Alexa devices offer unparalleled convenience as Amazon’s premier virtual assistant, and the majority of these features require a strong internet connection to function.
That said, there are definitely occasions where you’d want to disconnect Alexa from your Wi-fi – maybe you don’t want to run your Echo on a public network (i.e. Dorm Wi-fi), maybe you’re troubleshooting your connection, or maybe you just want to save the bandwidth.
How can you disconnect Alexa from the internet?
You used to be able to manually disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi using the Alexa app, but the menu option needed to do so (“Network” / “Wireless”) was removed in early 2023.
As of July 2023, the only way to disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi is by pressing the action button until the hue light turns orange. While the location of the action button varies between Echo generations, the inputs themselves haven’t changed at all.
Alexa’s key features require stable Wi-fi to function correctly, but there will be situations when you want your Echo device off your home network – here’s how to do it!
Why Can’t You Disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi on the App?
Back in the day, this is how you would disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi networks:
- Select a device from “Echo & Alexa”.
- Tap “Network” or “Wireless”.
- Disconnect from the network your device was linked to.
- Optionally: Forget the network to prevent random reconnections.
Amazon removed the “Network” / “Wireless” option in the Alexa app during their March 2023 update, alongside other features (like celebrity voice packs), much to the chagrin of their customers. While there’s a chance that certain pulled features could be reintroduced in future updates, as of now the only way to disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi is with the action button.
Manually Disconnecting Alexa from Wi-fi
If you want to disconnect Alexa from your Wi-fi network, you’ll be able to do it by pressing and holding the action button. You’ll know you’ve managed if your Echo device lights up orange!
What if I Factory Reset my Echo Device by Accident?
Both disconnecting Alexa from your Wi-fi network and factory resetting your Echo Dot involves holding down buttons on your device for a little while, so it’s normal to feel a little nervous about making such a big mistake.
We’d like to assure you that it’s very unlikely for this to happen.
While there are certain Echo devices (i.e. Echo Dot 3) that use the action button for both internet disconnects and factory resets, most Alexa factory resets need you to hold down two separate buttons first – and that specific pair will vary between models, further reducing the chance of accidental factory resets.
Even for the rare cases where the same button is used, the duration is very different – your Echo device will light up orange much earlier than your Alexa would factory reset itself. Just be mindful to take your finger off the button as soon as you see that orange hue come up!
What About Using Voice Commands to Disconnect Alexa?
Unfortunately, you can’t use voice commands to disconnect Alexa from the internet.
This used to be possible, but Amazon removed the menu settings needed to accomplish this.
Even if the feature did return, it wouldn’t be all that great compared to manual disconnections or even the Alexa app – you’d have no way to verify the disconnection using voice commands. There’d also be no way to forget the network, increasing the chance of unwanted reconnections.
In short, even if you could use voice commands to disconnect Alexa from the internet, you really wouldn’t want to since better options exist.
Final Thoughts
As of July 2023, the only way to disconnect Alexa from Wi-fi is by holding the action button until your Echo device lights up orange.
There used to be more accessible ways to do this on the Alexa app. Hopefully, they’ll be patched back in eventually, but until then you’ll have to manage with manual disconnections.
