Taps on the screen go unnoticed. Panicked swipes aren't registered. Frantic button presses are ignored. Show
When your iPhone's screen is black or frozen and not responding, a normal restart might not work for the simple reason that your iPhone has gotten itself in such a state that it fails to recognize you holding down the power and volume buttons -- or your silent prayers. If your iPhone is unresponsive and won't restart the usual way, then a force-restart can bring it back to life. Fear not: a force-restart does not erase anything on your iPhone. From the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 12 and all models in between, here's how you can bring back a stuck iPhone with a force-restart. Force-restart an iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2nd gen), iPhone X or iPhone 8Force-restarting an iPhone released in the last four years is a three-button procedure:
Force-restart an iPhone 7Press and hold both the volume-down button and the side button until you see the Apple logo. Force-restart an iPhone 6s or iPhone SE (1st-gen)Press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the home button until you see the Apple logo. Last option: Reinstall iOSIf your iPhone is really messed up and just won't start, you may need to reinstall its operating system. To do that, connect your iPhone to your computer and start iTunes. Next, perform a force-restart of your iPhone but don't let go of the button(s) when the Apple logo appears. Instead, keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen -- the screen with the iTunes logo and Lightning connector. When you see this screen on your iPhone, you should then see a window in iTunes on your computer to Restore or Update your iPhone. Click Update and iTunes will reinstall iOS -- and will do so without erasing your settings, apps and data. If Update doesn't work, then you'll need to opt for Restore, which will erase all of your data and reinstall iOS and then prompt you to restore a backup in iTunes or iCloud that you hopefully created in the recent past. Taps on the screen go unnoticed. Panicked swipes aren't registered. Frantic button presses are ignored. When your iPhone's screen is black or frozen and not responding, a normal restart might not work for the simple reason that your iPhone has gotten itself in such a state that it fails to recognize you holding down the power and volume buttons -- or your silent prayers. If your iPhone is unresponsive and won't restart the usual way, then a force-restart can bring it back to life. Fear not: a force-restart does not erase anything on your iPhone. From the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 12 and all models in between, here's how you can bring back a stuck iPhone with a force-restart. Force-restart an iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2nd gen), iPhone X or iPhone 8Force-restarting an iPhone released in the last four years is a three-button procedure:
Force-restart an iPhone 7Press and hold both the volume-down button and the side button until you see the Apple logo. Force-restart an iPhone 6s or iPhone SE (1st-gen)Press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the home button until you see the Apple logo. Last option: Reinstall iOSIf your iPhone is really messed up and just won't start, you may need to reinstall its operating system. To do that, connect your iPhone to your computer and start iTunes. Next, perform a force-restart of your iPhone but don't let go of the button(s) when the Apple logo appears. Instead, keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen -- the screen with the iTunes logo and Lightning connector. When you see this screen on your iPhone, you should then see a window in iTunes on your computer to Restore or Update your iPhone. Click Update and iTunes will reinstall iOS -- and will do so without erasing your settings, apps and data. If Update doesn't work, then you'll need to opt for Restore, which will erase all of your data and reinstall iOS and then prompt you to restore a backup in iTunes or iCloud that you hopefully created in the recent past.
There are a few methods for how to power off an iPhone 13, or any iPhone with no Home button. You can power down your iPhone inside the iOS Settings or shut down the device using the physical buttons on your iPhone. Read on to learn how to power off your iPhone, how to perform a hard reset, and how to restart your iPhone X or later. Related: How to Open Control Center on iPhone X (& Customize It) Jump To:
How to Power Off iPhone X or Later with ButtonsAs discussed later in this article, you can shut down your iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, or iPhone 13 using the Settings app. However, the fastest method for shutting down the iPhone is using the physical buttons on the device.
How to Force Restart on the iPhone X or Later (with Buttons)We've already gone over what to do if your Apple Watch is frozen, how to restart or reset your iPhone or iPad, how to hard reset your iPad, and what to do if your Mac is frozen. For more great advice on what to do when your Apple devices glitch or freeze, check out our free Tip of the Day. This iPhone force shutdown (or force restart) method is similar to the previous method, but should only be used when your iPhone is glitching. A force restart cuts the power from the phone's battery to the hardware, allowing you to reset at a hardware level. If you have a frozen app, a blank or frozen Home screen, or are experiencing lag, then a hard reset can solve a lot of problems. Here's how to force restart an iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, or iPhone 13:
How to Turn Off iPhone X or Later without ButtonsThe physical buttons are a fast way to shut down the iPhone X or later, but there's an alternative method if you aren't able to shut down the phone using the physical buttons. With iOS 11 and later, you can shut down your iPhone from within the Settings app.
How to Turn On iPhone X or LaterOf course, eventually, you will need to restart your iPhone. Unless you perform a hard reset, you'll need to turn your iPhone back on manually. Note that whenever you power up the iPhone X or later, whether via a hard reset or by shutting down the device, you will have to enter your passcode before Face ID can function. Here's how to turn on the iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13:
I hope this helps to clear up any confusion on how to properly turn your device on and off, as well as how to perform a force restart to reset at a hardware level if your iPhone is glitching. Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox. |