A new Amazon Echo can feel like a small mystery box. It has no screen to guide you, no obvious “on” button beyond the power cord, and a voice assistant named Alexa that seems to already know a lot.

The good news is that setup only takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you only have to do it once. After that, talking to Alexa becomes as easy as talking to a person in the room.

This guide walks through unboxing the device, connecting it to Wi-Fi, trying out basic voice commands, setting up routines and reminders, and locking down your privacy settings. Every step uses the free Alexa app, and none of it requires any technical background.

How Do You Set Up an Amazon Echo and Alexa?

You set up an Amazon Echo by plugging it in, downloading the free Alexa app on a phone or tablet, and following the app’s on screen steps to connect the device to your Wi-Fi network. The whole process happens inside the app, and the Echo will talk you through parts of it out loud once it is powered on.

Plain talk: Alexa app

The Alexa app is a free program you install on a phone or tablet. It is the control center for every Echo device in your home: setup, settings, routines, and privacy all live inside it.

What is in the box

Every Echo comes with the same basic pieces:

  • The Echo device itself
  • A power adapter and cord (Echo devices plug into a wall outlet; they do not run on batteries)
  • A quick start card with a picture of the setup steps

Unpack the device, set it on a flat surface away from the edge of a table or counter, and plug it into a nearby outlet. You will see the light ring on top glow blue, then orange. Orange means the device is ready to be set up and is waiting to connect to Wi-Fi.

Try this

Set the Echo somewhere central, like a kitchen counter or a living room side table, rather than tucked in a corner. Alexa hears best when nothing is blocking the top of the device.

Step 1: Download the Alexa app and sign in

  1. On a phone or tablet, open the App Store (iPhone or iPad) or Google Play Store (Android) and search for “Amazon Alexa.”
  2. Download the free Alexa app.
  3. Open the app and sign in with your Amazon account. This is the same account used for shopping on Amazon.com, if you already have one. If not, the app will walk you through creating one.
  4. Allow the app to use Bluetooth and location when it asks. Both are needed briefly during setup so the phone can find the Echo and confirm the correct Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Connect the Echo to Wi-Fi

  1. In the Alexa app, tap the “Devices” icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the plus sign and choose “Add Device.”
  2. Select “Amazon Echo” and pick the model that matches the device in front of you (for example, Echo Dot or Echo Show).
  3. Follow the prompts. The app will ask the phone to connect briefly to a Wi-Fi signal coming from the Echo itself, so it can pass along your home Wi-Fi details.
  4. When the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks appears, choose your home network and enter the Wi-Fi password.
  5. Wait for the light ring to turn blue, then green. Green confirms the Echo is connected and ready to use.

Safety tip

Never share your Wi-Fi password out loud over the phone to someone who calls claiming to be from Amazon or your internet provider. Amazon setup never requires reading a password to a stranger on a phone call.

Basic voice commands to try first

Once the light ring turns blue, Alexa is listening for its wake word, which is “Alexa” by default. Say the wake word first, then your request.

Plain talk: wake word

The wake word is the word Alexa listens for before it starts recording a request. Saying “Alexa” tells the device you are talking to it, not to someone else in the room.

A few commands that work right away, with no extra setup:

  • “Alexa, what’s the weather today?”
  • “Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes.”
  • “Alexa, play music.”
  • “Alexa, what time is it?”
  • “Alexa, tell me a joke.”
  • “Alexa, call [contact name],” if you have added contacts in the app.

Type or say this

“Alexa, how do I review my privacy settings?” Alexa will read back a short summary and tell you where to find full controls in the app.

Setting up routines and reminders

Reminders and Routines both help Alexa do more for you, but they work differently.

Feature What it does Example
Reminder A one time alert for a specific time “Alexa, remind me to take my medicine at 8 a.m.”
Routine A group of actions triggered by one phrase or a schedule Saying “good morning” turns on a light and reads the weather

To set a reminder by voice

  1. Say, “Alexa, remind me to [task] at [time].”
  2. Alexa confirms the reminder out loud.
  3. At the set time, Alexa will chime and speak the reminder, and it will also show up in the Alexa app under “Reminders.”

To build a Routine in the app

  1. Open the Alexa app and tap “More,” then “Routines.”
  2. Tap the plus sign to create a new Routine.
  3. Choose what starts it: a specific phrase you say, a time of day, or an action like arriving home.
  4. Tap “Add Action” and choose what Alexa should do, such as playing the news, reading the weather, or controlling a smart plug.
  5. Save the Routine and give it a name you will remember.

Try this

A simple first Routine is a morning check in: have the phrase “Alexa, good morning” trigger the weather report and a reminder to take any morning medication. It gives your day a gentle, predictable start.

Privacy settings: muting the mic and deleting recordings

Alexa only starts recording after it hears its wake word, but many people still want extra control over what gets saved and who can hear the microphone is on. Amazon gives you three main tools for this.

1. The mute button

Every Echo has a physical microphone off button, usually marked with a microphone icon, on the top of the device. Press it once and the light ring turns solid red. While the ring is red, the microphones are electronically disconnected and Alexa cannot hear anything, including the wake word. Press the button again to turn the microphones back on.

2. Deleting voice recordings

You can review and delete what Alexa has recorded in a few ways:

  • Say, “Alexa, delete what I just said,” to remove your most recent request.
  • Say, “Alexa, delete everything I said today,” to clear the whole day.
  • In the Alexa app, go to your account and privacy settings, then choose “Review Voice History” to see, play back, or delete individual recordings or all of them at once.
  • In the same privacy settings, you can turn on automatic deletion, so recordings are removed every three months or every 18 months without you having to do anything.

Safety tip

In May 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice announced that Amazon had agreed to pay a $25 million penalty for keeping some children’s Alexa voice recordings longer than families asked and for not honoring all deletion requests, according to the FTC’s press release on the settlement. Amazon was required to change how it handles deletion requests going forward. It is a good reminder to check your own privacy settings and confirm that “Review Voice History” actually shows the deletions you have asked for.

3. Turning off recording history entirely

If you would rather Alexa not keep any voice history at all, the app lets you choose not to save recordings. Alexa still processes each request to answer it, but nothing is stored afterward. Some features that rely on your voice history, like helping Alexa recognize your voice, may work less well with this setting turned on.

For families who want one more layer of protection against scam calls and voice tricks, it can also help to agree on a family safe word for anything urgent involving money, alongside your Echo’s own privacy settings.

Where to go from here

Setting up an Echo is a good first step into using AI style assistants at home, and the same comfort carries over to other tools too. If you are curious how Alexa compares to other AI helpers, see what seniors can use AI for or read how to explain AI to an older person in plain language. If your Echo has a screen, it can also be a simple way to video call your grandkids without extra apps.

For a deeper walk through everyday AI tools, including Alexa and beyond, our AI for Seniors book covers setup, safety, and everyday uses in the same plain, step by step style as this guide.