By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Apple Support.
If your AirPods stopped pairing, sound funny, or you're handing them down to someone else, a factory reset is the cleanest fix. The process unpairs them from your Apple ID, wipes the settings, and gets them ready to set up fresh.
This walkthrough from Apple Support covers all three current AirPods models. The steps are mostly identical - the only difference is the specific button or buttons you hold to trigger the reset. Once they're reset, follow our guide to pairing AirPods to set them up with a new device, and our screenshot guide if you're documenting the process.
AirPods Pro reset the same way as the standard model. With both earbuds in the case and the lid open, press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds. The status light flashes amber, then white. That white flash confirms the Pros are wiped and ready to pair again.
A reset clears up most of the problems people run into:
If a reset does not fix a connection issue, the problem may be on the phone side. Our guide to clearing your iPhone cache walks through the next things to try.
Put both earbuds in the case and open the lid. Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds until the status light flashes amber and then white. That white flash means the AirPods are wiped and ready to pair again.
The usual cause is letting go of the setup button too soon, so hold it for a full 15 seconds. Check that both earbuds are seated in the case with some charge and the lid stays open the whole time. If the light never changes, charge the case for 15 minutes and try once more.
Yes. A reset unpairs them from your Apple ID and clears your settings, so the next person can set them up clean. Remove them from your device list under Bluetooth first, then do the button reset on the case.
Once they are wiped, open the case next to your phone and follow the setup prompt, or use our guide to pairing AirPods. On an Android phone, hold the setup button until the light blinks white, then pair from the Bluetooth menu.
There is no case button. Hold the noise control button and the Digital Crown together for about 15 seconds until the light flashes amber, then let go.
You should. Go to Settings, Bluetooth, tap the i next to your AirPods and choose Forget This Device. Skipping this leaves the old pairing on your Apple ID and the same connection problem often comes straight back.
Only the AirPods settings. It clears the pairing, the custom double-tap controls and the names you gave them. Nothing on your iPhone, iPad or Mac is touched.
Charge the case above 20 percent, clean the charging contacts inside it, then restart your iPhone before pairing again. A case that cannot hold charge is the usual culprit when a reset does not stick.
The button you hold changes with the model. Everything else about the reset is identical.
Some very early cases do not respond to a long press. On those, leave the lid open and double-tap the front of the case while the status light is lit.
People search for all three and they all describe the same procedure. Holding the setup button until the light flashes amber and then white is the only reset AirPods have. There is no separate hardware reset hidden behind another button combination.
What does differ is whether you unpair first. The button hold on its own wipes the earbuds. Removing them from your Apple ID under Settings, Bluetooth, Forget This Device is the part that stops the old pairing coming straight back. Do both and you have the clean slate people mean when they say full reset.
Second-hand AirPods carry the previous owner's pairing until it is released, and this is the one situation where the button reset on its own might not be enough.
Hold the setup button for 15 seconds and try to pair. If they connect, you are finished. If your phone refuses them, or the light cycles amber and never settles on white, the earbuds are still tied to someone else's Apple ID. Only that person can release them, by removing the AirPods from their device list at appleid.apple.com. Ask a seller to do it before any money changes hands.
A quick check before you buy: open the case next to an iPhone and watch for the pairing card. A set that is still locked to another account usually shows nothing at all.
6 steps · about 4 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap your name at the top of the screen and scroll down until you see your AirPods listed.
If they don't show up there, go to Bluetooth instead - they'll appear in the list of paired devices. Tap your AirPods to open their detail screen.
Scroll all the way to the bottom of the AirPods settings screen. Tap Forget This Device (or, in Bluetooth, tap the small info button next to your AirPods first, then Forget Device).
A confirmation popup appears warning that the AirPods will be removed from all your iCloud-connected devices. Tap Forget Device a second time to confirm.
Tip
The double-confirm is intentional - your AirPods are tied to your Apple ID, so unpairing removes them from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac in one go.
Place your AirPods in their charging case and shut the lid. Wait a few seconds, then open the lid back up.
If a Connect card pops up on your iPhone offering to re-pair, tap the close button (X) in the top corner to dismiss it. You don't want to re-pair yet - the reset hasn't happened.
Look at the back of the case for a small round button - that's the setup button. With the lid still open, press and hold it for about 15 seconds.
For older AirPods cases without a setup button, use the alternate method instead: while the status light is on, double-tap the front of the case three times in a row, watching the light pattern change with each tap.
While you're holding the button, the status light flashes amber for a few seconds. Keep holding. Then it switches to flashing white.
Once you see the white flash, the reset is complete. Release the button. Your AirPods are now factory-fresh and ready to pair with any device the same way they did out of the box.
AirPods Max don't have a case button to reset, so the steps are different. After unpairing in Settings (same as Step 1 and 2), take the headphones out of their Smart Case if they're stored.
Press and hold the noise control button and the digital crown on the right earphone at the same time. Hold for about 15 seconds. The LED near the bottom of the right earphone flashes amber, then white. Release - they're reset.
Tip
Charge your AirPods Max for a few minutes before resetting if the battery is low. A flat battery can prevent the reset sequence from completing.
Keep going
How to Factory Reset a Mac in 7 Steps
7 steps · about 5 minutes
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5 questions covering what you just read. No signup, no score saved, and you can stop after this one.
Question 1 of 5
First step in the reset?
Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.First step in the reset?
Answer: Forget device in Settings
Open Settings, tap your name, find AirPods, then Forget Device. The double-confirm removes them from all your iCloud devices.
2.How long do you hold the case button?
Answer: About 15 seconds
Hold the small round setup button on the back for ~15 seconds with the lid open until the light flashes amber then white.
3.Light pattern that confirms reset?
Answer: Amber then white
Amber flash first, then it switches to flashing white. White flash = reset complete, release the button.
4.Older case without a setup button. Alternate?
Answer: Triple-tap case front
With status light on, double-tap the front of the case three times. Watch the light pattern change with each tap.
5.AirPods Max reset requires...
Answer: Noise control + crown
Hold noise control button + digital crown together for ~15 seconds. LED flashes amber, then white. No case button on Max.
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