Alexa Red Ring Of Death: 7 Steps To Fix It In 1 Min (2023)

The first time I saw the Alexa red ring of death…

I panicked.

I thought it was a defect.

But surprisingly, the so-called ring of death was harmless.

Is your Alexa flashing a red ring too?

Not to worry, friend.

It’s a 1-minute fix.

Keep reading to discover:

Why your Alexa device is flashing red.
7 steps to fix the Alexa red ring of death.
What else you can do if Alexa’s red ring persists.
And so much more…

Why is Alexa flashing red?

Alexa’s flashing red because you may have accidentally muted its microphone. Another reason is you’re using an outdated software. A glitchy WiFi connection could be the cause too. In some cases, Alexa flashes red due to a faulty wall charger. Lastly, it might mean your Alexa device’s malfunctioning.

Alexa red ring of death: 7 steps to fix it

#1: Hold Alexa’s microphone button for 3 seconds

Note: The first step, along with the 2nd one will cost you less than a minute. If they don’t do the trick, continue to the next ones.

If your Alexa device is an Echo Dot, your microphone button is a hollow circle icon with a diagonal slash (/).

For other Amazon Echo models, you should see a microphone icon.

Hold your microphone button for 3 seconds and then…

#2: Wait for the red ring to disappear

If Alexa was muted, pressing the microphone button should remove the red light.

However…

Test your Alexa device first to ensure it’s back to normal.

Try saying a command and see if Alexa responds.

If it does, try asking Alexa to play music.

“Why do this?”

Testing different commands with Alexa helps you determine if…

Your Alexa device was just muted.
There’s another underlying issue with your device.
Alexa is malfunctioning and doesn’t respond to commands.

“What happens if Alexa’s red ring appears again after a few minutes?”

Then, it might mean you’ll have to…

#3: Unplug your Alexa device

In some cases, your Alexa device won’t unmute even after pressing the microphone button.

Holding it longer than 3 seconds isn’t going to help either.

What might do the trick though is…

Unplugging Alexa from your wall outlet. It’s called a cold reboot.

What does a cold reboot do?

Simple.

It jumpstarts your Alexa device and knocks it back to its normal senses.

Here’s how to do it:

Unplug your Alexa device from the wall outlet.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Plug your Alexa device back into your power outlet.

Once Alexa restarts, give it a few minutes.

Wait and see if the red light appears again.

#4: Try a different charger

In rare cases, resetting Alexa might not be enough.

What you can then do is to…

Use a different wall charger.

Why do this?

Because it could mean your Amazon Echo charger is faulty.

Put simply, your current wall charger is damaged and can’t supply power to your device.

If your Alexa device doesn’t have any power, what do you think happens?

It dies.

Remember: Alexa needs to be plugged in all the time to connect to the WiFi and operate smoothly.

So, what charger can you use for your Echo device?

Any wall charger will do. Whether it’s a Belkin or an Anker charger.

Be sure to use a different micro-USB cable too.

Finally, plug your Alexa device into a different wall outlet.

For all you know, it could be your power outlet that’s also causing a problem.

You might also like: 12 Reasons Why Alexa Doesn’t Turn On + 12 Fixes

However, if that doesn’t work, you should…

#5: Update Alexa’s software

When was the last time you updated Alexa?

If it’s been a while since you did, it could be why Alexa’s red ring hasn’t gone away.

Normally, Alexa updates itself when a new software’s available.

But just to be sure, check your Echo device’s current software version:

Open your Alexa app.
Tap “Devices.”
Tap “Echo & Alexa.”
Choose your Echo device.
Tap “About.”
Check the latest software version of your Echo device.

From here, update Alexa by following these steps:

Press the microphone button on your Echo device.
Leave it for 30 minutes to an hour.
Check your device’s current software.

You can also check out this video as an additional guide:

If Alexa didn’t update, don’t worry.

Here’s another way to get the latest software version:

Say “Alexa, update software.”

And finally, as a last resort, you can also…

Unplug your Echo device.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Plug your Alexa device back into the power source.
Connect to the WiFi.
Make sure Alexa is close to your router.
Press the microphone button.
Wait for the update to finish.

#6: Move Alexa closer to your WiFi router

Alexa’s red ring can also mean a glitchy WiFi connection.

In that case, move your Echo device closer to your router.

If you’re having a glitchy WiFi connection, it could mean…

Your Alexa device can’t detect your WiFi signal.
Alexa stopped functioning because of a lost connection to your router.

That said, positioning your Echo device closer to your WiFi should solve the red ring of death.

And if it doesn’t, what should you do?

Try connecting Alexa to your WiFi’s 5.0 GHz bandwidth.

Now, you’re probably wondering…

“What does 5.0 GHz bandwidth even mean?

And how does that help me?”

Most WiFi routers today come with 2 bandwidths: 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz.

Here’s the difference between the two:

Bandwidth	Speed	Range	Ideal if…
2.4 GHz.	Slower.	Has more coverage.	Farther from router.
5.0 GHz.	Faster.	Limited or smaller coverage.	Closer to the router.

5.0 GHz bandwidths are perfect if you’re…

Gaming.
Videoconferencing.
Streaming movies in 4K or 8K.
Using a smart home device that needs consistent WiFi connectivity.

And Alexa is one device that requires a stable, consistent connection.

For example, say your WiFi’s name is Nacho Grande.

On your list of available WiFi networks, you should see two options:

Nacho Grande.
Nacho Grande 5.0.

The network name with “5.0” is what you should connect to.

Why?

Put simply, a 5.0 GHz bandwidth has a stronger WiFi connection.

To get the most out of your WiFi’s 5.0 bandwidth, your device should be close to your router.

From there, see if the red ring disappears. If not…

#7: Do a factory reset

A factory reset sounds hard, but it’s a lot easier than it sounds.

Think of a factory reset as a more effective method than resetting your device.

However, any changes you’ve made to your Echo device will revert it back to its original setting.

In other words, it’s like a brand new Alexa.

Fortunately, all it takes is 1 button and waiting for about 10 to 20 seconds.

Easy, right?

For 3rd-gen and 4th-gen Alexa devices, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Step 1: Press and hold the action button of your Alexa device.

You can find it as a shaded circle icon between your volume control (+) & (-) buttons.

Wait for Alexa to say:

“Resetting your device. This will take about a minute. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

Step 2: Wait for about a minute or two for Alexa to reset your device.

At this point, you can let go of the action button.

When the factory reset is complete, Alexa should say:

“Hello, your device is ready for set up.”

Now, if you’re using a 1st-gen or 2nd-gen Alexa device, the process is slightly different.

For a 1st-gen Echo device…

Flip your device upside down.
You should see a small hole.
Grab a paper clip.
Insert the paper into the hole.
Press the reset button.
Wait for Alexa to say you can let go.

For 2nd-gen Echo devices, it’s similar to resetting 3rd-gen and 4th-gen Alexa devices.

This also works for the Amazon Echo 2nd gen device.

Here’s how to do it:

Press and hold your device’s microphone and volume down button.
Wait for the ring to turn orange.
After 15 to 20 seconds, your device will reset.

“My device doesn’t reset after pressing the action button?”

Don’t panic.

You can still do a factory reset.

The only difference is that you’ll do it through the Alexa app.

Here’s how it’s done:

Open your Alexa app.
Tap “Devices.”
On your Devices menu, tap “Echo & Alexa.”
Select the Echo device you want to do a factory reset on.
Tap “Factory Reset.”
Follow the on-screen instructions.

Still didn’t work?

Check out: Alexa Not Talking Back: 11 Causes & Ways To Fix It

BONUS: Deregister your Echo device

Before you deregister your Echo device, I suggest giving it a cold reboot.

Why?

After all the troubleshooting you did earlier, if your Alexa device isn’t responding…

It means Alexa is malfunctioning.

Reading tip: Alexa Device Is Unresponsive: 16 Causes & Fixes

The best way to solve this issue is to do another cold reboot.

However, wait a little longer before plugging your Echo device back in.

Waiting for about 1 to 2 minutes before plugging Alexa back into a wall outlet should be enough.

Then, as soon as you’ve rebooted your Echo device, follow these steps:

Open your Alexa app.
Tap “More” (3 horizontal lines icon).
Tap “Settings.”
Tap “Device Settings.”
Select the Echo device you want to deregister.
Under the General section, you should see “Registered to.”
Beside it, tap the blue text “Deregister.”
A pop-up box should appear.
Confirm the device you want to deregister.

Note: You might have to repeat the deregister process multiple times.

If Alexa doesn’t allow you to deregister your device, try a factory reset again.

After that, follow the deregister process again.

Ultimately, the red ring of death doesn’t mean your device is a goner.

By combining several troubleshooting steps, Alexa should return to its normal self.