How to Reset a Bose Soundbar (300, 500, 600, 700, 900, Ultra)
Here’s how to reset a Bose soundbar: unplug it for 30 seconds first, and if the problem survives that, hold the two buttons its owner’s guide names for a factory reset.
Hold the wrong pair and the reset never starts, so a bar that suddenly froze on one input, got stuck on a light or dropped out of the Bose app stays that way.
Hold the right pair and the bar reboots, clears its source, volume and network settings, and wakes up glowing amber, ready to set up again.
The table below gives each model’s reset straight from Bose’s owner’s guides, from the Smart Soundbar 300 to the Smart Ultra, Soundbar 550 and SoundTouch 300.
Find your bar in it, then follow that model’s section through setup, so the reset only has to happen once.
Which Reset Does Your Bose Soundbar Need?
That 30-second unplug comes first because Bose’s guides list it as a fix for a bar that won’t power on, play sound, find its bass module or join Wi-Fi. Start with it, since no guide says it clears anything, and save the factory reset for a fault that keeps coming back.
- Unplug the soundbar’s power cord, plus any bass module or surround speakers.
- Wait 30 seconds, or 15 on a SoundTouch 300 and at least a minute on a Solo 5 or Solo Soundbar Series II.
- Plug each one firmly back into a live outlet.
Only the Lifestyle Ultra’s guide calls this a reset, one that resets the controls without clearing any device settings. The Lifestyle Ultra’s status light slowly pulses white and then turns off, while the TV Speaker plays a tone as it powers back on.
How to Reset a Bose Soundbar, Model by Model
If that unplug changed nothing, the factory reset is next, and its buttons depend on which Bose bar you own. Here’s each one as its guide gives it:
| Bose model | Factory reset | Light when it’s done | Set up again in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Soundbar, Smart Ultra, Smart Soundbar 600, Soundbar 550 | Volume down + Play/Pause on the remote, 5 seconds | Pulses white twice, fades, then solid amber | Bose app |
| Smart Soundbar 300 | Volume down + Play/Pause on the remote, 5 seconds | Flickers white twice, fades, then orange | Bose Music app |
| Smart Soundbar 700, Smart Soundbar 900, Soundbar 500 | Power + Skip forward on the remote, 5 seconds | Pulses white twice, fades, then solid amber | Bose Music app |
| SoundTouch 300 | SoundTouch button, then hold TeleText, 10 seconds | Four indicators blink white, then the Wi-Fi indicator glows amber | SoundTouch app |
| Lifestyle Ultra | Play/Pause + Volume down on top of the bar, 10 seconds | Solid white, then a slow amber pulse | Bose app |
| TV Speaker, Solo 5, Solo Soundbar Series II | None in the guide; unplug instead | None | None |
Every row comes from that bar’s own owner’s guide on Bose’s site. The Solo and TV Speaker guides give no factory reset at all, so their row stops at the unplug.
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No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.How Do You Reset a Bose Smart Soundbar, Smart Ultra, 600 or 550?
Those first four bars share one reset, worded the same in the Bose Smart Soundbar owner’s guide and the 600’s and 550’s. Press and hold Volume down and Play/Pause on the remote for five seconds, until the light bar pulses white twice and fades to black.
- On a Smart Ultra, first remove the soundbar from your Bose account in the Bose app.
- Hold Volume down and Play/Pause together for 5 seconds.
- Wait while the bar reboots, until the light bar glows solid amber.
- Open the Bose app and add the soundbar to your network again.
The Smart Ultra’s guide also has you rerun ADAPTiQ audio calibration afterward, which the Smart Soundbar’s guide never mentions. That room calibration is one of the differences between the Bose Smart Soundbar and Smart Ultra.
Solid amber is where every one of these resets is meant to finish. A different amber pattern means something else, so if you see a Bose soundbar blinking orange rather than glowing steadily, check what that pattern means on your model before you reset it again.
What’s Different About the Smart Soundbar 300?
The Smart Soundbar 300 takes that same Volume down and Play/Pause hold for five seconds. Its French owner’s guide, the only edition found on Bose’s site, says the light bar flickers white twice and fades out, then lights orange once the reset is complete.
Its setup step names the Bose Music app rather than the Bose app. If the bar hangs on a wall, the guide also has you adjust the sound for wall mounting again.
Which Buttons Reset a Bose Soundbar 700, 900 or 500?
Unlike those bars, the Smart Soundbar 700, Smart Soundbar 900 and Soundbar 500 use the Power button. Press and hold Power and Skip forward on the remote for five seconds, until the light bar pulses white twice and fades to black, as the Smart Soundbar 700 owner’s guide shows.
The bar reboots and glows solid amber. All three guides then send you to the Bose Music app to add it back to your network and rerun ADAPTiQ audio calibration.
The 700’s guide calls the bar Bose Soundbar 700 in its Wi-Fi steps, so a bar labeled either way follows these steps.
How Do You Reset a SoundTouch 300?
The SoundTouch 300 is the odd one out in that table, because its reset takes two buttons pressed one after the other. Press the SoundTouch button on the remote, then press and hold TeleText, at the right end of the bottom row next to CC, for 10 seconds until the Wi-Fi, TV, SoundTouch and Bluetooth indicators blink white.
The bar reboots, and its Wi-Fi indicator glows amber for setup mode. The SoundTouch 300 owner’s guide then sends you to the SoundTouch app, not the Bose app, and has you rerun ADAPTiQ.
Can You Reset the Lifestyle Ultra From the Soundbar Itself?
Every reset so far needs the remote, but the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar’s controls sit on top of the bar. Yes: remove the soundbar from your Bose account in the Bose app, then touch and hold Play/Pause and Volume down on the bar for 10 seconds until the status light slowly pulses amber.
The light glows solid white first, then the bar reboots, ready to set up in the Bose app. The Lifestyle Ultra owner’s guide warns that this restore also disconnects any Bose Lifestyle Collection products linked to the bar.
Is There a Factory Reset on the Bose TV Speaker or Solo Bars?
That full restore has no match on the smaller TV bars. No: the TV Speaker, Solo 5 and Solo Soundbar Series II guides give only the unplug, 30 seconds for the TV Speaker and at least one minute for the two Solo bars.
Their only other reset is for the bass. Hold BASS on the remote until the lights blink three times (five seconds on the Solo 5), and the bass returns to its factory setting.
What Does a Factory Reset Erase on a Bose Soundbar?
Every factory reset in that table clears the same core settings, which is why it comes after the unplug. Bose’s guides say it clears all source, volume and network settings (audio rather than volume on the Lifestyle Ultra), plus ADAPTiQ calibration on the Smart Ultra, 700, 900, Soundbar 500 and SoundTouch 300 and CustomTune calibration on the Lifestyle Ultra.
So plan to sign the bar back into your Wi-Fi and, on those models, rerun that calibration. The guides don’t say whether the reset also empties the Bluetooth pairing list, and they give a separate button hold for that.
Which Bluetooth button to press, and the light to wait for, differ by model, and how to put a Bose soundbar in pairing mode lists both for twelve Bose bars.
Do You Need a Full Reset to Change Wi-Fi Networks?
That Wi-Fi sign-in is sometimes the only setting you need to change, and the guides give it a shortcut. No: if your network name or password changed, hold Mute and the Bose app button on the remote until the light bar glows amber on the Smart Soundbar, Smart Ultra, 600 and 550, or TV and Skip backward on the 700, 900 and Soundbar 500.
The 300 uses Mute and the Bose Music button, and the Lifestyle Ultra takes Bluetooth and Volume down on its top for five seconds. Then pick the bar in your phone’s Wi-Fi settings and finish in the app.
Can You Reset a Bose Soundbar Without the Remote?
Those shortcuts and most resets above run through the remote, which matters if yours is lost. Only partly: the unplug needs no remote and the Lifestyle Ultra resets from its own top buttons, but every other factory reset here runs from the remote alone.
To get the bar on and playing in the meantime, our guide on how to turn on a Bose soundbar without the remote covers the app, TV and auto-wake options.
Bose’s guides say replacement parts and accessories can be ordered through Bose customer service. For a lost Smart Soundbar 300 remote, this replacement remote listed for the Smart Soundbar 300 has the two buttons its reset needs.
this replacement remote listed for the Smart Soundbar 300
Why Won’t Your Bose Soundbar Factory Reset?
Even with the remote in hand, a reset can fail to start. Check the remote first: the Smart Soundbar guide’s fixes for a remote that doesn’t work are a new battery, staying within 20 feet (6 m), and a clear line to the bar.
Then match the pair to your model, since Power and Skip forward isn’t the 600’s reset, and keep both buttons held for the full time. If the light bar never pulses white, unplug the bar for 30 seconds and try once more after it powers up.
If nothing changes, every guide’s last step is to contact Bose customer service.
What If a Reset Doesn’t Fix It?
That call to Bose is also the next step when the reset works but the same fault comes back, since a reset changes settings, not parts. If the sound cuts out over HDMI after setup, the TV side is worth checking, and our fix for soundbar no sound over HDMI ARC covers those settings.
To reconnect a Bose soundbar to your TV from scratch, start with the TV’s HDMI eARC or ARC port and CEC. If the bar won’t power on at all or fails the same way after setup, Burton Acoustix’s failing-soundbar checks help you decide whether it’s the hardware.
Out of warranty, the Bose Smart Dolby Atmos Soundbar is the compact like-for-like choice.
the Bose Smart Dolby Atmos Soundbar
For more scale, the Bose Smart Ultra Dolby Atmos Soundbar is the top-of-the-line bar, as its listing calls it.
the Bose Smart Ultra Dolby Atmos Soundbar
Resetting another brand? Burton Acoustix’s soundbar reset guide walks through the brand-neutral steps and points to the Polk, TCL and Onn resets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does unplugging a Bose soundbar reset it?
Bose’s guides list a 30-second unplug, with any bass module or surround speakers unplugged too, as a fix for a bar that won’t power on or play. Only the Lifestyle Ultra guide calls it a reset, one that resets the controls without clearing any device settings. None of the guides says the unplug erases anything; for a full wipe, use your model’s factory reset.
How do I factory reset a Bose Soundbar 700?
Press and hold Power and Skip forward on the remote for five seconds, until the light bar pulses white twice and fades to black. The bar reboots and glows solid amber; then add it back to your network in the Bose Music app and rerun ADAPTiQ audio calibration. The Smart Soundbar 900 and Soundbar 500 use the same buttons.
How do I reset a Bose Smart Soundbar 300 without the remote?
Its owner’s guide gives the factory reset only on the remote: Volume down and Play/Pause, held for five seconds. Without a remote, the step the guide leaves you is the 30-second unplug, which it lists as a fix but never describes as a factory reset. A replacement remote listed for the Smart Soundbar 300 brings back both buttons.
Does a factory reset update a Bose soundbar’s software?
None of Bose’s guides says so. The smart soundbar guides say the bar updates automatically once it’s set up in the Bose app (the Bose Music app on the 300, 700, 900 and 500) and connected to your Wi-Fi network, so any update arrives after you finish setup again.
Will a factory reset remove my Bose soundbar from the Bose app?
The guides don’t say it does. The Smart Ultra and Lifestyle Ultra guides make removing the soundbar from your Bose account the first step of the reset, so do that before you hold the buttons on those two bars; the other guides skip that step.
