How to Reset a Nest Doorbell: Restart vs Factory Reset, Every Model
By Kanika Modi · Part of the Nest guides · Last verified 29 Oct 2026 against Google’s official Nest support documentation · 2 sources
Google’s reset documentation for Nest doorbells separates two operations with very different stakes, and the stakes are asymmetric in a way that matters: a restart costs a minute, while a factory reset deletes video history that Google explicitly does not back up. This guide covers both, model by model, with the pinhole locations Google documents.
Restart: The Safe Reset, Model by Model
| Model | Reset Control Location | How To Restart |
|---|---|---|
| Nest Doorbell (battery) | Pinhole on the back, below the USB port | Press and hold 5 seconds; status light goes steady solid white |
| Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen) | Pinhole on the back, above the two terminal screws | Press and hold 5 seconds; status light steady solid white |
| Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen) | Pinhole on the back, above the two terminal screws | Press and hold 5 seconds; status light steady solid white |
| Nest Doorbell (wired, original) | Button on the back, hole near the top; doorbell releases from its base via the hole at the bottom | Remove from base with the release tool (a paperclip works), hold the button about 10 seconds. Power-adapter version: unplug 10 seconds and replug |
A restart keeps every setting and the doorbell reconnects to the same Wi-Fi network afterward. It is Google’s documented fix for a frozen device, connection failures, and general misbehavior, and it is where their troubleshooting starts.
Factory Reset: The Point of No Return
Google’s documentation is unusually blunt about this one, and the bluntness is the warning: a factory reset erases all personalized settings, deletes the entire video history and snapshots, and Google states plainly that deleted history is gone forever because no backups are kept. The doorbell also forgets its Wi-Fi and shows as offline in the app until it is set up again from scratch.
Before You Factory Reset ~5 min
- Save anything worth keeping: create clips or timelapses from the video history and download them to your phone or computer. After the reset there is nothing to recover.
- Try a restart and normal troubleshooting first. Google explicitly does not recommend factory reset until other options are exhausted.
- If the camera uses a 1st-generation Nest Aware subscription and is being removed or moved to a new account, cancel that subscription before the reset.
- Then factory reset using the same pinhole or button as the restart, with the longer hold your model documents, and set the doorbell up again in the Google Home app.
Which One Do You Need?
Freezing, dropping offline, or acting strange: restart. Selling, gifting, moving to a new Google account, or a device so wedged that setup fails repeatedly: factory reset. If the underlying problem is power or wiring, neither reset fixes it; resets clear software state, not electrical problems.
Questions People Ask
Where is the Reset Button on a Nest Doorbell?
On the battery model it is a pinhole below the USB port on the back; on wired 2nd and 3rd generation models it is a pinhole above the two terminal screws; on the original wired doorbell it is a button on the back near the top, reached after releasing the unit from its base.
Does Resetting a Nest Doorbell Delete Footage?
A restart does not. A factory reset permanently deletes the entire video history and snapshots, and Google does not keep backups. Save clips or timelapses to your phone or computer first.
How Do I Reset a Nest Doorbell for a New Owner?
Factory reset after saving any footage you want, and cancel a 1st-generation Nest Aware subscription first if one is attached. The new owner sets the doorbell up fresh in their own Google Home app.
Sources
Retrieved 12 Oct 2026:
- Restart or Factory Reset Nest Camera or Doorbell (Google Support)
- Google Nest Help Center (Google Support)