How to Restart Apple Watch

Apple Watch not working properly? Restart it!

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by Tyler Hayes
Tyler Hayes is a tech writer covering Apple, Google, Spotify, and more. Tyler has written for Fast Company, Digital Trends, and Paste, and others.
Updated December 02, 2018

The Apple Watch is meant to always be on; you go from wearing it on your wrist to charging it, then back to your wrist. There are times when it's beneficial to reboot an Apple Watch, though.

There is no “restart” button or switch for Apple Watch. Instead, you'll need to turn it off, then back on again.

How to Power Down and Turn off Your Apple Watch 

  1. Press and hold the Apple Watch’s side button, found below the Digital Crown, until you see three choices.

  2. Swipe POWER OFF.

  3. The Apple Watch will turn off when the animation disappears.

How to Turn on Apple Watch

  1. Press and hold the Apple Watch’s side button.

  2. Release the side button when the Apple logo appears.

  3. Manually unlock the watch by entering in your pin code, provided you have one.

Why You Should Restart Apple Watch

Turning off or restarting an Apple Watch isn't needed on a regular basis. In fact, if everything is performing as intended, you might never need to reboot the Apple Watch. If something isn't working correctly, however, a quick restart can easily clear up some common issues.

Restarting an Apple Watch can help with the following problems:

  • Apps are slow to launch or don’t launch at all.
  • An app appears to be installed, but isn’t appearing.
  • A complication is missing from the watch face.
  • The battery is depleting much faster than normal, or faster than expected.

Restart Apple Watch vs Reset Apple Watch

Restarting an Apple Watch is different than resetting it. Resetting an Apple Watch will erase all the watch's content and return it to factory settings.

If you're getting rid of an Apple Watch and need to erase all the data, you'll want to reset it. You might also need to reset it if there are larger problems occurring. However, a simple restart can alleviate most of the random issues that occasionally crop up from.