns white after a chime.
Why is my doorbell offline after a reset?+
The old entry remains in the app; remove the device and set it up again.
Will I lose my video history?+
History depends on your Nest Aware plan, not on the doorbell's reset.