As long as your computer has Bluetooth wireless, you absolutely can use your Amazon Echo as a computer speaker – and we’re going to show you how.
Using the Echo for computer audio is a smashing idea for several reasons. Firstly, the larger speakers – the £90 Echo and the £140 Echo Plus – have decent sound quality, every bit as good as most of the dedicated PC speakers you can buy for a similar price.
If you’ve already got an Echo in your office or computer room, like I have, then it saves you wasting electricity on a separate set of speakers and reduces the jumble of wires on your desk.
You can also still benefit from the full range of Alexa voice commands and services – the speaker doesn’t become a dumb slave to the computer once it’s connected.
So how do you use your Amazon Echo as a computer speaker?
Use Amazon Echo as a computer speaker in Windows
I’m going to assume you’re running Windows 10, because I am, you should be, and I’m nothing if not lazy. (Seriously, the process won’t be that different in Windows 8 or even Windows 7.)
First, go to http://alexa.amazon.com on your PC’s web browser and log in with your Amazon account details. Go to Settings, choose the device you wish to use as a speaker and then select Bluetooth. On the next screen, choose “Pair a new device”. It will start searching for available Bluetooth devices.
Now we need to make your Windows device available, the computing equivalent of putting yourself on Tinder. Search for “Bluetooth” in the Windows search bar and open the “Bluetooth and other devices settings” option that should appear in the search results.
Now click “Add Bluetooth or other device” and then click Bluetooth on the next Window that appears.
With a dose of luck and a fair wind, your two devices should see one another and form a loving relationship. Your Amazon Echo is now your computer speaker.
The Echo may blather some nonsense about telling the speaker to “Add phone” when you next want to connect, but you can largely ignore that. The two devices should find one another whenever they’re in range. If not, you might have to manually encourage them by saying “Alexa, connect to laptop” or whatever your computer device is called in the Alexa settings.
Pro tip: don’t to tell Alexa to “add laptop” or you’ll end up with a laptop on your shopping list. That could prove expensive.
Use Amazon Echo as a Mac computer speaker
The process is pretty similar for the Mac. Once again, open the Alexa settings in the computer’s web browser, as described in the Windows section above.
On your Mac, click on the Bluetooth symbol (
) in the menu bar and choose Connect. If you can’t see the Bluetooth symbol in the menu bar, go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences and click on Bluetooth. Then select Show Bluetooth in the menu bar and connect from there.
The Mac will provide onscreen instructions for connecting your Echo speaker to the Mac.
Now click here: why is there no sound from my computer speakers?
You take being “fun” way too seriously, and it made reading what should be simple instructions into an uncomfortable chore. Your sig shares this nonsense, suggesting that this is your “thing.” Give it a rest.
Not Working i tried with windows 7 but when i am playing music or video it echo is not playing that after getting connected to my laptop.
Worked like charm! Thanks!
I HAVE WIN 7 AND I AN MISSING 2 DRIVERS ONCE THE AMAZON DOT IS CONNECTED TO MY COMPUTER SO WHEN I CONNECT BLUETOOTH ALEXA SAYS THAT I AN CONNECTDD TO M’Y COMPUTER BUT THE SOUND STAYS FROM THE LABTOP, I RESETTED THE ANAZON DOT, WIN7 UPDATED.
just get window 10 its not that hard XD
Thanks so much for this, really great help.
Echo Dot shows the w10 computer as bluetooth device, but w10 does not show the Dot.
Thanks for tips re how to connect, but can I get my echo dot to play music in my itunes library on my PC? can’t figure out how…
Thanks so much. Very funny.
So glad I found this. my echo dot works with my dell pc just fine. I can also play music from my hard drive. I have noticed however, the the sound and video are slightly out of sync. Can I adjust this without spending a bunch?
i have try it, now my computer be my echo dot speaker, not echo dot be speaker.
Worked great, thanks for the tip Barry
For someone who is not very tech savvy, I found your instructions easy to follow and they worked perfectly from my laptop. Thank you, I appreciate your post and humour ;o)
For someone who is not very tech savvy, I found your instructions easy to follow and they worked perfectly from my laptop. Thank you, I appreciate your post and humour ;o)
Does it also work as a microphone? Speakerphone instead of just speaker. I actually purchased a speakerphone for my laptop that looks like an Echo. My husband wanted to purchase one for his laptop. I was just wondering if we might not need to purchase one. Thank you
Hi, Brenda. No, I don’t think it’s possible to use your Alexa as a PC microphone. It can, however, be used to make Skype calls, if that was your intended purpose.
Can i connect with wire
There is, indeed, a port on the back for audio input. This is for the Echo only, though – on other Alexa devices, such as the Dot, this is only for audio output.
I did connect Alexa to my computer easily but I found the lag when watching a video was unnerving. Alexa plays my music really well, but decent hard-wired speakers are better for everyday use – IMHO
I used your great advice for pairing another device, BOSE speaker. Thank you very very much!!!!!
Wondering if this only works for wireless pcs and laptops. I’m on wired and it doesn’t work so I figured that’s the issue.