How to Set Up Amazon Alexa: A Complete Beginner’s Guide for 2025

Amazon Alexa brings voice control to your home, but getting it up and running shouldn’t be complicated. This guide walks you through setup in 10 minutes, plus shows you the voice commands that actually save you time.

What is Amazon Alexa?

Amazon Alexa is a voice assistant built into Echo devices that responds to your spoken commands and controls your home. Think of it as having a helpful assistant available 24/7—say ‘Alexa, turn on the lights’ or ‘Alexa, what’s the weather?’ and it happens instantly without you touching your phone or computer.

Alexas available in 2025 include the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Spot, and Echo Show models (ranging from 8-inch to 21-inch displays). All work the same way: they listen for your voice, connect to the internet, and execute commands through Amazon’s cloud servers.

Current as of: Alexa app 2.2.600401.0 (Released January 8, 2025)

Why Use Amazon Alexa?

• Hands-free control: No phone required—just speak naturally and get things done instantly
• Save time on daily tasks: Set timers, create shopping lists, check weather, and play music without interrupting what you’re doing
• Works with your routine: Once set up, Alexa integrates with thousands of compatible smart home devices to automate lighting, temperature, and security
• Always available: Unlike apps that need unlocking, Alexa responds immediately to voice commands any time

Things to Consider Before Starting

• WiFi requirement: Your Echo device needs a stable 2.4GHz WiFi connection during setup (you can switch to 5GHz after successful setup for faster speeds)
• Amazon account with payment method: Alexa requires an Amazon account, and Amazon requires a valid credit or debit card for verification—though creating the account itself is free
• Regional feature differences: If you’re in the UK, Canada, or Australia, note that your Echo device uses Amazon’s International Version with limited features compared to US devices. Shopping features, local business search, Spotify, and some Skills aren’t available outside the US (see Regional Notes section for details)

How to Set Up Your Echo Device—Step by Step

Step 1: Connect Your Device to Power Unpack your Echo device and plug it into a power outlet near your WiFi router. Wait 30 seconds for the lights to stop blinking. When you see a solid or pulsing blue light, the device is ready to connect.

Step 2: Download the Alexa App On your smartphone or tablet, download the ‘Alexa’ app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or Google Play (Android). Open the app and sign in with your Amazon account. If you don’t have one, create it now—you’ll need to provide a valid payment method (credit or debit card) for account verification, even though the account itself is free.

Step 3: Start Device Setup in the App In the Alexa app, tap the orange plus (+) icon in the top left corner, then select ‘Add Device.’ Choose the type of device you have (Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot, etc.) and tap ‘Amazon Device.’

Step 4: Connect to WiFi (Important: Use 2.4GHz) The app will search for your Echo device. When it appears in the list, tap it. Then select your WiFi network and enter your WiFi password.

Critical tip: If you have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, select the 2.4GHz network during setup. This is the most common cause of setup failures. Here’s why: Most Echo devices (especially Echo Dot) only support 2.4GHz during initial setup. After setup is complete and your device is connected, you can switch to 5GHz if you want faster speeds and less interference—but setup must happen on 2.4GHz first.

Step 5: Wait for Connection and Updates Wait 1-2 minutes while Alexa connects to your network and updates. The app will show a progress indicator. When setup completes, you’ll see a confirmation screen with your device name and a blue checkmark.

Step 6: Customize Your Device (Optional) Give your device a custom name like ‘Kitchen Echo’ or ‘Living Room Alexa.’ This is optional but helpful if you’re adding multiple devices later. You can change this anytime in the Alexa app.

Step 7: Test Your First Command Say ‘Alexa, what time is it?’ or ‘Alexa, what’s the weather?’ You should hear a response within 1-2 seconds. If you don’t hear anything:

• Check that the microphone isn’t muted (look for a microphone icon button on top of your device)
• Verify the blue light is on (indicates it’s listening)
• Check that WiFi is connected in the app

Step 8: Adjust Settings (Optional) In the Alexa app, go to ‘Devices’ at the bottom and tap your device to customize settings. Here you can:

• Change the device name
• Adjust volume
• Set wake words (use ‘Alexa’ as default, or try ‘Echo,’ ‘Amazon,’ or ‘Computer’)
• Manage privacy and voice recording settings
• Set your location for weather and traffic

Simple Voice Commands to Try First

Now that Alexa is set up, start with these beginner-friendly commands:

• ‘Alexa, set a 10-minute timer’
• ‘Alexa, play jazz music’
• ‘Alexa, tell me a joke’
• ‘Alexa, what’s the traffic like?’
• ‘Alexa, add milk to my shopping list’
• ‘Alexa, what’s the weather tomorrow?’
• ‘Alexa, set an alarm for 7 AM’

Pro tip: Always start with ‘Alexa’ to wake the device. Wait for the blue light to appear, then speak clearly. Alexa works best with natural language, so ‘Alexa, play my morning playlist’ works just as well as ‘Alexa, play music.’

Troubleshooting: When Things Don’t Work

Alexa isn’t responding to voice commands:

• Verify the blue light is on (device is listening)
• Check WiFi connection in the Alexa app
• Restart your device: unplug it for 10 seconds, plug it back in
• Check that the microphone isn’t muted (look for microphone button on top)

Setup won’t complete:

• Verify you’re on a 2.4GHz network (not 5GHz)
• Double-check your WiFi password is correct
• Move the device closer to your router (at least 3 feet away from walls)
• Restart your phone and try setup again

Alexa app keeps crashing:

• Update the app to the latest version (currently 2.2.600401.0) through your app store
• Clear the app cache: Go to Settings > Apps > Alexa > Storage > Clear Cache
• Uninstall and reinstall the app

WiFi keeps disconnecting:

• After successful setup, consider switching to 5GHz for more stable connection (if your device supports it)
• Move your router to a central location
• Reduce distance between device and router

Important Privacy & Regional Notes

Managing Your Voice Recordings: Amazon records your voice commands to improve Alexa (as of 2024, the feature changed from ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ to ‘Don’t Save Recordings’). You can manage this:

• Delete recordings manually: In the Alexa app, go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History, select dates/devices, and delete
• Or say: ‘Alexa, delete what I said right now’
• Auto-delete: Set automatic deletion to 3 months, 18 months, or turn off saving entirely

Regional Feature Differences: Alexas work worldwide, but features vary by region:

• United States: Full feature set including shopping, all Skills, music partnerships (Spotify, Pandora), local traffic and news
• UK, Canada, Australia: International Version with limited features—timers, alarms, shopping lists, weather, basic music (TuneIn, Amazon Music). NOT available: Shopping features, local business search, Audible, Spotify/Pandora partnerships, location-specific news
• Language support: International versions support English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish

If you’re in a region with limited features, you can still use all basic functions (timers, reminders, music, shopping lists)—you just won’t have advanced features like shopping or business search.

You now have a fully functioning Alexa device that responds to your voice. Start with simple commands like timers and weather, then explore more features as you get comfortable. For help with specific tasks, just ask Alexa—it’s remarkably good at understanding natural questions.