How to restart, force restart, or reset any iPhone model

Learn how to restart or force restart your iPhone — and what to do if restarting doesn’t fix the issue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• To restart an iPhone, hold down the side button and one of the volume buttons, then drag the Slide to power off slider when it appears onscreen.
• If restarting doesn’t work, you can trigger a "force restart" by pressing Volume Up, Volume Down, and then Power.
• As a last resort, you can fix almost any glitch by resetting your iPhone.

You shouldn’t have to turn off your iPhone very often. If you’re not going to use it for a few hours, it’s not worth the hassle (and minuscule battery life savings) to shut it down.

But, if you know you’re not going to use your phone for a couple of days, or on a very long international flight, and you want to save every last ounce of battery life, shutting it down can be an effective option.

And if your iPhone is so bugged that you can’t even restart it, a force restart works just as well. This method "forces" your iPhone to turn off, even if it’s frozen.

Here’s how to restart or force restart any iPhone — and what to do if restarting doesn’t fix the issue.

How to restart an iPhone

The exact steps to restart your iPhone will depend on what model you have.

Quick tip: The button we call the Power button is also sometimes called the Lock button or the Side button.

Restart an iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, or iPhone 16

1. Hold down the side button and one of the volume buttons until a set of sliders appear onscreen.
2. Drag the Slide to power off slider all the way to the right.
3. Wait about 30 seconds for your iPhone to completely power down. It may not take that long.
4. Once the screen is completely black (i.e. there’s no glow), hold the side button until you see an Apple logo.
5. Let go of the button, and wait for the homescreen to appear.

Restart an iPhone SE, iPhone 8, or earlier

1. Hold down the power button until a set of sliders appear onscreen.
2. Drag the Slide to power off slider all the way to the right.
3. Wait about 30 seconds for your iPhone to completely power down. It may not take that long.
4. Once the screen is completely black (i.e. there’s no glow), hold the power button until you see an Apple logo.
5. Let go of the button, and wait for the homescreen to appear.

How to force restart an iPhone

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.

Again, the steps will change depending on which iPhone you own.

Force restart an iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generations), iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, or iPhone 16

1. Press and release the volume-up button.
2. Press and release the volume-down button.
3. Press and hold the side button until the screen turns off and then turns back on. You can release the side button when the Apple logo appears.

Force restart an iPhone 7

Press and hold both the volume-down button and the side button until you see the Apple logo.

Force restart an iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6, or earlier

Press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the home button until you see the Apple logo.

How to reset an iPhone

If you’ve restarted and force restarted your iPhone but it’s still not working, resetting the device to its factory settings may solve the problem. For details on how to factory reset your iPhone, see this Apple support article.