How to Restart, Force Restart and Factory Reset Your iPhone (Every Model)

iPhone frozen, stuck on the Apple logo, or just acting strange? Start with the gentlest fix and work down this page. The first two steps never delete anything.

1. Restart your iPhone (normal)

iPhone X and later (Face ID): press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider, wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
iPhone with a Home button (iPhone SE, 8 and earlier): press and hold the side (or top) button until the slider appears, drag it, then hold the side button again to turn it on.
Any iPhone: Settings → General → Shut Down.

2. Force restart (frozen or black screen)

Use this when the screen won’t respond. It does not delete anything.

Your iPhone	Steps
iPhone 8 and later (incl. all Face ID models and iPhone SE 2nd/3rd gen)	1. Quickly press and release Volume Up. 2. Quickly press and release Volume Down. 3. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears (can take more than 10 seconds).
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus	Press and hold Volume Down + side button together until the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 6s, SE (1st gen) and earlier	Press and hold Home + side (or top) button together until the Apple logo appears.

3. Factory reset (erase everything)

Before you start: back up to iCloud or a computer. Know your Apple ID password and your passcode. A factory reset will not fix a cracked screen, battery or water damage.

If your iPhone works normally: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your passcode or Apple Account password when asked. Use this method if you’re selling or trading in your iPhone.

If your iPhone won’t start or you forgot the passcode: connect it to a Mac (Finder) or a Windows PC (Apple Devices app), put the iPhone into recovery mode and choose Restore. Allow up to an hour. On newer iOS versions you may also see an “Erase All Content and Settings” option on the iOS Recovery screen.

When to stop and come in

It won’t turn on after a force restart and 30 minutes on the charger.
It rings or vibrates but the screen stays black (usually a screen problem).
It keeps restarting by itself, gets hot, or the screen is lifting (possible swollen battery).
It got wet. Don’t keep trying to turn it on.

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Other guides: All restart & reset guides · iPad · Samsung Galaxy · Google Pixel · Motorola · OnePlus

Source: Apple Support: Force restart iPhone · Apple Support: Erase iPhone · Apple Support: Restore with a computer

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