If you searched “how to reset a matter device pairing code”, the short answer is that the code itself can’t be reset. The sticker’s QR and numeric codes are fixed at the factory. A factory reset makes that printed code valid again. To add a second app, generate a temporary code in the app that already controls it.
Which one you want depends on whether you can afford to lose every existing pairing. A factory reset drops the device from Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Home Assistant at once; a temporary code adds a controller and leaves the rest alone. Most people who reach for the reset button actually wanted the second option.
Can you change a Matter device’s pairing code?
No. The printed code encodes the device’s onboarding data: a setup passcode and a discriminator, plus vendor and product IDs in the QR version. The commissioning methods controllers use either reuse that original passcode or mint a separate temporary one. Neither rewrites the sticker.
Matter Alpha’s QR code explainer breaks the format down: the QR payload starts with MT: and carries vendor and product ID, commissioning flow, discovery capabilities, discriminator and PIN. The number beside it “is not the same as the PIN code”; it is a shorter manual pairing code without the vendor ID, product ID or long discriminator. Per Google’s commissioning primer, the controller matches the discriminator, then uses “the passcode from the onboarding payload to do Passcode Authenticated Session Establishment (PASE).” A fail-safe rolls the device back if commissioning doesn’t complete, so a half-finished pairing rarely bricks anything.
Once commissioned, the device stops accepting the printed code for new setups. The code isn’t broken; the device just isn’t listening for it. Amazon’s commissioning best-practices page lists “This device is already commissioned.” among common errors, often on hardware that looks ready to pair.
One exception: Eve accessories upgraded from HomeKit to Matter got a new code during the upgrade, which Eve’s upgrade page says “will completely replace the HomeKit setup code.” For those devices the sticker is wrong, and “nobody but you has a copy.”
Which kind of reset do you need?
If the device still works in any app you can open, you need a temporary code, not a reset. Factory reset only when you’re giving the device away, when no reachable controller holds it, or when a failed pairing has left it stuck.
| Situation | What to do | Existing pairings survive? |
|---|---|---|
| Works in one app, you want a second app too | Temporary code from the current app | Yes |
| Selling it or moving it to a new home | Remove from each app, then factory reset | No |
| ”Already commissioned,” no reachable app controls it | Factory reset | No |
| A pairing failed halfway and won’t retry | Factory reset | Nothing to lose |
| Sticker lost, device still paired | Temporary code, or the vendor app’s stored code | Yes |
The “no reachable app” row is the homelab special. A Home Assistant install you wiped and rebuilt (it happens, usually twice) leaves a fabric on every device it commissioned, with nothing left that can use it. The multi-admin sharing guide explains how those orphaned fabrics quietly eat slots.
Method 1: factory reset so the printed code works again
A factory reset wipes every fabric and network credential and returns the device to first-time setup, where the sticker code works again. Do it in this order:
- Find the code first. Home Assistant’s Matter docs warn that after a reset “you’ll need the QR code or numeric setup code,” and “Without this information, commissioning won’t be possible.” Photograph the label.
- Remove it from every controller you can reach. Apple’s Matter accessory page offers “Remove From All Services”; Google’s help page says to “factory reset it after you remove it”; Home Assistant has Delete on the device page. Skip this and every app keeps a dead tile.
- Run the manufacturer’s reset sequence. There is no universal gesture. The reset hints Amazon lets makers register include power cycling, holding a reset button for N seconds, and pressing it N times. TP-Link’s Matter FAQ is typical: hold reset at least 10 seconds on plugs and switches; for bulbs, cycle power three times (Tapo) or five times (Kasa) about a second apart, then wait for three blinks.
- Commission it close to your phone. Bluetooth is used “to pair a device after unboxing or after factory resetting,” per Home Assistant, so pair in the same room and move the device afterwards.
Some devices offer a gentler path. Under the Basic Commissioning Method, a button press or controller command reopens a window for the original printed code without wiping anything. It isn’t universal: the method the specification “requires all Matter devices and commissioners to implement,” per Amazon, is the enhanced one below.
Method 2: generate a temporary code without resetting
If any controller still runs the device, ask it for a new code. Per Amazon, the controller sends OpenCommissioningWindow “to generate a new, random passcode” and shows a temporary 11-digit code or a QR code. The printed code and existing pairings are untouched. Amazon warns that “the commissioning window closes after several minutes,” so open the second app first.
Where the button lives:
- Apple Home: touch and hold the accessory, open its settings, Turn On Pairing Mode, Copy Code, per Matter Alpha’s walkthrough.
- Google Home: touch and hold the tile, Settings, Linked Matter apps & services, then Link apps & services, or “Use pairing code” for a temporary code, per Google’s help page. Matter Alpha says to finish within 15 minutes.
- Alexa: the device, Settings, Other Assistants and Apps, Add another, Copy.
- Home Assistant: Settings, Devices & services, Matter, the device, Share device. No hardware button press is needed, and the Matter server underneath defaults to a 300-second window.
From a shell, the Matter SDK’s chip-tool guide documents the same operation:
# node 1, option 1 = Enhanced Commissioning Method,
# 300 s window, 1000 PBKDF iterations, discriminator 2365
./chip-tool pairing open-commissioning-window 1 1 300 1000 2365It prints a line like Manual pairing code: [36281602573]. Option 0 uses the Basic method instead.
Each extra app uses a fabric slot, and Home Assistant’s docs say devices should support at least five. If share codes keep failing at the last step, count fabrics before resetting anything. The Matter controller explainer covers which apps count as separate administrators.
What if you lost the pairing code?
If the device is still paired to a working controller, you don’t need the sticker: generate a temporary code with Method 2. A lost code only bites after a factory reset, so never reset a device whose code you can’t find.
Places the code may still live:
- The vendor app. TP-Link’s Tapo and Kasa apps show a Matter Setup Code under Device Settings, then Device Info, and TP-Link ships a spare code sticker in the box. Eve stores the codes it generated during Matter upgrades in the Eve app.
- The packaging and manual. Home Assistant’s docs mention codes that appear only “in accompanied documentation.”
- Apple’s Keychain, sort of. Apple can store setup codes using iCloud Keychain, but its support page doesn’t describe a way to read one back.
If nothing turns up and the device is already reset, try the manufacturer’s support; without the code, commissioning “won’t be possible.” Going forward, photograph each label with the device in frame and keep the photos in a password manager with a note of which controllers hold a fabric. The cloud is a perfectly good place for that list.
Why does the printed code still fail after a reset?
Usually the reset didn’t finish, the setup window closed, or the phone was too far away. Most reset sequences end with a confirmation blink, like TP-Link’s three blinks on bulbs; no blink usually means no reset. Start commissioning promptly, in the same room, with Bluetooth on.
Delete any stale entry for the device in the controller before re-adding it. Thread devices also need a working border router, covered in the Thread border router guide, and the pairing failures fix list walks every other commissioning stage in order.
FAQ
does a factory reset change a matter pairing code
No. A factory reset clears the device’s fabrics and network credentials, then reopens first-time setup with the same printed QR and numeric code. It never issues a new permanent code. The exception is Eve hardware upgraded from HomeKit, where the valid Matter code came from the Eve app during the upgrade, not the original sticker.
how long does a matter sharing code last
Temporary sharing codes last minutes, not hours. Amazon says the commissioning window “closes after several minutes,” the Matter server behind Home Assistant opens a 300-second window by default, and Matter Alpha says Google Home codes should be used within 15 minutes. If the second app rejects a code, generate a fresh one instead of resetting.
can you use the same matter qr code twice
Yes, after a factory reset. The printed QR code works for first-time setup and again every time the device is wiped. While the device is paired, it usually won’t accept that code; use a temporary code from the current app instead, unless the manual says the device can reopen its original code with a button press.
where do i find the matter setup code on my device
Look on the device itself, its packaging, or its manual, usually as a QR code with a numeric code beside it. TP-Link prints it on the casing and includes a spare sticker in the box. Some vendor apps, such as Tapo and Kasa, also show the code after setup, so check there before resetting anything.
Related across the network
- Zigbee vs Z-Wave vs Thread: Which Mesh to Build — homeassistanthq.com
- How to Adopt UniFi AP Manually: SSH, Option 43 or DNS — unifiguide.com
