I’d never given much thought to how to change Alexa’s name. Like most smart speaker owners, we’d set up the Amazon Echo Show 10 in our kitchen, accepted its default name, and spent years addressing it as Alexa. Then, while my partner was away for work, my son and I decided it would be funny to change its name without telling her.
Amazon doesn’t let you choose any name you like, sadly, but Ziggy was one of the available options. We made the switch and waited for her to return, ready to enjoy the confusion when Alexa suddenly stopped listening to her.
For the next week and a half, we repeatedly called the device Alexa, wondered why it was ignoring us, and eventually remembered that we were supposed to say Ziggy instead. Now that we’ve adjusted, changing the name has delivered an unexpected advantage – we can talk about Alexa without accidentally waking her and having her interrupt us.
If your Echo has the same irritating habit, here’s how to change Alexa’s name.
What can you change Alexa’s name to?
Before we crack on, let’s get one thing clear – technically, this setting doesn’t change Alexa’s name. It changes the Echo device’s wake word – the word it listens for before processing a request.
According to Amazon’s current guidance, there are five available wake words:
- Alexa
- Amazon
- Computer
- Echo
- Ziggy
Unfortunately, you can’t enter a custom name, so anyone hoping to enlist Jarvis, HAL, or Dave is out of luck.
Changing the wake word won’t alter Alexa’s voice, personality, language, or any of your other settings. It simply changes the word used to get the device’s attention.
By default, Amazon says an Echo identifies acoustic patterns matching its selected wake word locally. No audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects that word or Alexa is activated another way, such as by pressing a button. Once activated, a recording of your request is sent to Amazon’s cloud for processing. Features such as Follow Up Mode can let you continue speaking to Alexa without repeating the wake word.
Choosing something other than Alexa should therefore prevent activations caused specifically by saying her usual name, although it can’t guarantee that your Echo will never mistake another word or sound for its new wake word.
How to change Alexa’s wake word with your voice
The quickest method is the one we used. Stand near the Echo you want to rename and say: “Alexa, change your wake word.”
The device should offer the available options and ask you to select one. Say your choice, confirm it when prompted, and allow a moment for the change to take effect.
You’ll then need to use the new word before every request. For example: “Ziggy, set a timer for ten minutes.”
Remember that you’ve just retired the old wake word. Repeatedly shouting “Alexa” at the device won’t help, as my family’s first week with Ziggy so clearly demonstrated.
This method changes the Echo you’re speaking to. If you own several Echo devices, you’ll need to repeat the process for each one you want to alter. You can give different devices different wake words, which may also help if two nearby Echo speakers have a habit of responding at once.
How to change Alexa’s wake word in the app
You can also make the change through the Alexa app. This method is particularly useful if you have several Echo devices and want to be certain you’re changing the right one.
- Open the Amazon Alexa app.
- Tap Devices.
- Select the Echo device you want to change.
- Tap Device Settings, represented by the cog icon.
- Select Wake Word.
- Choose Alexa, Amazon, Computer, Echo or Ziggy.
- Tap OK and allow a moment for the change to take effect.
Amazon’s official instructions note that wake words are selected for individual devices. Changing the Echo Show in your kitchen, for example, won’t automatically rename an Echo Dot elsewhere in the house.
If the new word doesn’t work immediately, wait a minute and try a simple request. It’s also worth checking that you changed the intended device in the app, especially if several Echo speakers have similar names.
Is changing Alexa’s name worth it?
Once we finally trained ourselves to stop saying Alexa, Ziggy began to feel surprisingly natural. For what it’s worth, our Echo Show occasionally seems a little less responsive to Ziggy than it was to Alexa, although that could easily be a coincidence. It’s always had random moments when its hearing appears to desert it, regardless of what we call it.
The more noticeable difference is that Alexa’s usual name can now come up in conversation without waking the device. That makes changing the wake word worthwhile if you regularly discuss Alexa, live with someone called Alexa, or find that a television programme keeps accidentally summoning your Echo.
You can switch back or choose another option at any time using the same methods. Ziggy might still ignore me occasionally, but at least she no longer joins the conversation.
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