How to restart an Apple Watch

Restarting your Apple Watch isn’t difficult but it can get frustrating if the watch has crashed or is otherwise not responding. Here are the best ways to restart and restore your Apple watch.

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Why would you restart an Apple Watch?

Restarting an Apple watch doesn’t erase the data or settings but places the watch in a state that lets you use it again. Apple Watches rarely crash but when they do your best bet is to first restart it and then, if all else fails, restore it to factory settings.

Why would you restore an Apple Watch?

Restoring an Apple Watch wipes the data and settings and places the watch back into its original mode. This lets you sell the watch or give it away because it will be disconnected from your phone completely. If your watch is acting up – crashing often or performing poorly – you may want to try a factory reset before contacting Apple Support.

How to restart

To restart an Apple Watch, you can follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the Power Off slider appears on the screen.
2. Drag the Power Off slider to the right to turn off your Apple Watch.
3. After your Apple Watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
4. Release the side button when the Apple logo appears, and your Apple Watch will restart.

How to restart from the Settings menu

Alternatively, you can also restart your Apple Watch from the settings menu:

1. On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on General.
3. Scroll down again and tap on the “Shut Down” option.
4. Swipe the “Power Off” slider to the right.
5. After your Apple Watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
6. Release the side button when the Apple logo appears, and your Apple Watch will restart.

How to factory reset an Apple Watch

To factory reset an Apple Watch, you can follow these steps:

1. On your Apple Watch, go to the Home screen by pressing the Digital Crown.
2. Tap on the “Settings” app.
3. Scroll down and tap on “General.”
4. Scroll down again and tap on “Reset.”
5. Tap on “Erase All Content and Settings.”
6. If prompted, enter your passcode to confirm.
7. Tap on “Erase All” to confirm that you want to erase your Apple Watch and restore it to its factory settings.

Note that this process will erase all data and settings from your Apple Watch, including any apps, music, photos, and messages. Once the process is complete, your Apple Watch will be restored to its original factory settings, as if it were new.

After the reset, you’ll need to set up your Apple Watch again as if it were a new device. You can do this by following the on-screen prompts that appear after the reset is complete.

How to force a factory reset

To force a factory reset on an Apple Watch, you can follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the side button and Digital Crown simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Keep holding both buttons even after the logo appears.
2. Release both buttons when you see the “Erase all content and settings” option on the screen.
3. Tap on “Erase all content and settings” to confirm that you want to erase your Apple Watch and restore it to its factory settings.

Note that this process will erase all data and settings from your Apple Watch, including any apps, music, photos, and messages. Once the process is complete, your Apple Watch will be restored to its original factory settings, as if it were new.

After the reset, you’ll need to set up your Apple Watch again as if it were a new device. You can do this by following the on-screen prompts that appear after the reset is complete.

Please note that this method should only be used as a last resort when other methods of resetting your Apple Watch have failed or are not working correctly. It is always recommended to back up your data before performing a factory reset.

Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash