The album was positively received and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said that Collins was "quietly revolutionizing and expanding the role of the drums in pop record making". Rolling Stone reviewer David Fricke said that, "Like his '81 and '82 outings, Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going!, No Jacket Required is not an album that waits to be liked". Collins' most commercially successful album, No Jacket Required went to number one in several countries, including the United States (where it was at the top of the charts for seven weeks), United Kingdom and Canada. The record has been certified diamond in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America, and has sold over two million copies in the UK, being certified for 6x platinum.
Many of the songs, including "Take Me Home", and "Long Long Way to Go", have been used in episodes of Miami Vice and Cold Case, and "The Man with the Horn" was re-written and re-recorded for the episode "Phil the Shill". "We Said Hello Goodbye" was re-recorded for the movie Playing for Keeps.
Following the release of the album Collins embarked on the successful No Jacket Required World Tour. At the end of the tour, Collins received critical acclaim for performing at both the London and Philadelphia Live Aid concerts on 13 July 1985. During the tour, Collins recorded a song with Marilyn Martin for the movie White Nights, called "Separate Lives", which was a number one hit in the US, and a top ten hit in the UK. Remixes of six songs from the album were later included on the 12"ers compilation.