How to set up an Amazon Echo: top tips for your new Alexa speaker

Amazon Echo Show vs Echo
(Image credit: Amazon)
Smart Home Week

This is article is part of TechRadar's Smart Home Week 2024, where we're giving you all the latest news, tips and tricks to help you make the smart home of your dreams. 

Amazon's Echo smart speakers have become a staple in many homes, whether as part of a fully-fledged smart home or just as an affordable and fairly accomplished media center. 

Easy-to-use and effective, the Amazon Echo lineup includes some of the best smart speakers and best smart displays, as well as the recently released Amazon Echo Hub, which is intended strictly for more smart home-related control.

However, setting up your first Amazon Echo device can be a bit daunting, and that's before you've even reached the point of figuring out how to set up Alexa routines and other more advanced features.

That's why we're here to help you make sure you're set up as quickly as possible, and the steps we've outlined below should do the job no matter what model of Echo or Echo Show you're setting up.

Tools and requirements

  • An iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet
  • The Alexa app
  • Your Amazon Echo device

Steps for how to set up your Amazon Echo device

  • Plug in your Amazon Echo device
  • Install the Alexa app on your phone or tablet
  • Tap the + (plus) button on the Home tab
  • Choose your Echo to complete the set up

Step by step guide

1. Power up your Echo

(Image: © TechRadar)

First up, you'll want to plug in your speaker or display with its provided power adapter – make sure it's firmly connected at both ends. After a few moments of booting up and initialization, you should see a glowing orange light of some description, and a voice telling you to use the Alexa app.

2. Download and install the Alexa app

(Image: © Future)

You don't want to disobey your new Echo device, so head to the Apple or Google app store to find the official Amazon Alexa app. If you're on an Amazon tablet, it's also on the Amazon app store. Run the app once you've downloaded it, then sign in using your Amazon account (or create a new one).

3. Pair the device

(Image: © Future)

From inside the Alexa app, open the Home tab, and tap the + (plus) button (top right). Choose Device and the new Echo should be detected automatically: if it is, choose Agree & Continue, otherwise tap Amazon Echo from the device type list to try and find the speaker or display manually. 

4. Connect to Wi-Fi

(Image: © Future)

You now need to teach the Echo how to log into your home Wi-Fi, so it can get online on its own in future: just follow the instructions on screen. If you've previously set up an Echo device at home, the Alexa app may do this step automatically, because it already knows your home Wi-Fi login details.

5. Configure your Echo

(Image: © Future)

And that's it – you're pretty much done, and your Echo will now respond to questions and prompts preceded by "Alexa". To configure your speaker or display, select it from the Devices tab in the app, then tap the gear icon (top right). The available options will vary depending on the Echo model.

FAQs for setting up an Amazon Echo

How do I reset an Amazon Echo?

If you're having problems setting up your Amazon Echo, a reset might help: on recent Echo speakers, press and hold the Action button (the circle) for 20 seconds until the Echo light turns orange. On an Echo Show, press and hold the Mute and Volume down buttons for 20 seconds instead.

How do I pair two Amazon Echos?

If you've got two Echo speakers, you can set them up as a stereo pair. When you tap the + (plus) button on the Home tab in the Alexa app, choose Smart speaker pair from the list – the app will then guide you through the configuration options you've got, and show you how to set it up.

Final thoughts

One of the benefits of using Echo speakers and displays is that they continue to get better over time, with new features and functionality. You don't need to worry about updates, as they'll be managed automatically by the Alexa app on your phone.

Once you've set up your first Echo, you can add more as needed. They can be grouped into rooms so you can manage them more easily, they can be used to broadcast messages around the home, and plenty more besides.

You might also like

TOPICS
David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Read more
Amazon Echo (2020)
Got a new Amazon Echo speaker or Show? Here are 7 common mistakes when setting up Alexa and how to avoid them
best Alexa speakers
The best Alexa speakers 2025: top smart speakers to control your home
Amazon Echo deals
My technophobe mom loves her new Amazon Echo, so I'm shopping these after-Christmas sales to kit out her new smart home
Philips Hue lightbulbs, Apple HomePod mini speaker, and Blink security camera on purple background
The best smart home devices 2025: smart speakers, lights, hubs, and more
Amazon Echo Show 15 on blue background
The best smart display 2025: top smart screens tested by experts
Amazon Echo smart speaker on teal background
The best smart speaker 2025: for Google, Alexa and Siri
Latest in Smart Speakers
Amazon Echo
Alexa Plus needs a flagship smart speaker – here are 5 things I'd like to see in the next Echo
A collection of Amazon Echo devices on a grey background
Want to try Alexa+? Here are the Echo devices it'll work on
Panos Panay at Amazon Alexa event
You can pay $19.99 a month for Alexa Plus – but why would you?
Panos Panay at Amazon Alexa event
Amazon Alexa event as it happened - Alexa+ subscription service officially announced with ample AI features
Google Nest Hub
If your Google Nest smart speaker has been giving you the silent treatment, there's now a fix
Amazon Echo deals
My technophobe mom loves her new Amazon Echo, so I'm shopping these after-Christmas sales to kit out her new smart home
Latest in How Tos
tiktok
How to edit TikTok videos
Irish boxer TJ Doheny receives an undercard bout, ahead of the WBO super welterweight world title fight in March, 2023
Ball vs Doheny live stream: how to watch the boxing action from anywhere
 Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
How to delete all your Facebook posts
Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match in February 2025
Liverpool vs Newcastle live stream: how to watch Carabao Cup final 2025 online
Max Verstappen of Red Bull in testing for the 2025 season in Bahrain
Australian Grand Prix 2025: How to watch F1 First Practice race online from anywhere
Lunar eclipse
I'm a pro photographer – here's how I'm shooting the total lunar eclipse blood moon with my camera and phone