How to Reset Bluetooth Headphones
Hold 10 to 30 seconds, or use the case on earbuds. Here is the pattern by brand, what to try first, and the step that makes resets actually work.
Most Bluetooth headphones reset by holding the power button for 10 to 30 seconds while switched off, and earbuds reset from the charging case. The step that decides whether it works is the one after: delete the headphones from the Bluetooth list on every device that has ever paired with them. Skipping that is why most resets appear to fail.
Before resetting anything, it is worth knowing that a reset is not a repair and that two lighter steps fix most problems.
Try these first
Charge for 30 minutes. A deeply discharged battery will not respond to a button press at all and may show no charging light for several minutes. This accounts for most headphones that seem dead or unresponsive.
Power cycle. Off, wait ten seconds, on. Clears a surprising share of faults and loses nothing.
For earbuds, reseat them. Both buds in the case, lid closed for ten seconds, reopen. This re establishes the link between the two buds and fixes one silent bud more often than anything else.
Forget the headphones on your phone and pair again. A stale pairing on the phone side produces exactly the same symptoms as a fault in the headphones, and clearing it costs nothing.
Clear the pairing list rather than the whole product, where the model offers it. Usually a longer hold of the Bluetooth button until you hear a confirmation. It fixes stubborn connection problems while keeping your settings.
Reset by type
Over-ear and on-ear models. With the headphones off, hold the power button for 10 to 30 seconds depending on the brand, keeping hold well past the point where they would normally power on. Release when you hear a confirmation or the light changes. Some brands use a button combination instead, commonly power plus volume down.
True wireless earbuds. Put both buds in the case, confirm they are seated on the contacts, and with the lid open hold the case button for 10 to 20 seconds until the light flashes or changes color. On models with no case button, hold the touch surface on both buds simultaneously.
Neckband and sports models. Usually a long hold of the power button, or power plus volume, for 10 to 15 seconds.
Business headsets with a dongle. Reset from the manufacturer’s desktop software rather than a button, and re pair the dongle separately.
By brand, roughly
| Brand | Typical reset |
|---|---|
| Bose | Varies by model. Power switch held while plugging in USB, or Bluetooth plus multifunction for 15 seconds |
| Sony | Power plus custom button for around 7 seconds, headphones off |
| Beats | Power plus volume down for around 10 seconds |
| JBL | Volume up plus play for around 5 seconds |
| Skullcandy | Power held 10 to 15 seconds, or case button 15 seconds |
| Jabra | Both buds in case, hold both buttons 10 seconds |
| Shokz | Volume up plus volume down for around 10 seconds |
These are the common patterns rather than a guarantee. Button combinations genuinely differ between models within a brand, so check the support page for your exact model if the pattern above does nothing.
The step that makes it work
After any reset, go to Bluetooth settings on every device that has ever paired with the headphones and remove them from the list.
The reason is specific. A reset makes the headphones discard their stored pairing credentials. A phone still holding the old pairing keeps trying to reconnect using credentials that no longer exist, which fails silently and looks exactly like a reset that did not take.
Do it on your phone, your tablet, your laptop, your television and anything else. Then pair one device at a time, turning Bluetooth off on the others while you do.
If you have reset a pair three times and pairing still fails, this is almost certainly why.
What a reset will not fix
No power after 30 minutes on charge, tried on more than one cable and adapter, which means a battery or charging circuit failure.
One side permanently silent after cleaning the mesh and reseating in the case, which points to a driver fault. Our guide on fixing headphones that work on one side covers the diagnosis.
Battery life that has collapsed after two to three years of daily charging, which is normal capacity decline.
Physical damage to a hinge, headband or cable.
Audio that sounds thin and quiet on a computer during calls, which is the Bluetooth hands free profile rather than a fault. Our guide on stopping Bluetooth headphones lowering computer volume covers it.
After the reset
Pair the most important device first, since some headphones prioritise the earliest pairing.
Reinstall or reopen the manufacturer’s app and check for a firmware update, since connection reliability improves in updates and a reset does not apply them.
Expect to reconfigure anything customised, since those settings live in the headphones rather than in the app.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset Bluetooth headphones?
On over-ear models, hold the power button for 10 to 30 seconds with the headphones switched off, well past the point where they would power on, until you hear a confirmation. On earbuds, put both buds in the case and hold the case button for 10 to 20 seconds with the lid open. Then remove them from every device’s Bluetooth list.
Why did resetting not fix my headphones?
Almost always because the paired devices were not cleared as well. A reset makes the headphones discard their stored credentials, and any device still holding the old pairing keeps trying to reconnect with them, which fails silently. Remove the headphones from the Bluetooth list on every phone, tablet and computer, then pair from scratch.
Will a reset erase my settings?
Yes. A full reset clears the pairing list and returns settings to their defaults, so you will pair every device again and reconfigure anything customised such as equalizer, cancellation levels and button shortcuts. Many models offer a lighter option that clears only the stored devices, which is worth trying first for connection problems.
Do I need to reset both earbuds separately?
No, and on most models you cannot. Earbuds reset as a pair from the charging case, which also re establishes the link between the two buds. If one bud is silent, try closing the case for ten seconds and reopening before resetting, since that alone fixes it more often than a full reset does.