How to Restart an iPhone (All Models)

Both soft and forced restarts can solve a lot of problems quickly

What to Know

  • To restart an iPhone X and later, press and hold the Side button and Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
  • Earlier models: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button. When the power off slider appears, release Sleep/Wake.

This article explains how to quickly restart any iPhone. Need to return your phone to the condition it was in when it left the factory? Perform a factory reset instead.

How to Restart iPhone X and Later

To restart an iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12, or iPhone 11/XS/XR/X, follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Volume up works, too, but using it can accidentally take a screenshot.

    iPhone X image showing placement of buttons
  2. When the slide to power off slider appears, release the Side and Volume Down buttons.

  3. Move the slider from left to right to shut down the phone.

    A good time to clean your iPhone screen is while the device is shut down. This ensures you don't accidentally press any options or accidentally change any settings.

  4. Wait 15-30 seconds. When the iPhone is off, hold down the Side button again until the Apple logo appears. Let go of the Side button and let the phone start up.

How to Restart iPhone (All Other Models)

To restart all other iPhone models, follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button. On older models, it's on the top of the phone. On the iPhone 6 series and newer, it's on the right side.

  2. When the power off slider appears on the screen, release the Sleep/Wake button.

  3. Move the power off slider from left to right. This prompts the iPhone to shut down. A spinner displays on the screen indicating the shutdown is in progress. It may be dim and hard to see.

  4. When the phone shuts off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button.

  5. When the Apple logo appears on the screen, release the Sleep/Wake button and wait for the iPhone to finish restarting.

How to Force Restart iPhone 13, iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS/XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone SE 2

A basic soft restart solves many problems, but it doesn't solve them all. In some cases—such as when the phone is completely frozen and won't respond to pressing the Sleep/Wake button—you need to try a force restart. Neither a restart nor force restart deletes the data or settings on the iPhone, so there's nothing to worry about.

On iPhones with Face ID (the iPhone 13 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 11 series, iPhone XS/XR, or iPhone X), the iPhone 8 series, or the iPhone SE 2, follow these steps to perform a force restart:

  1. Press and release the Volume Up button.

  2. Press and release the Volume Down button.

    iPhone 8 showing placement of buttons
  3. Press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple Logo (ignore the slide to power off slider that appears) and then release it.

  4. Wait while your phone restarts.

How to Force Restart iPhone (Other Models)

A force restart, also known as a hard reset, restarts the phone and refreshes the memory that apps run in. It doesn't erase your data, but it does help the iPhone start from scratch. When you need to force restart an older iPhone model (except iPhone 7; that's in the next section), follow these steps:

  1. With the phone screen facing you, hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time.

    iPhone 6 image showing placement of buttons
  2. Continue to hold the buttons when the power off slider appears, don't release the buttons.

  3. When the Apple logo appears, release the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button.

  4. Wait while the iPhone restarts.

How to Force Restart iPhone 7 Series 

The process to restart the iPhone 7 series is slightly different. That's because the Home button isn't a physical button on these models; it's a 3D Touch panel. As a result, Apple changed how these models are force restarted. 

With the iPhone 7 series, hold the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time until you see the Apple logo and then release the buttons and wait for the phone to restart.

iPhone 7 image showing placement of buttons
FAQ
  • How do I back up my iPhone?

    To back up using iCloud, go to Settings > tap your name. Next, tap iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now. Alternatively, you can back up your phone by connecting it to a Mac.

  • How do I screen record on my iPhone?

    To create a screen recording, go to Settings > Control Center > plus sign (+) next to Screen Recording. In Control Center, tap Record and wait for countdown. When recording, the Record button turns red.

  • Why do different iPhones use different restart processes?

    Starting with the iPhone X, Apple assigned new functions to the Side button on the side of the device. That button can be used to activate Siri, bring up the Emergency SOS feature, or other tasks. Because of this change, the restart process differs from the method used on earlier models.

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