Whether you need to conserve battery, diagnose an issue, or reset your Apple Watch, learning how to safely shut down and restart it can be a lifesaver. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the proper way to shut down your watch, force a reboot when it freezes, and unpair it when you want to start over.
Shutting Down an Apple Watch
Shutting down your Apple Watch is fast and simple — provided you know the correct steps.
Here’s how to do it:
Press and hold the side button (below the Digital Crown) until the Power Off slider shows up.
Slide the Power Off slider to shut down your Apple Watch.
If you don’t slide, your watch will stay powered on.
Pro Tip: Shutting down your watch from time to time helps maintain battery life and can even fix small glitches.
Restarting an Apple Watch
If your watch is sluggish or not working right, a restart might fix it. Here’s how:
First, ensure your watch isn’t connected to a charger (you can’t restart when charged).
Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider.
Swipe the slider to turn off power.
Once the screen is dark, press and hold the side button once more until you notice the Apple logo.
Your Apple Watch should now normally restart.
Force Restarting a Frozen Apple Watch
If your Apple Watch is frozen or not responding, you might need to force restart it (also referred to as a hard reset).
Here’s what you have to do:
Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown simultaneously.
Continue to hold down both buttons for 10–15 seconds, until you notice the Apple logo.
Let go of the buttons — your watch should reboot.
Warning: Force restart only if your watch is completely unresponsive. If you’re able to navigate menus normally, try a standard restart instead.
Unpairing an Apple Watch
Occasionally, you might need to unpair your Apple Watch — perhaps you’re replacing it with a new model or resolving a severe issue.
Unpairing your watch will delete its data, but don’t panic — your iPhone will automatically make a backup so you can restore it later.
How to unpair:
Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close to each other.
Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap the My Watch tab.
Make sure your watch isn’t paired with any transit cards — remove them if necessary.
Tap your watch name at the top, then tap Unpair Apple Watch.
Follow the instructions on screen.
Once unpaired, you can pair your Apple Watch anew or pair it with some other iPhone.
Resolving Other Non-Responsive Issues
Your Apple Watch screen turning black or acting strangely may be a software glitch or battery problem. Try the following:
Perform a hard restart (explained above).
Charge your Apple Watch completely using an authentic Apple USB power adapter.
If the screen remains black or the watch will not boot, go to an Apple Store or authorized service center — a diagnostic test or repair might be required.
Note: This is a how-to guide for informational purposes only — results will vary based on your device’s condition.
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