How to Turn Off and Restart an Apple Watch

How to Turn Off an Apple Watch

To turn off an Apple Watch, hold the side button until the sliders appear, then tap the Power button and drag Power Off:

1. If the watch is charging, take it off the charger.
2. Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.
3. Tap the Power button at the top right, then drag the Power Off slider to the right.

The sliders screen also shows Medical ID, Compass Backtrack and Emergency Call. The Power Off slider appears after you tap the Power button.

How to Turn an Apple Watch Back On

To turn an Apple Watch back on, hold the side button until the Apple logo appears:

1. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

The watch face appears once the watch is on. If it won't turn on, it may need charging: Apple Watch Won't Turn On covers the charger checks first.

How to Restart an Apple Watch and Its iPhone

Apple's advice when something isn't working right is to restart the Apple Watch and its paired iPhone:

1. Turn off the Apple Watch: hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap the Power button, then drag Power Off to the right.
2. Turn off the iPhone. On models with Face ID, press and hold the side button and a volume button, then drag the slider. On models without Face ID, hold the side or top button until the slider appears, then drag it. Any iPhone can also shut down from Settings › General › Shut Down.
3. Turn both back on. Hold the watch's side button until the Apple logo appears, then hold the iPhone's side or top button until its Apple logo appears.

How to Force Restart an Apple Watch

To force restart an Apple Watch, hold the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least 10 seconds. Apple says to do this only if you're unable to restart the watch the normal way, for example when it won't turn off or the problem continues:

1. Press and hold the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time.
2. Keep holding both for at least 10 seconds.
3. Release them when the Apple logo appears.

The screen turns black before the logo returns, and the watch may take a few moments to restart.

How to Check the Restart Worked

A restart worked when the watch face is back and the watch is connected to your iPhone again:

• The watch face appears after the Apple logo.
• In Control Center (press the side button), the green iPhone icon shows. A red iPhone icon or a red X means the watch and iPhone aren't connected.
• Notifications, messages and calls reach the watch again.

Restart vs Reset: Which One Do You Need?

You need a restart first: it switches the watch off and on. A reset (Erase All Content and Settings, or unpairing) erases the watch and restores factory settings, so you pair it again afterwards.

Action	What it does	Your data	When to use it
Restart	Turns the watch off, then on again	No erase step in Apple's restart	When something isn't working right
Reset (erase or unpair)	Erases the watch and restores factory settings	Erased; unpairing with your iPhone makes a backup of the watch first	After a normal and a force restart haven't helped, or before you sell the watch

The erase and unpair steps are in How to Restart or Factory Reset an Apple Watch.

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If Restarting Doesn't Fix It

If the watch still shows the red iPhone icon after you restart both devices, the problem is the link to your iPhone, and the next guide is Apple Watch won't connect to your phone. A watch that won't power off at all may need the force restart above; Apple Watch Won't Turn Off has the rest. A reset comes last because it erases the watch. Owners of other brands can use How to Reset Any Smartwatch.

Apple Watch Keeps Restarting on Its Own?

One restart on its own is expected: when a watchOS update finishes installing, the watch restarts by itself. The Apple support pages we checked don't list a cause for other random restarts. If the watch stops responding or stays on the Apple logo, Apple's order is to force restart it, then unpair and pair it again, then check for a software update. Our tracker lists the current watchOS version for Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Restart: Quick Answers

Can you restart an Apple Watch while it's charging?

No. Apple's restart guide says you can't restart an Apple Watch while it's charging. Lift it off the charger, hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap the Power button and drag Power Off, then turn it back on with the side button.

How do you revive a dead Apple Watch?

Leave it on its charger for up to 30 minutes, because a flat watch may need that long before it turns on. If it still won't charge, force restart it with the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds. Apple Watch Won't Turn On lists the charger checks.

How do you reset an unresponsive Apple Watch?

Force restart it first: hold the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears. If it still won't respond, Apple's next step is to unpair it and pair it again, which erases the watch; Apple Watch Won't Turn Off walks through that order.