{"id":76652,"date":"2026-06-03T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/?p=76652"},"modified":"2026-06-03T13:52:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:52:00","slug":"the-ultimate-guide-to-restarting-any-iphone-even-if-its-frozen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-restarting-any-iphone-even-if-its-frozen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Restarting Any iPhone (Even If It\u2019s Frozen)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Have you ever noticed your iPhone acting sluggish, apps freezing, or the screen refusing to respond? Before you panic or schedule an expensive repair appointment, there is a simple troubleshooting step that fixes most minor software glitches: a restart.<\/div>\n
While restarting a smartphone sounds simple, Apple has changed the button combinations multiple times over the years. This guide breaks down exactly how to restart and force restart every single iPhone model, plus a few clever tricks if your physical buttons are broken.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Method 1: The Standard Restart (For Normal Use)<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Use this method if your iPhone is working fine but just needs a quick refresh to clear its temporary memory.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and newer)<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Press and hold the Side button<\/strong> and either Volume button<\/strong> simultaneously.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Release the buttons when the \u201cslide to power off\u201d<\/strong> slider appears on the screen.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Drag the slider to the right and wait 30 seconds<\/strong> for the device to completely shut down.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. To turn it back on, press and hold the Side button<\/strong> until the Apple logo appears.<\/span><\/li>\n

    <\/ol>\n

    <\/div>\n
    For iPhones with a Home Button (iPhone 6, 7, 8, and SE generations)<\/strong><\/div>\n
      \n
    1. Press and hold the Side button<\/strong> (or the Top button<\/strong> on older models like the iPhone 5 or SE 1st Gen) until the power off slider appears.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Drag the slider to the right and wait 30 seconds<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Press and hold the Side (or Top) button<\/strong> again until you see the Apple logo to power it back up.<\/span><\/li>\n

      <\/ol>\n

      <\/div>\n
      Method 2: The Force Restart (For Frozen Screens)<\/strong><\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      If your screen is completely black, frozen, or won\u2019t respond to your touch, a standard restart won\u2019t work. You need to force-reboot the hardware. Note:<\/strong> This will not delete your data; it simply cuts the power safely and forces a reboot.<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      For iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd\/3rd Gen), and all Face ID models<\/div>\n
      You must perform this sequence quickly, without pausing between steps:<\/div>\n
        \n
      1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up<\/strong> button.<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down<\/strong> button.<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. Press and hold the Side button<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. Keep holding the Side button even when the screen goes black. Do not let go<\/strong> until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen (this can take up to 15 seconds).<\/span><\/li>\n

        <\/ol>\n

        <\/div>\n
        For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus<\/strong><\/div>\n
          \n
        1. Press and hold both the Volume Down<\/strong> button and the Sleep\/Wake (Side) button<\/strong> at the same time.<\/span><\/li>\n
        2. Keep holding both buttons until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.<\/span><\/li>\n

          <\/ol>\n

          <\/div>\n
          For iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st Gen), and older models<\/strong><\/div>\n
            \n
          1. Press and hold both the Home button<\/strong> and the Top (or Side) button<\/strong> at the same time.<\/span><\/li>\n
          2. Release both buttons only when the Apple logo lights up on the screen.<\/span><\/li>\n

            <\/ol>\n

            <\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            Method 3: How to Restart Without Using Physical Buttons<\/strong><\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            What happens if your volume buttons are jammed or your power button is broken? Apple has built software workarounds directly into iOS so you never get stranded.<\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            Option A: The Settings Menu Shutdown<\/strong><\/div>\n
              \n
            1. Open the Settings<\/strong> app.<\/span><\/li>\n
            2. Tap General<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
            3. Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Shut Down<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
            4. Drag the slider to turn off the phone.
              (Tip: To turn it back on without a working power button, simply plug your iPhone into a charging cable connected to power).<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n

              <\/ol>\n

              <\/div>\n
              Option B: The AssistiveTouch Virtual Button<\/strong><\/div>\n
              <\/div>\n
              If you want a true one-tap restart capability on your screen:<\/div>\n
                \n
              1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
              2. Tap AssistiveTouch<\/strong> and toggle it ON<\/strong>. A gray floating circle will appear on your screen.<\/span><\/li>\n
              3. Tap the floating circle, then select Device > More<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
              4. Tap Restart<\/strong> and confirm. Your phone will shut down and reboot automatically.<\/span><\/li>\n

                <\/ol>\n

                <\/div>\n
                Summary Checklist: When to Use Which Method<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  \n
                • Phone is laggy\/slow:<\/strong> Use Method 1 (Standard Restart).<\/span><\/li>\n
                • Screen is frozen\/black:<\/strong> Use Method 2 (Force Restart).<\/span><\/li>\n
                • Physical buttons are broken:<\/strong> Use Method 3 (Software Settings\/AssistiveTouch).<\/span><\/li>\n

                  <\/ul>\n

                  Regularly restarting your iPhone\u2014about once a week\u2014is an excellent habit. It flushes out fragmented memory, closes runaway background processes, and keeps your battery operating efficiently.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Have you ever noticed your iPhone acting sluggish, apps freezing, or the screen refusing to respond? Before you panic or schedule an expensive repair appointment, there is a simple troubleshooting step that fixes most minor software glitches: a restart. While restarting a smartphone sounds simple, Apple has changed the button combinations multiple times over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":226,"featured_media":76653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76654,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76652\/revisions\/76654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tremhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}