Most people reset a small Google speaker for one of three reasons: they’re selling or giving it away, moving it to a new Wi-Fi network or Google Account, or it has stopped responding. On a Google Nest Mini (2nd gen), flip the mic switch off and hold the center of the top until you hear a sound. On a Google Home Mini (1st gen), hold the reset circle on the bottom instead. Both take about 15 seconds.
Restart or factory reset: pick the right one
“Reset” often gets used for two different actions. A restart (Google calls it a reboot) turns the speaker off and on and keeps everything. A factory reset erases your settings and data from the speaker, disconnects it from everyone in your home and can’t be undone, according to Google’s factory reset help page.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Speaker is slow, frozen or ignoring “Hey Google” | Restart first |
| Music or casting keeps cutting out | Restart first |
| You changed your router or Wi-Fi password | Try changing the network in the Google Home app; reset only if the app can’t reach the speaker |
| Setup keeps failing | Restart, then factory reset |
| Selling, gifting or recycling the speaker | Factory reset, then remove it from your app |
| Moving the speaker to a different Google Account | Factory reset, then set up with the new account |
For a Wi-Fi change, a reset is often unnecessary. Try switching a Nest Mini to a new Wi-Fi network first, or the general steps for moving Google Home speakers to a new network.
Which Mini do you have?
The two models look almost the same, and the reset controls are in different places. These differences are easy to check:
| Check | Google Home Mini (1st gen) | Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Power plug | Micro USB (flat plug) | Round DC barrel plug |
| Back of the speaker | No wall-mount slot | Has a slot for hanging it on a wall |
| Bottom of the speaker | Small etched circle (the reset button) below the cord | No reset button |
| Microphones | 2 far-field microphones | 3 far-field microphones |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 5.0 |
The plug, microphone and Bluetooth details come from Google’s speaker specifications page. The quickest test is the cable: a flat Micro USB plug means Home Mini, a round plug means Nest Mini.
If you’ve turned the speaker over and found nothing to press, there are two likely explanations:
- You have a Nest Mini. It has no reset button or pinhole at all. The reset uses the mic switch on the side plus the touch-sensitive center of the top.
- You have a Home Mini and the button is hard to see. It’s flush with the base and marked only by a small etched circle just below the power cord. Feel for a slightly recessed spot.
Neither speaker can be factory reset by voice or from the Google Home app. Google’s help page is clear that you use the physical controls. Guides that mention a paperclip pinhole, a “factory reset” button in the app or a voice command describe other devices or are simply wrong.
Factory reset a Google Nest Mini (2nd gen)
Warning: this erases the speaker’s settings and can’t be undone. If you only want to fix a glitch, restart it instead. If you use routines or speaker groups, note their settings in the Home app before you start.
- Keep the Nest Mini plugged into the wall and powered on.
- On the side of the speaker, slide the mic switch to off. The lights turn orange.
- Press and hold the center of the top, where the lights are.
- Keep holding. After about 5 seconds, the factory reset process starts.
- Continue holding for about 10 more seconds, until a sound confirms the reset. Then let go.
- Slide the mic switch back on if you’ll keep using the speaker.
Expected result: the speaker restarts and is ready to be set up as new.
Factory reset a Google Home Mini (1st gen)
Warning: this erases the speaker’s settings and can’t be undone.
- Keep the Home Mini plugged into the wall and powered on.
- Turn it over and find the circle etched into the base, below the power cord. That’s the factory reset button.
- Press and hold the circle firmly.
- After about 5 seconds, the reset process starts. Keep holding.
- Continue for about 10 more seconds, until a sound confirms the reset.
Press in the middle of the circle with a fingertip. Holding the edge is a common reason nothing happens.
If the reset doesn’t take
Work through these before you assume the speaker is broken.
- Nest Mini lights didn’t turn orange. The mic switch isn’t fully off. Slide it all the way, wait for orange, then hold the center.
- You let go too soon. Hold for the full 15 seconds, until you hear the confirmation sound.
- Power is the problem. Use the adapter that came with the speaker and a wall outlet, not a computer’s USB port. The Nest Mini needs its own round-plug adapter. If no lights come on at all, a reset can’t run.
- The speaker makes no sound and doesn’t respond. Google’s speaker reset troubleshooting page describes a power-cycle method: unplug the speaker, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in and wait until four lights appear. Repeat that unplug and replug cycle 10 more times. The speaker should then announce that it’s ready for setup.
- The Home Mini button is physically broken, or the Nest Mini top no longer responds to touch. Try the power-cycle method above, then contact Google support through the Google Nest Help Center about repair or warranty options.
Restart without erasing anything
Google’s reboot help page gives two ways.
Unplug it
- Unplug the power cord from the speaker or the outlet.
- Wait one minute.
- Plug it back in and give it a minute to start up.
From the Google Home app
- Open the Google Home app and tap Home, then All devices.
- Press and hold the speaker’s tile.
- Tap the Settings icon, then More, then Reboot.
App labels shift between versions. If you can’t find Reboot, unplugging does exactly the same job.
After the reset: set it up again or hand it over
Set up the speaker again
Per Google’s speaker setup page, you need the latest Google Home app, a Google Account, Bluetooth on, and a Wi-Fi network (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz; WPA2-Enterprise networks aren’t supported). Android phones need Android 9.0 or later, and Google’s troubleshooting page lists iOS 17.0 or later for iPhone and iPad.
- Keep the speaker plugged in near where it will live.
- In the Google Home app, tap Add in the top right, then Device.
- Scan the QR code if asked. If that fails, choose the setup code option or add the device a different way.
- Wait for the app to show Connected, then pick your Wi-Fi network, a room and optional features such as Voice Match.
Then reconnect the extras: link Spotify to your Google Account for music, pair your phone using Bluetooth with Google Home, and set up calling your speaker from your phone if you used it as an intercom.
If the app can’t find the speaker
Google’s setup troubleshooting page suggests these steps:
- Update the Google Home app and stand in the same room as the speaker.
- On Android, set the app’s location permission to Allow all the time.
- Restart the speaker by unplugging it for one minute.
- Turn your phone’s Wi-Fi off and on, then force close and reopen the app.
- If the phone’s Wi-Fi list shows a network named GoogleHomeXXXX (with letters or numbers in place of XXXX), connect to it, then return to the app.
- Move within about 15 to 20 feet of the router, or try a different phone or tablet.
Giving it away
Do both of these, because they do different things. The factory reset clears the speaker. Removing it from the app clears it from your home. Removal alone doesn’t wipe the speaker.
- Factory reset the speaker with the steps above.
- In the Google Home app, go to Home > All devices, touch and hold the tile, then tap Settings > Remove device > Remove, as Google’s remove a device page describes.
If you’re moving a whole home of devices to another person rather than one speaker, transferring Google Home to another account avoids resetting each device.
Reset other Google speakers and displays
If the speaker in front of you isn’t a Mini, the control differs. Google’s factory reset page lists:
| Device | How to factory reset |
|---|---|
| Nest Audio | Mic switch off, then hold the center of the top about 15 seconds until a sound |
| Google Home (original) | Hold the microphone mute button about 15 seconds |
| Google Home Max | Hold the factory reset button about 12 seconds |
| Nest Hub | Hold both volume buttons on the back about 10 seconds |
| Nest Hub Max | Save any video history and remove it from the Google Home app, then hold both volume buttons on the back about 10 seconds |
The same Google page also covers the newer Google Home Speaker, which has its own steps. The Mini models themselves are no longer Google’s newest speakers, but the reset steps above still apply to them.
More detail on each model is in factory resetting a Google Nest speaker or display. If a Chromecast on the same network also needs attention after a router change, see connecting a Chromecast to new Wi-Fi.
Reset questions
Does removing the speaker from the Google Home app reset it?
No. Removal only takes it off your home in the app. The speaker keeps its data until you do the physical factory reset.
Will resetting one Mini affect my other speakers?
No. Only the speaker you reset is cleared. If it was in a speaker group, check the group after setup and add the speaker back if it’s missing.
Do I need the Google Home app to do the reset?
No. The reset happens entirely on the speaker. You only need the app afterward to set it up again or remove it from your home.
The speaker still shows in my app after the reset. Is that a problem?
No. Remove it with Settings > Remove device, or set it up again and the app will link to the fresh speaker.
Next step: open the Google Home app, tap Add > Device, and set the speaker up on your current network and account.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.