These 200+ Alexa Commands Changed the Way I Use My Echo Devices

Other places you can access Alexa

While the most obvious or natural way to use Alexa may be through an Echo speaker from Amazon, it’s not the only way you can call up Amazon’s digital assistant. 

In fact, there are more and more ways to access Alexa being created all the time, and you don’t even need any specialized devices. Here are some of the most prominent ways to use Alexa with the devices you already have:

You can enable the mobile apps to listen for Alexa when they’re open (this will, however, disable your phone from listening for its native digital assistant’s wake word — i.e. “Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Google” won’t work while you have the Alexa app open). Otherwise, you can tap the Alexa icon to call up the assistant.

On an updated Windows computer, you can summon Cortana and say, “Open Alexa.” After the initial connection is made, saying this will cue up Amazon’s assistant through Cortana.

Alexa Echo Auto allows you to connect your phone to Alexa in your car. The Echo Auto is capable of carrying out many of the same commands and features as your home device, but with some restrictions (it won’t unlock your doors, for example).

The complete list of Alexa commands

The list of Alexa commands is expansive and grows with every new service or device it supports. Alexa isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty great at understanding natural language, so you don’t always have to speak the commands exactly as you see them below. Many commands work when worded several different ways or even with words omitted.

When you consider the possible third-party commands through Skills — essentially the apps of Amazon’s Alexa — the list goes on even further. To learn what individual skills are capable of, visit the skill’s page from the Amazon Alexa app or alexa.amazon.com.

Here are all the native Alexa commands.

Basic Alexa commands

• Ask for help: “Alexa, help.”
• Mute or unmute: “Alexa, mute” or, “Alexa, unmute.”
• Stop or pause: “Alexa, stop” or, “Alexa, shut up.”
• Change volume: “Alexa, set the volume to 5,” “Alexa, louder” or, “Alexa, turn up/down the volume.”

Alexa commands for Echo Show

The Echo Show devices and Echo Spot are the only Echo speakers with touchscreen displays. This means you can tell them to show you things.

• Ask for what the Echo Show can display: “Alexa, what can you show me?”
• Show your calendar: “Alexa, show my calendar.”
• Show pictures: “Alexa, show my photos” or, “Alexa, show me pictures of cats.”
• View your cameras or other rooms: “Alexa, show the living room camera.”
• View movie trailers: “Alexa, show me the trailer for Wakanda Forever.”
• Movie showtimes: “Alexa, show me movie showtimes.”
• View the forecast: “Alexa, show me the weekend forecast.”
• Play YouTube videos: “Alexa, show me travel videos on YouTube.”
• Display recipes: “Alexa, show me a slow cooker recipe from Allrecipes.”
• View your Flash Briefing: “Alexa, play my video Flash Briefing.”
• See your timers: “Alexa, show me my timers.”
• Open a visual skill: “Alexa, open Uber.”

Alexa commands to control media

• Adjust audio settings: “Alexa, set the bass to four.”
• Play music: “Alexa, play some music.”
• Play music on other (or multiple) Alexa devices: “Alexa, play [artist/album/song/genre] in the living room” or, “Alexa, play [music] everywhere.”
• Cue specific song or artist: “Alexa, play music by [artist].”
• Play a song based on context: “Alexa, play the latest Avett Brothers album” or, “Alexa, play that song that goes ‘Gotta gotta be down, because I want it all.'”
• Play music based on a theme: “Alexa, play baby-making music” or, “Alexa, play rock music for working.”
• Play the song of the day: “Alexa, play the song of the day.”
• Play Spotify music: “Alexa, play on Spotify.”
• Play Pandora station: “Alexa, play [artist] station on Pandora.”
• Play a radio station: “Alexa, play [radio station call letters, example: WEBN].”
• Play an audiobook: “Alexa, play [title] on Audible,” “Alexa, read [title]” or, “Alexa, play the book, [title].”
• Resume the last played audiobook: “Alexa, resume my book.”
• Skip audiobook chapters: “Alexa, next chapter” or, “Alexa, previous chapter.”
• Play a bedtime story: “Alexa, open Storytime.”
• Listen to Alexa read you a Kindle book: “Alexa, read my Kindle book.”
• Set a sleep timer: “Alexa set a sleep timer for 45 minutes” or, “Alexa, stop playing in 45 minutes.”
• Song information: “Alexa, what’s playing?”
• Music controls: “Alexa, play” or, “Alexa, next.”
• Control music playback on another Alexa speaker: “Alexa, stop in the kitchen” or, “Alexa, next in the office.”
• Restart song: “Alexa, restart.”
• Add a song to your Prime Music library: “Alexa, add this song.”
• Create a playlist in Amazon Music: “Alexa, create a new playlist,” or, “Alexa, create a ‘Friday Chill’ playlist.”
• Add a song to a playlist in Amazon Music: “Alexa, add this song to my playlist,” or, “Alexa, add this to my playlist.”
• Like or dislike a song on Pandora and iHeartRadio: “Alexa, I like this song” or, “Alexa, thumbs down.”
• Start Amazon Music Unlimited trial: “Alexa, start my free trial of Amazon Music Unlimited.”
• “Alexa, wake me up every day at 8 a.m. to music” allows users to set their mornings off right with music from Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Vevo.

Alexa commands to control time and dates

• Set an alarm: “Alexa, set an alarm for 7 a.m.” or, “Alexa, wake me up at 7 in the morning.”
• Set a music alarm: “Alexa, wake me up to [artist, song, genre, playlist or album] at 8 a.m.,” “Alexa, set an alarm to Band of Horses” or, “Alexa, wake me up to Kiss FM on TuneIn.”
• Set a repeating alarm: “Alexa, set a repeating alarm for weekdays at 7 a.m.”
• Set a timer: “Alexa, timer” or, “Alexa, set a timer for 15 minutes.”
• Set a music timer: “Alexa, set a 15-minute timer to My Heart will Go On”
• Create a named timer: “Alexa, set a pizza timer for 20 minutes.”
• Set multiple timers: “Alexa, set a second timer for 5 minutes.”
• Check timer status: “Alexa, how much time is left on the pizza timer?” or, “Alexa, what are my timers?”
• Cancel a timer: “Alexa, cancel the pizza timer” or, “Alexa, cancel the 15-minute timer.”
• Ask the time: “Alexa, what time is it?”
• Ask the date: “Alexa, what’s the date?”
• Ask when the next alarm is: “Alexa, when’s my next alarm?”
• Cancel an alarm: “Alexa, cancel my alarm for 2 p.m.”
• Snooze alarm: “Alexa, snooze.”
• Check dates: “Alexa, when is [holiday] this year?”

Alexa commands for calls and messaging

You can make calls and leave voicemails to other Echo users, as well as “Drop In” to your own echo devices, either to voice or video chat with whoever’s in the room (or just to monitor the space like a security camera). If you have an Android, you can send text messages with Alexa. 

• Call another Echo user: “Alexa, call [name].”
• Answer an incoming call: “Alexa, answer the call” or, “Alexa, answer.”
• Hang up: “Alexa, hang up” or, “Alexa, end the call.”
• Message another Echo user: “Alexa, message [name]” or, “Alexa, send [name] a message.”
• Play messages: “Alexa, play messages.”
• Send an SMS: “Alexa, send an SMS to [contact name]” or, “Alexa, send an SMS.”
• Use Drop In on one of your own devices: “Alexa, drop in on the living room.”
• Drop In on another user (requires the other user to allow you to Drop In anytime): “Alexa, drop in on [name].”
• Turn off the video during an ongoing call (only works with Echo Show): “Alexa, turn video off.”
• Make an announcement: “Alexa, announce it’s dinner time,” “Alexa, broadcast it’s time to go” or, “Alexa, tell everyone good night.”
• Number check: “Alexa, open phone number check” → “tell me about 301-555-5555” or “please provide information about 301-555-5555.”

Alexa commands for purchasing

• Reorder essentials from Amazon: “Alexa, buy more deodorant” or, “Alexa, reorder deodorant.”
• Track packages from Amazon: “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” or, “Alexa, track my order.”
• Order an Amazon Alexa device: “Alexa, order an Echo,” “Alexa, order an Echo Dot” or, “Alexa, order an Amazon Tap.”
• Add an item to your cart: “Alexa, add garbage bags to my cart.”
• Order an Uber or Lyft with their skills: “Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride” or, “Alexa, ask Lyft for a ride.”
• While listening to music in Amazon Music: “Alexa, buy this song” or, “Alexa, buy this album.”
• Find new music to purchase: “Alexa, shop for new music by [artist].”
• Purchase a song or album from an artist: “Alexa, buy [song or album] by [artist].”
• Ask about deals: “Alexa, what are your deals?”
• For good recommendations on products, Alexa has you covered. Just say “Alexa, find me a good smartphone on Amazon,” and it will find products based on Amazon customer ratings and reviews.

Alexa commands for food and businesses

• Get a recipe: “Alexa, how do you make chocolate chip cookies?”
• Discover nearby restaurants: “Alexa, find me a nearby pizza restaurant” or, “Alexa, what’s the nearest coffee shop?”
• Get operating hours or a phone number for local businesses: “Alexa, find the address for Bank of America” or, “Alexa, find business hours for Harris Teeter.”
• Saying “Alexa, open Wine Finder” lets Alexa help you match the best vino with your meal. If you tell Alexa you’re eating shrimp, it will tell you the best wine.

Alexa commands for help with math

• Convert units: “Alexa, how many [units] are in [units]?”
• Convert units: “Alexa, how many [units] are in 2 [units]?”
• Basic math: “Alexa, what’s 5 plus 7?” or, “Alexa, what’s 56 times 33?”
• Advanced math: “Alexa, 70 factorial.” (Warning: Alexa will list numbers you didn’t know existed for about a minute.)

Alexa commands that can settle a score

• Roll a die: “Alexa, roll a die” or, “Alexa, roll a 26-sided die.”
• Flip a coin: “Alexa, flip a coin.”
• Pick a number: “Alexa, pick a number between 1 and 50.”

Use Alexa commands with Bluetooth

• Pair a Bluetooth device: “Alexa, pair” or “Alexa, Bluetooth.”
• Connect to a Bluetooth device: “Alexa, connect to my phone.”
• Disconnect from a Bluetooth device: “Alexa, disconnect from my phone.”

Alexa commands for profiles and user accounts

• Switch profiles: “Alexa, switch accounts.”
• Check which profile is active: “Alexa, which profile is this?”

Use Alexa commands with Skills

Skills are third-party applications for Alexa speakers. They allow you to connect third-party software and hardware to your speaker, as well as play games and add different news sources to your Flash Briefing. Originally, they had to be enabled before you could use them, but Amazon has since made that process automatic (just ask for the Skill and it will enable when it’s used).

• Use a skill: “Alexa, open Earplay.”
• Find kid’s skills: “Alexa, what kid’s skills do you have?
• Enable skills: “Alexa, enable Jeopardy!”
• Disable skills: “Alexa, disable Domino’s.”
• Bartender skill gives you access to more than 12,000 cocktail recipes: “Alexa, open the bartender.”

Use Alexa commands with Cortana

Microsoft’s Cortana is available as a skill — but rather than just being a skill, it opens the door to a completely separate digital assistant through your Alexa speakers. 

Once you’ve added the skill, enabled permissions and connected your Microsoft and Amazon accounts, just say, “Alexa, open Cortana.” When you’re speaking to Cortana you can check your emails, ask for the next event on your calendar or add items to your to-do list.

For now, the Cortana skill is limited because it’s a public preview of what the full integration will be in the future.

Search using Alexa commands 

• Get Wikipedia information: “Alexa, Wikipedia: [subject].”
• Tell Alexa to continue reading a Wikipedia entry: “Alexa, tell me more.”
• Ask a general question: “Alexa, how tall is [person or object’s name]?”
• Ask Quora a question: “Alexa, ask Quora if crustaceans feel pain when you boil them.”
• Get a Game of Thrones quote: “Alexa, give me a Game of Thrones quote.”
• Whether it’s a bull or a bear market, you can check your stock values by saying, “Alexa, ask Opening Bell for Microsoft” (or any other publicly traded company).

Holiday-related Alexa commands

• Find out when a holiday is: “Alexa, when is [holiday]?”
• Holiday limerick: “Alexa, tell me a holiday limerick.”
• Learn about a holiday: “Alexa, why do we celebrate [holiday]?”
• Ask about Santa: “Alexa, how old is Santa Claus?” “Alexa, is Santa Claus real?” or, “Alexa, where does Santa Claus live?”
• Ask about Santa’s reindeer: “Alexa, who’s your favorite reindeer?” “Alexa, what can you tell me about Santa’s reindeer?” or, “Alexa, what do you know about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer?”
• Track Santa: “Alexa, where is Santa?” or, “Alexa, track Santa.”
• Sing a Christmas carol: “Alexa, sing a Christmas carol.”
• Have Alexa read “The Night Before Christmas”: “Alexa, read “The Night Before Christmas.”
• Spin the dreidel: “Alexa, spin the dreidel.”
• Ask for holiday jokes: “Alexa, open my gift,” “Alexa, how ugly is your/my holiday sweater?” or, “Alexa, tell me a snowman joke.”
• Ask for holiday movies?: “Alexa, what’s your favorite holiday movie?” or, “Alexa, what are the top holiday movies?”