Nest thermostats have several reset options, and they do very different things. A restart keeps your settings; a factory reset wipes the thermostat for a new setup or new owner.
These steps apply to Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd and 4th gen models and the 2020 Nest Thermostat with the mirror display.
Does this affect you?
Use this if the thermostat is frozen, glitching, having Wi-Fi trouble, or needs to be erased before moving out or giving it away. Choose the least destructive reset that matches the problem.
Restart the thermostat
A restart reboots the software without deleting schedule, Wi-Fi, or account settings.
- On a Nest Learning Thermostat, press the ring to open the menu.
- Turn the ring to Settings and select it.
- Choose Restart.
- Confirm the restart.
- Wait while the display goes blank and reboots.
- Check that the normal home screen returns.
If the screen is frozen and you cannot reach the menu, pull the display off its base for about 10 seconds, then press it back onto the base. That forces a hardware-level restart.
Factory reset the thermostat
Use this before selling, giving away, moving out, or troubleshooting a deeper issue that a restart did not fix.
- Open the thermostat menu.
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Reset.
- Select Factory Reset or All Settings for a complete wipe, depending on the model wording.
- Confirm the warning.
- Wait for the thermostat to erase Wi-Fi, schedule, account link, and preferences.
- Set it up again from the beginning if you are keeping it.
After a factory reset, also remove the thermostat from the Google Home app if it still appears. Open the device, tap the gear icon, and choose Remove device.
Use a narrower reset when possible
- Choose Network reset if only Wi-Fi is the problem and you want to keep schedule and account settings.
- Choose Auto-Schedule reset on Nest Learning Thermostat if learned temperature patterns became messy.
- Use Restart first for frozen screens and minor glitches.
- Use Factory Reset only when you truly want to erase the thermostat.
The Nest Learning Thermostat uses a press-and-turn ring. The 2020 Nest Thermostat uses a touch bar on the side, but the Settings > Reset menu path is similar.
Older firmware may place reset options in a slightly different menu. If Reset is missing, check software version in settings or review model-specific Google Nest instructions before wiping the device.
Sources
- Google Nest Help – Restart or reset your Nest thermostat (2025)
- Google Nest Help – Remove a Nest thermostat from your account (2025)
- Google Nest Help – Nest thermostat settings menu overview (2025)