How to reset AirPods Max

Reset AirPods Max
(Image credit: Future)

Want to know how to reset AirPods Max? You’ve come to the right place. Even if you’ve dropped a small fortune on Apple’s high-end headphones, it doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong with them. If you’re experiencing audio problems and are struggling to find a solution, the best actions you can take are to either restart your AirPods Max or go for a full reset. 

Thanks to their impeccable build quality, fantastic noise cancellation, crisp sound and game-changing spatial audio, Apple’s AirPods Max are some of the best headphones you can buy today. 

Yet, if things do go wrong with them, whether it's problems with syncing to your devices or other audio woes, try not to panic. Most of the time, simply restarting your AirPods Max should offer a quick and painless solution to any sync issues that may be occurring. And restarting the AirPods Max is a simple process.

Resetting your AirPods Max is a slightly more drastic step, as it will wipe any custom setup options you currently have, including personalized spatial audio settings, ear detection and your device’s name. Mercifully, resetting Apple’s over-ear headphones is nearly as simple as giving them a quick restart.

Indeed, doing a AirPod Max reset or restart is so straightforward, the process works almost identically regardless of whether you’re using the premium headphones on an iOS or Android device. 

Below, we’ll guide you through how to reset and/or restart your AirPod Max with a few easy-to-follow steps. 


How to reset AirPods Max 

  1.  Charge your AirPods Max  
  2.  Hold both noise control button and Digital Crown until the LED flashes 
  3.  Wait for the light to flash amber, then white and release 
  4.  For a full reset, follow the above steps but hold the buttons for 15 seconds 

Read on to see full illustrated instructions for each step.   


1. Charge your AirPods Max

(Image: © Future)

In order to reset your AirPods Max, you first need to charge them with a USB-C to Lighting Cable for a few minutes

2. Hold both the noise control button and Digital Crown

(Image: © Future)

You’ll find the noise control button and Digital Crown on top of the AirPods Max’s right pad. Hold both of them down to begin the restart process. 

3. Wait for the light to flash amber and then white before you release

(Image: © Future)

Hold the buttons for a few seconds until the LED light on the underside of the right pad starts flashing amber, then white. Once this happens, release both buttons to restart your Airpods Max.   

4. For a full reset, follow the above steps but hold the buttons for 15 seconds

(Image: © Future)

For a full factory reset, press and hold the noise control button and the Digital Crown for 15 seconds until the LED light flashes amber, before turning white. Following this, release both buttons and to reset your AirPods Max

No sweat, huh? If you want to quickly reconnect your AirPods Max to your favorite Android device or one of the best iPhones, read the fourth step of our how to reset Airpods guide. The re-pairing process is essentially the same between both pairs of headphones, and the Max will normally reconnect to your iPhone or iPad if you place your device within close proximity of Apple’s high-end headphones. 


If you’re in need of more audio assistance, learn how to connect AirPods to an iPhone or iPad, how to set up AirPods Pro, and how to activate noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro

Dave Meikleham
UK Computing Editor

Dave is a computing editor at Tom’s Guide and covers everything from cutting edge laptops to ultrawide monitors. When he’s not worrying about dead pixels, Dave enjoys regularly rebuilding his PC for absolutely no reason at all. In a previous life, he worked as a video game journalist for 15 years, with bylines across GamesRadar+, PC Gamer and TechRadar. Despite owning a graphics card that costs roughly the same as your average used car, he still enjoys gaming on the go and is regularly glued to his Switch. Away from tech, most of Dave’s time is taken up by walking his husky, buying new TVs at an embarrassing rate and obsessing over his beloved Arsenal. 

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