Hey there, looks like you’re ready to take a break from your Ring doorbell. Can’t say I blame you—sometimes all the notifications and alerts can get a bit overwhelming. The good news is, turning off your Ring doorbell is actually pretty straightforward. In just a few quick steps, you can disable it temporarily or shut it down completely if you want to part ways with the thing altogether. Before you do anything drastic though, let’s walk through your options so you can decide what level of “off” is right for you. Whether you just need a little peace and quiet this weekend or want to disconnect for good, I’ve got you covered with simple instructions to make your Ring doorbell go radio silent.

How to Turn Off Your Ring Doorbell Temporarily
Want to temporarily turn off your Ring Doorbell? No problem, it only takes a couple minutes.
First, open the Ring app on your phone and tap the menu icon in the top left corner. Select ‘Devices’ and tap your Ring Doorbell from the list.
- On the doorbell settings screen, tap ‘Motion Settings’. Slide the ‘Motion Detection’ toggle to turn it off. This will disable motion alerts and recording.
To completely disable your Ring Doorbell, go back to the settings screen and tap ‘Device Health’. Tap ‘Disable Device’ and confirm to turn your doorbell off.
- Your doorbell will no longer detect motion, record video or audio, or send alerts. The status light on your doorbell will turn off to indicate it’s disabled.
When you’re ready to turn your doorbell back on, open the Ring app and go to ‘Device Health’ under the doorbell settings. Tap ‘Enable Device’ to reactivate your doorbell. All your previous settings will be restored.
Disabling your doorbell is handy when you’re away from home or just want some privacy. And enabling it again is quick and easy when you need the added security. If you have any other questions about operating your Ring Doorbell, check out Ring’s online help site. They have useful how-to guides and videos to help you get the most from your smart doorbell.
Deactivating Your Ring Doorbell Motion Detection
Want some privacy without completely disabling your Ring Doorbell? You can turn off the motion detection to stop it from recording whenever there’s movement. Here’s how:
- Open the Ring app on your phone and tap the menu icon in the top left corner. Select “Device Settings” and then tap your Ring Doorbell.
- Under “Motion Detection,” tap “Turn Off Motion Detection.” Your doorbell will no longer detect motion and start recording.
- If you still want to see who’s at the door when the button is pressed, leave “Button Press Detection” turned on. This means your Ring will only start recording when someone presses the doorbell button.
- To turn motion detection back on whenever you like, just go back to the “Motion Detection” menu and tap “Turn On Motion Detection.” Your Ring will go back to detecting motion and recording as usual.
- You can also adjust the motion detection sensitivity to fine tune what triggers a recording. Choose between “High,” “Medium,” or “Low” sensitivity or set up motion detection zones to specify areas where you do and don’t want recordings.
- Remember, turning off motion detection means you won’t receive motion alerts or recordings. Your Ring will only capture events when the doorbell button is pressed. So keep that in mind if security monitoring is a concern.
With a few taps, you can gain more control over when your Ring Doorbell starts recording. Adjust the settings to your needs and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a smart security system.
Disabling Recording and Sharing for Your Ring Doorbell
Turning Off Recording
To disable recording for your Ring Doorbell, you’ll need to adjust a few settings in the Ring app.
Open the Ring app on your phone and select your Ring Doorbell from the list of devices. Tap the gear icon to access the settings for your doorbell. Under the “Recording Options” header, tap “Turn Off.” This will disable the recording feature so no video or audio will be captured when the doorbell button is pressed or motion is detected.
- Your Ring Doorbell will continue to stream live video and audio, but no events will be recorded or shared.
- If you ever want to turn recording back on, just go back to the same settings screen and select “Turn On.”
Disabling Sharing
In addition to turning off recording, you may also want to disable sharing for your Ring Doorbell. This will prevent any live or recorded video from being shared with linked Ring accounts.
Under the “Sharing Options” header in the settings, tap “Turn Off Sharing.” This will unlink your Ring Doorbell from any connected Ring accounts and prevent future sharing.
- To re-enable sharing in the future, go back to the same settings screen and tap “Turn On Sharing.” You will then need to link any accounts you want to share access with.
Disabling these features can help give you more privacy and control over your Ring Doorbell. But keep in mind that turning off recording and sharing also means you won’t receive any notifications about motion events or be able to view a video history of activity at your door. Use these options carefully based on your needs and preferences.