How to change Alexa’s wake word, name and voice: Will you pick Ziggy, Amazon, Computer or Echo?

By Britta O'BoyleDecember 13, 20245 Mins Read

Mix things up with this step-by-step guide to personalizing your Alexa's name, voice and accent

We may live in the age of Alexa, but barking the same wake word and hearing the same voice answer our requests can get tiresome.

If you want to say something different than Alexa to command your Echo speaker or display then the good news is that it’s possible – albeit in a limited way; you can’t just call Alexa anything you want.

Still, we can’t have it all, hey! Here’s how to change Alexa’s wake word and what the limitations are.

Read this: Funny things to ask Alexa

What you’ll need

An Alexa speaker
The Alexa app
Your smartphone or tablet

The short version

Open the Alexa app.
Tap on the ‘Devices’ tab.
Tap on the device you want to change the Alexa wake word for.
Tap on the settings cog for your device.
Scroll down to Wake Word and tap on it.
Pick the Wake Word.

How to change Alexa’s name or wake word

New Echo Show 15 (2024) — (Image credit: Amazon)

Unlike its rivals, Amazon allows users to change the Alexa wake word and add a pinch of variation to the Echo device experience. There is a bit of a catch though as there are only four different wake words on offer: Ziggy, Amazon, Computer and Echo.

In the past, Amazon has also offered extra voices, like Santa and celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal and Melissa McCarthy, but the main five options available all year around are Alexa, Ziggy, Amazon, Computer and Echo.

With that in mind, if you’d prefer a different Alexa voice or accent reading out your weather report or reminders, this is what you need to do.

Time needed: 5 minutes

Try by using your voice
The quickest way to change Alexa’s name or wake word is to say “Alexa, change the wake word” to your Echo speaker or display. Alexa will offer you the options “Amazon,” “Echo,” “Computer,” or “Ziggy”. Select your new wake word.
Go through the Alexa app
If you don’t want to use your voice, then you can go through the Alexa app. Open the app and select the ‘Devices’ tab. From here, pick the Echo device you want to change the wake word for.
Open your Echo device settings
Once you’ve tapped on your Echo device, you’ll need to tap on the settings cog which will appear in the top right of the pop up card that appears for your Echo device.
Find the Wake Word option
Within the device settings, scroll down until you find Wake Word. Tap on that to reveal the options. If there are any extra voices, they will appear here too.
Choose your voice
Last thing to do is to change Alexa’s name and wake word to one of the options and press ‘OK’.

Change Alexa’s voice or accent

In mid-2021, Amazon launched a new male voice for Alexa. The tone was launched along with the Ziggy name. Like with the Wake Word, you can use your own voice to enable it by saying, “Alexa, change your voice.”

Alternatively, you can change the voice within the Alexa app. Note that Amazon doesn’t call the voice options male or female; rather 1 or 2, with this number following the various accents also available. Your Echo speaker can speak in a British accent, with an Aussie twang, a Canadian accent or an Indian accent.

Open the Alexa app.
Tap Devices.
Choose your Echo smart speaker.
Tap the settings cog.
Choose Alexa’s Voice.
Select the voice and accent you prefer.

Hey Disney!

At Amazon’s 2021 launch event, the retail giant revealed it had teamed up with Disney for “an entirely new kind of voice assistant that will work alongside Alexa at home and across Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms.”

Now in 2024, Disney has rolled out Hey Disney! on Echo family devices in limited hotel rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and it is also available for customers to purchase in the United States as an annual, auto-renewing subscription in the Alexa Skills Store, for use on supported Echo devices at home.

‘Hey, Disney!’ will add a host of beloved Disney characters to the mix on certain Echo smart speakers. It’s also available as part of the Amazon Kids+ subscription.

Unlike a simple wake word change as described as above though, the Hey Disney experience is the first time an Alexa Custom Assistant will be available on Echo devices.

Designed to live alongside Alexa, rather than replacing the native assistant, Alexa Custom Assistants have their own unique wake words, personalities, voices and capabilities.

For Disney’s effort, there are over 1,000 “magical interactions”, as well as a brand-new character: the Disney Magical Companion.