Reset AirPods: How to factory reset AirPods and AirPods Pro

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs. Usb 3.1 Cable Suppliers

If you own AirPods or AirPods Pro, sometimes you need to factory reset the wireless earbuds due to bugs, a delay, or even because you want to give them to someone else. Whether it’s due to connectivity, charging, or audio issues, it’s easy to factory reset your AirPods, and here’s how.

It doesn’t matter if you have a first-gen AirPods or the latest USB-C AirPods Pro 2, there might be several reasons why you want to factory reset the earbuds.

They might not be working as expected, there might be an issue that is troubling you, or you just want a fresh start. Fortunately, factory resetting these earbuds is really easy:

It’s important to notice that AirPods can only be associated with one Apple ID. If you want to use AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro that someone else has used, they first need to remove the AirPods from their Apple ID.

By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use and have reviewed the Privacy Notice.

Now, if you want to connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows device, we also got you covered.

Since AirPods Max have a different form factor, it’s a bit different the process to factory reset these headphones. Here’s what you need to do:

Sometimes, updating AirPods to its latest firmware might help resolve the bugs you might be experiencing. These are the latest versions available:

To check the firmware version of your AirPods, go to Settings, Bluetooth, and tap the “i” button on the earbuds you want to check.

That said, there isn’t an official method on how to update your AirPods firmware. Since Apple says new versions install when AirPods are connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone, the best option is to let both devices charge together for at least 30 minutes.

Besides factory resetting AirPods or AirPods Pro, sometimes you need to remove them from an Apple ID – whether because you’re selling them or just want to give them to someone else. Here’s how to do that:

If you don’t own an iPhone but use AirPods every day with your Mac, you might need to remove them from Find My if you’re planning to sell or give them away. Here’s how to do that:

This tutorial works with older versions of Apple’s operating systems and the current ones, such as iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, macOS Sonoma, and tvOS 17.

P.S. Did you know Apple recently updated AirPods Pro 2 with several new features after releasing iOS 17?

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.

By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use and have reviewed the Privacy Notice.

BGR’s audience craves our industry-leading insights on the latest in tech and entertainment, as well as our authoritative and expansive reviews.

We guide our loyal readers to some of the best products, latest trends, and most engaging stories with non-stop coverage, available across all major news platforms.

Honest news coverage, reviews, and opinions since 2006.