Apple Watch Not Charging? Causes and Fixes
By Suraj Giri, reviewed by Suraj Giri on
Published . 6 min read.
Apple's checks for an Apple Watch that won't charge cover the cable, the plugs, plastic wrap and dirt, alignment on the magnets, and a battery too drained to show the lightning bolt yet. The fixes below work through them and end with a force restart. For other faults, start at Apple Watch not working; for other brands, see smartwatch not charging.
Why Your Apple Watch Isn't Charging
An Apple Watch that isn't charging, or is plugged in but not charging, has one of seven causes, listed in the same order as the fixes:
- The wrong cable, instead of the Apple magnetic charging cable that came with the watch.
- A loose plug: the cable isn't all the way into the adapter, or the adapter isn't all the way into the outlet.
- Plastic wrap left on the charger, or a dirty watch back or charger.
- A watch that isn't aligned with the charger's magnets.
- A faulty cable or power adapter.
- A fully drained battery, or a watch that needs a force restart: a flat watch can need up to 30 minutes before the lightning bolt appears, and Apple's last step is a force restart.
- A charge that stops short of full on purpose: Optimized Battery Charging can delay charging past 80%, and Optimized Charge Limit may stop below 100% on some days.
The first six are faults to fix; the seventh is a setting, covered further down.
How to Fix an Apple Watch That Won't Charge
Work through these six fixes in order, with the force restart last; if you've never set up charging before, first see how to charge an Apple Watch.
Fix 1: Use Apple's Magnetic Charging Cable
Use the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable or Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charging USB-C Cable that came with your watch. Apple says the charger in the box gives the fastest charging speed for your model. A WPT-compliant charger bought in China or Indonesia won't charge an incompatible Apple Watch; you get the message "Unable to charge. This is a country-specific charger. It is incompatible with this Apple Watch."
Fix 2: Plug Everything In All the Way
Push both plugs in fully:
- Plug the charging cable all the way into the USB power adapter.
- Plug the adapter all the way into a power outlet.
Apple says the charging cable also works plugged into a USB port.
Fix 3: Remove Plastic Wrap and Clean the Contacts
Completely remove any plastic wrap from both sides of the charger, then make sure the back of the watch and the magnetic charger are clean. To clean the watch, Apple says to turn it off, take it off the charger and wipe it with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth, lightly dampened with fresh water if needed, then dry it, including the back crystal. Don't use soap, cleaning products, compressed air or heat. Apple's cleaning page gives no steps for the charger itself.
Fix 4: Reposition the Watch on the Charger
Lift the watch and set its back on the charger again. When the charger's magnets align correctly with the watch, a lightning bolt should appear on the watch face. With a 44mm, 45mm or 49mm watch on the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock or MagSafe Duo Charger, tilt the charger to a different angle or lay it flat. If an Apple Watch Ultra still won't connect reliably, take its band off first.
Fix 5: Try Another Cable, Adapter or Outlet
Try a different Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable, and a different USB power adapter. If the watch charges with the second set, the first cable or adapter is the fault. Apple's page names the cable and the adapter but not the outlet; to rule out the wall socket, plug the cable into a USB port instead.
Fix 6 (Last): Wait Up to 30 Minutes, Then Force Restart
A fully drained Apple Watch needs time before it shows it's charging, so wait before you restart it:
- Leave the watch on its charger. If it's out of power, Apple says you might need to wait up to 30 minutes for the lightning bolt to appear.
- If it still won't charge, force it to restart: press and hold the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears.
The force restart is the last fix on Apple's charging list, which doesn't include a step to factory reset an Apple Watch. If the watch asks for a passcode you've forgotten when it starts up, follow How to reset an Apple Watch without the passcode.
Charging Problems by Model and Setting
Two charging behaviors depend on your model and settings: a charge that pauses at 80%, and fast charging.
Apple Watch Won't Charge Past 80% (or to 100%)
An Apple Watch that stops at 80%, or short of 100%, is Optimized Battery Charging or Optimized Charge Limit at work, not a fault. Optimized Battery Charging is on by default and delays charging past 80% in certain situations, holding the battery between 75% and 80% when it predicts a long stay on the charger. Optimized Charge Limit (Apple Watch SE and later, Series 6 and later, and Ultra and later, with watchOS 10 or later) may charge to 100% on some days and less on others. To charge to full now:
- Keep the watch connected to its charger.
- Tap the watch to show the charging screen, then tap the circle with the green or yellow charging icon.
- Tap Charge to Full Now.
To turn either feature off, open Settings › Battery › Battery Health on the watch, turn off Optimized Battery Charging or Optimized Charge Limit, then choose Turn Off Until Tomorrow or Turn Off. On Series 9 or later and any Apple Watch Ultra, Optimized Battery Charging is always on, and Apple says turning off Optimized Charge Limit can increase wear on the battery. Low Power Mode also turns off by itself once the watch charges above 80 percent.
Fast Charging Cable and Series 7 or Later
Fast charging works on Apple Watch Series 7 and later, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra and later. It needs the Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable and an Apple 18W, 20W, 29W, 30W, 35W, 61W, 87W, 96W or 140W USB-C Power Adapter. A comparable third-party USB-C adapter that supports USB Power Delivery of 5W or greater also qualifies. WPT-compliant chargers don't fast charge, and fast charging might not work when it's too cold or too hot. Apple's fast-charge page doesn't say how older models behave on the fast cable.
Still not working?
Work through the next steps in this order:
- Try the next fix: if the screen stays dark on the charger, see Apple Watch not turning on.
- Reset your Apple Watch: How to Restart or Factory Reset an Apple Watch (you'll need to pair it again afterwards).
- Contact Apple Support: support.apple.com/watch.
- Check repair or warranty options: replace an Apple Watch battery.
Started after an update? Check the Update Tracker for known issues.
Related Problems
Four problems sit next to a charging fault, and each has its own page.
Apple Watch Charges but Won't Hold a Charge
A watch that charges fully but empties too fast has a battery drain problem, not a charging one. Apple's drain fixes include keeping the watch near its iPhone, using Wi-Fi instead of cellular when you can, and Low Power Mode; Apple Watch battery drain walks through them.
Why is my Apple Watch showing a red lightning bolt?
A red lightning bolt means the watch doesn't have enough battery power to turn on; on the charging cable it becomes a red lightning bolt inside a ring. Keep it charging, and if it seems stuck, see Apple Watch stuck on the red lightning bolt.
How do I revive a dead Apple Watch?
Leave it on the Apple magnetic charger for up to 30 minutes, because a fully drained watch can need that long before the lightning bolt appears, then force restart it if nothing changes. Apple Watch Won't Turn On covers a screen that stays blank after that.
How do you know if your Apple Watch battery is bad?
Look at Maximum Capacity: on the watch, open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Health. The percentage is the battery's capacity relative to when it was new. A Battery Needs Service message on the same screen is Apple's cue to contact Apple Support, and Apple Watch Battery Replacement covers the service routes.