How to Reset a Nest Camera (2026): The Newest Models Don't Have a Reset Button

Quick Answer: Nest splits into restart (power-cycle, settings intact) and factory reset (wipes everything). The current wired Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor (3rd gen) — the site’s top pick at $99.99 — have no physical reset button at all, per Google’s own support docs; factory reset only happens by removing the device in the Google Home app. Battery models (Nest Cam battery, Nest Cam with Floodlight) and every Nest Doorbell do have a button: hold 5 seconds for a restart, hold past 10-12 seconds — until the light turns solid yellow with a confirmation tone — for a full factory reset. Either path permanently deletes video history on the reset models; Google states it keeps no backups.

It’s the same theme our Nest camera offline guide already found with signal strength: Nest hides things other brands show plainly. Ring and Blink give every camera a reset button. Nest’s newest, most-recommended hardware doesn’t have one at all.

Does your Nest camera even have a reset button?

This is the exact opposite of Ring’s approach, where every current camera has its own factory-reset button — see our how to reset a Ring camera guide for that comparison. Nest simply left the button off its newest, best-selling wired cameras.

How to restart a Nest camera (no data lost)

Try this first — most “frozen” or “not responding” Nest cameras just need a power cycle, and it keeps every setting intact.

Wired Nest Cam Indoor or Outdoor (3rd gen):

1. Unplug the power adapter.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Plug it back in and give it a minute to reconnect.

Nest Cam (battery) or Nest Cam with Floodlight:

1. Make sure the camera is on power (plugged in or charging).
2. Locate the reset button on the back of the camera.
3. Press and hold for 5 seconds. The status light turns steady white — that’s a restart, not a reset, and every setting survives.

Nest Doorbell (any generation):

1. Locate the reset pinhole on the back (above the terminal screws on wired models, below the USB port on battery models).
2. Press and hold for 5 seconds until the light turns steady white.

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How to factory reset a Nest camera or doorbell with a button

This wipes settings, video history, and Wi-Fi credentials — use it only after a restart hasn’t fixed the problem, or before selling/giving away the camera.

1. Confirm the camera has power — plugged in or on a charged battery.
2. Locate the reset button or pinhole. Back of the camera on Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Cam with Floodlight; a pinhole on the back of any Nest Doorbell (position varies by generation, see the table above).
3. Press and hold. At around 10 seconds the light blinks yellow four times with a countdown tone — keep holding.
4. Release at 12 seconds, once the light turns solid yellow and a confirmation tone plays. Per Google’s own instructions, releasing before that point cancels the reset.
5. Re-add the camera from scratch in the Google Home app — it no longer has your Wi-Fi credentials or any prior settings.

Google’s support documentation is explicit that this is permanent: once video history and snapshots are deleted in a factory reset, “they’re gone forever” — there are no backups to recover from. Download any clips or timelapses you need from the Google Home app before you start.

How to factory reset a Nest Cam Indoor or Outdoor (no button — app only)

The current wired 3rd-gen cameras skip the physical button entirely. There is genuinely no pinhole, no back-panel switch — Google’s own support page states it directly: “There is no factory reset button on Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor.”

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Go to Home, then select your camera.
3. Tap More, then Settings.
4. Tap Remove device and confirm.

That’s the entire process. The camera must still be online and connected to your account for the app to complete the removal — if it’s already offline, sort that out first with our Nest camera offline guide, since an offline camera can’t be removed through the app the normal way.

It’s not just Nest

Ring, Blink, Arlo, and Wyze all draw the same restart-vs-reset line, though the mechanics differ. Our how to reset a Ring camera guide and how to reset a Blink camera guide cover the equivalent steps for those brands — both of which, unlike Nest’s newest models, keep a physical reset button on every current camera.

The bottom line

Check which category your Nest camera falls into before hunting for a button that might not exist: wired Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor (3rd gen) reset only through the Google Home app, no physical button anywhere on the device. Battery-powered Nest Cams, the Floodlight camera, and every Nest Doorbell have a real button or pinhole — hold 5 seconds for a restart, hold to the solid yellow light at 12 seconds for a full factory reset. Either way, video history is gone permanently once a factory reset completes, so download anything you need first. Still stuck after a proper reset? Our Nest camera offline guide covers the connectivity fixes a reset alone can’t solve, and our best Nest camera guide is the next stop if the hardware itself turns out to be the real problem.