Alexa can handle everyday time management, lists, information, entertainment, communication and compatible smart-home controls. Say the command after the wake word “Alexa,” then use the Alexa app to connect services, devices and routines when a feature needs setup. The examples below are documented functions, but the result can vary with your device, account, language, location, linked services and hardware.
What you can ask Alexa to do
Alexa’s built-in capabilities cover the jobs people repeat throughout the day: setting alarms and timers, creating reminders, managing shopping and to-do lists, checking weather and news, playing audio, calling contacts, sending messages and answering questions. With compatible products connected in the Alexa app, Alexa can also operate lights, switches, locks, thermostats and other smart-home accessories.
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A command normally follows this pattern: wake word, action, and the object or time involved. For example, “Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes” identifies the action (set a timer), duration (10 minutes) and destination (the timer service). Natural variations often work, but concise wording is easier to understand when a command controls something important.
There is no single, permanent list of every Alexa command. Capabilities change by country, language, account, device generation, software and the services you link. Treat the examples as reliable starting phrases rather than a promise that every account will respond identically.
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Set up the essentials before speaking commands
Use an Alexa-enabled device and account
An Echo speaker provides the voice endpoint. An Echo Dot (5th Gen) is a compact option for a room where you mainly want spoken responses and control. An Echo Show adds a screen, which is useful for seeing reminders, lists and other task information instead of hearing everything read aloud. Your device must be signed in to an Amazon account and connected to the network used by Alexa services.
Install and check the Alexa app
The Alexa app is where you add Echo devices, review lists and reminders, connect skills and linked services, create routines, and add compatible smart-home products. Give devices clear names that are easy to distinguish, such as “kitchen lights” and “bedroom lights.” If two devices or groups have confusingly similar names, Alexa may ask which one you mean or control the wrong target.
Confirm regional and account settings
Language, location, time zone, contacts, music subscriptions and service availability all affect results. Weather needs a location; calls need contacts and calling permissions; music requests can depend on a linked provider; and smart-home commands need devices that Alexa supports in your account’s region. Verify those settings in the app before troubleshooting the spoken phrase.
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Time management: alarms, timers and reminders
Alarms for fixed wake-up times
Use an alarm when you want Alexa to alert you at a particular clock time.
Alexa, set an alarm for 7 a.m.
You can manage alarms from the device or the Alexa app. For a recurring schedule, specify the days in your wording when your locale supports that option, then check the saved alarm in the app. An alarm is different from a reminder: an alarm is a time-based alert, while a reminder is tied to a task you name.
Timers for durations and deadlines
Timers are useful for cooking, exercise intervals, laundry and any task that ends after a duration.
Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes.
Give multiple timers distinct names when you need to track them, for example a cooking timer and a laundry timer. If you do not name a timer, ask Alexa to check the timer status and use the remaining time to identify it.
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Reminders for named tasks
Reminders attach a spoken task to a time, making them better than a bare alarm for actions you might otherwise forget.
Alexa, remind me to take the bins out at 8 p.m.
Say the task and the time in one sentence, then review or edit reminders in the Alexa app. The exact recurrence and notification choices available to you depend on your account and locale.
Shopping and to-do lists
Alexa maintains separate shopping and to-do lists. Add an item while your hands are busy, then view the list in the app or on an Echo Show.
Alexa, add coffee to my shopping list.Alexa, what’s on my to-do list?
Use the list name in the request when you need to avoid ambiguity. Lists are account data, so household members will see the same entries only when they use the appropriate account or sharing arrangement.
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Weather and daily information
Ask for current or forecast information after your location is configured.
Alexa, what’s the weather today?
Weather responses are location-dependent. If Alexa gives a forecast for the wrong place, correct the device location in the app rather than repeating the question with increasingly complicated wording.
News and answers
Alexa can provide news and answer general questions. News sources and the format of a briefing depend on the country, account and settings available to you. For time-sensitive or consequential information, treat a spoken answer as a starting point and verify details with an authoritative source.
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Music and other media commands
Start music by playlist or service
With a supported music service linked, ask Alexa to play a specific playlist, artist, album or station.
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If several services are linked, set a default music provider in the Alexa app or name the service in the request. Playback options, subscriptions and regional catalogs can change what Alexa can play.
Use follow-up controls
Once audio is playing, short commands such as pause, resume, skip, lower the volume or stop normally apply to the active session. If more than one Echo is playing, specify the device or group to avoid changing the wrong room.
Calls, messages and Drop In
Calling a contact
Alexa can place calls when calling is enabled and the contact is available through your account and device settings.
Alexa, call [contact]
Use the person’s saved contact name exactly enough for Alexa to identify the right entry. Review calling permissions and contacts in the app before relying on voice calling for urgent communication.
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Drop In can connect to another Echo in your household or to an approved contact when the feature is enabled.
Alexa, drop in on the kitchen Echo.
Because Drop In opens an audio connection rather than sending a conventional message, check which devices and contacts have permission. Disable or limit it in the Alexa app if you do not want that access.
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Control compatible smart-home devices
What you need
Smart-home commands require a compatible accessory and setup in the Alexa app. Depending on the product, that can include smart lights, plugs or switches, locks, thermostats and other Alexa-enabled devices. Some products also require the manufacturer’s app, a hub or a linked skill before Alexa can discover them.
Turn devices on or off
Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights.
Use names and groups that match the room and function. If you create a “Kitchen” group containing the kitchen lights, you can use a room-based command without naming every bulb. Keep one canonical name for each device; duplicate names are a common cause of wrong-device responses.
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Set states and adjust equipment
Compatible products may expose controls such as brightness, color, temperature or lock state. Alexa can only use controls that the accessory and its integration report. If Alexa says a device is unavailable, check its power, network connection, manufacturer account and Alexa discovery status before changing the wording.
Build a morning routine instead of repeating commands
A routine combines several actions into one automation. It can start from a spoken phrase, a scheduled time, a sound, a presence signal or an alarm. Amazon’s example is a phrase such as “Start my day” that turns on compatible smart lights and tells you the weather forecast.
Create a routine in the Alexa app
- Open the Alexa app and choose More, then Routines.
- Select + to create a routine and give it a name you will recognize later.
- Choose When this happens, then select the trigger: Voice, Schedule, Sound Detection, Location, a compatible presence event or an alarm, depending on what your account and devices offer.
- Add actions in the order you want them performed. A practical morning sequence can turn on compatible lights, report the weather and play a playlist.
- Choose the Echo device or smart-home group that should deliver the response, review the order and save the routine.
Start the routine by voice
Alexa, start my good morning routine.
The spoken invocation must match the routine name closely enough for Alexa to identify it. Keep names distinct from ordinary commands and from other routines. If one action fails, open the routine in the app and test each linked device or service independently; a routine cannot complete an action that its integration no longer exposes.
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Built-in features work with relatively little configuration. Skills and linked services extend Alexa to third-party information, media and device ecosystems, but they add account linking, permissions and another service that can change independently.
Enable a skill in the Alexa app, complete the provider’s sign-in or authorization steps, and read the permissions before using it. Some skills require a distinct invocation name, while others add functionality to a normal request. If a skill stops responding, check whether it is enabled, whether the linked account is still authorized and whether the provider supports your country and language.
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Amazon states in its Alexa Terms of Use that it records, processes and retains Alexa interactions and other account information in the cloud to provide, personalize and improve its services. Skills and linked services may receive information related to the request so they can perform their function. Review Alexa privacy controls, activity history and individual skill permissions in the app, and disable access you no longer need.
Choosing the right Echo for everyday commands
| Device type | Best fit | What changes for everyday tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Echo Dot (5th Gen) | Voice-first control in a bedroom, kitchen or office | Compact endpoint for alarms, timers, lists, music, questions and compatible smart-home commands; responses are primarily spoken. |
| Echo Show | Households that want visible task information | Adds a screen for viewing reminders, lists and other supported information while retaining voice control. |
The choice of speaker does not remove the need for compatible accessories or account setup. Select the device based on whether spoken feedback is sufficient or whether a screen will make lists and reminders easier to check.
Make commands reliable
Use explicit names and units
Say the device, list, contact or routine name and include a clear time or duration. “Set a timer for 10 minutes” is less ambiguous than “start a timer.” Use “kitchen lights” rather than “lights” when several rooms contain lights.
Separate the command from the diagnosis
If Alexa misunderstands, first confirm that the underlying feature works in the app. Check the device’s network and power, the account or service link, and the exact name Alexa displays. Then try the shortest supported phrase again. Changing several settings and the wording at the same time makes it difficult to identify the cause.
Account for locale and availability
A command demonstrated in one country or language may not behave the same way elsewhere. Music catalogs, news sources, calling features, skills, smart-home integrations and routine triggers can all vary. Keep the Alexa app and device software current, and treat an unavailable feature as a regional, account or compatibility issue before assuming the phrase is wrong.
Protect shared spaces and accounts
Review who can call, Drop In, use linked services or operate locks and other sensitive devices. Use separate, descriptive routine names and remove old devices from the app. Remember that voice requests are processed in the cloud and that a third-party skill may receive request-related information.
A compact command reference
| Task | Example phrase | Setup needed | Typical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timer | Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes. |
Alexa device and account | Countdown and alert when it ends |
| Alarm | Alexa, set an alarm for 7 a.m. |
Alexa device and account | Alarm at the specified clock time |
| Reminder | Alexa, remind me to take the bins out at 8 p.m. |
Alexa device and account | Named reminder at the requested time |
| Shopping list | Alexa, add coffee to my shopping list. |
Alexa device and account | Item added to the shopping list |
| To-do list | Alexa, what’s on my to-do list? |
Alexa device and account | Current to-do entries read aloud or shown |
| Weather | Alexa, what’s the weather today? |
Location configured | Weather for the device’s configured location |
| Music | Alexa, play my morning playlist. |
Compatible linked music service, where required | Playlist playback |
| Smart home | Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights. |
Compatible light discovered in the Alexa app | Light switched on |
| Routine | Alexa, start my good morning routine. |
Routine created with its actions | Configured actions run in sequence |
| Call | Alexa, call [contact]. |
Calling enabled and contact available | Call placed to the matched contact |
| Drop In | Alexa, drop in on the kitchen Echo. |
Drop In enabled for the target | Audio connection to the approved Echo |
Use these phrases as starting points, then adapt names, services and timing to your account. The most dependable setup is the one in which every device, contact, list and routine has a unique name and its permissions are intentional.
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