How to Force Restart a Frozen iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR, by Max Dalton on YouTube. 2 min 12 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 12 s
- Time to do it
- 2 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
Steps
Find the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons on the upper left edge of your iPhone. They sit one above the other, just below the mute switch.
Press the Volume Up button once and let go. Do it quickly, then move straight on, because the timing between presses matters.
Press the Volume Down button once and release it. Both volume presses should happen within a second or two of each other.
Move to the Side button on the upper right edge of the phone. Press it down and hold it.
Keep holding when the Slide to Power Off slider appears. Do not drag the slider, just keep your finger on the Side button.
Hold for about five more seconds until the screen goes black. Keep holding even though the display looks off.
Continue holding until the Apple logo appears, usually about five seconds later, then let go of the Side button.
Wait while the phone boots back up to the lock screen. Enter your passcode as usual to get back into your apps.
Tips and common mistakes
A force restart only reboots the phone, so your photos, apps and settings stay exactly as they were.
If the screen stays black, plug the phone into a charger for 15 minutes and run the button sequence again.
Press the volume buttons in order, up then down, and keep the gap between them short or the sequence will not trigger.
A force restart is not a factory reset or recovery mode, so nothing on the phone gets erased.
Questions
Will a force restart delete my data?
No. It simply cuts the power and reboots the phone, the same as switching it off and on. Your photos, messages and settings are untouched.
What if the phone still does not respond after trying this?
Charge it for at least 15 minutes and repeat the sequence. If it stays dark, connect it to a computer and use recovery mode, or contact Apple support.
Does the same method work on newer iPhones?
Yes, the volume up, volume down, hold Side button sequence is the same on later Face ID models such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12. Phones with a Home button use different buttons.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
