The Philips Hue Dimmer Switch v2 is a small four-button remote that talks to the Hue Bridge over Zigbee, and a factory reset is the cure for a dimmer that no longer responds, that is paired to the wrong bridge or that was bought used. Philips Hue's own reset page gives the method: take the dimmer off its wall plate, open the battery compartment on the back, and press and hold the small Setup button for at least ten seconds until the LED on the front blinks orange.
The checks in more detail
Keep the dimmer within a meter or two of the bridge while you re-pair, since the reset clears its pairing. After the reset, open the Hue app, tap the three dots on the Home tab or go to Settings, Devices, tap the plus, and choose Add accessory, then Hue dimmer switch, and hold the dimmer close to the bridge as the app finds it. The app then lets you assign each button to a scene or a room;
a reset dimmer returns to its default behavior, which controls the lights it was first paired with, until you change it. Before you reset, check that the problem is not simply the battery. The v2 uses a CR2450 coin cell, and a weak cell makes the dimmer lag or ignore presses, so a fresh battery is quicker than a reset. If you are selling or giving the dimmer away, remove it from the Hue app first, under Settings, Accessories, and then reset it, so that it does not stay listed in your home.
If the dimmer was set up with a different Hue Bridge, it must be reset before it will pair with yours. After a reset, test each button and the long-press behavior: the on button turns on the lights, the brighter and dimmer buttons change the level while held, and the Hue button cycles scenes. If the LED does not blink at all during the reset, the battery is dead or fitted the wrong way round.
Differential
Likely causes of “Hue dimmer switch v2 will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A dimmer paired to another bridge
What separates it The Hue app cannot find it
How to confirm Hold Setup ten seconds until the LED blinks orange, then add it
- 2
A dimmer that stopped responding
What separates it Presses do nothing though the battery is fresh
How to confirm Reset it, then add it again
- 3
A second-hand dimmer
What separates it It controls someone else's lights
How to confirm Reset it before adding
- 4
A weak battery
What separates it The LED is dim or does not blink
How to confirm Fit a fresh CR2450 before resetting
- 5
A bridge out of range
What separates it Pairing fails
How to confirm Hold the dimmer within a meter or two of the bridge
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the LED blinks when you press a button
- The battery's age
- Whether the dimmer is listed in the Hue app
- The distance to the bridge
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedRemove the dimmer from the Hue app
ReversibleSettings, Accessories, if it is listed.
Open the battery compartment
ReversibleOn the back of the dimmer.
Hold the Setup button ten seconds
ReversibleUntil the LED blinks orange.
Add it again in the app
ReversibleSettings, Devices, plus, Add accessory.
Hold it close to the bridge
ReversibleDuring pairing.
Test the buttons
ReversibleOn, brighter, dimmer and off.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Setup button
- It sits inside the battery compartment.
- Orange blink
- It confirms the reset.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the LED never blinks after a fresh battery, contact Philips Hue support
- !If the dimmer will not pair after a reset, check the bridge firmware
- !A dimmer whose buttons stick needs replacing
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I reset a Hue Dimmer Switch v2?+
Hold the Setup button for ten seconds until the LED blinks orange.
Do I need to remove it from the app?+
Yes, before selling it.
What battery does it use?+
A CR2450 coin cell.
Why does the LED not blink?+
The battery may be dead or fitted wrongly.