Smart & Connected Life > Smart Watches & Wearables How to Restart a Samsung Galaxy Watch Two ways to restart your watch if it isn’t working right By Jeremy Laukkonen Jeremy Laukkonen Facebook Twitter Writer Shoreline Community College Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles . lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 20, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart Watches & Wearables Eco Tech Electric Vehicles Working From Home Headphones & Ear Buds Smart Home Smart Watches & Wearables Travel Tech Connected Car Tech iPods & MP3 Players What to Know From the main watch face: swipe down, then tap power icon > turn off. Wait for the watch to turn off, then press and hold the home button until it turns back on.You can also press and hold the home button and back button until the watch turns off, and it will automatically restart. This article explains how to restart a Samsung Galaxy Watch. How Do I Restart My Samsung Galaxy Watch? If your Samsung Galaxy Watch is acting up, and you need to restart it, you have two options. You can turn the watch off in the power options or force a reboot using the physical watch buttons. The first method shuts the watch off, so you need to manually turn on the Samsung Galaxy Watch to complete the restarting process. The second method initiates a reboot sequence, so the watch shuts down and then restarts on its own. Here’s how to restart your Galaxy watch through the menus: Swipe down from the main watch face. Tap the power icon. Tap Turn off. To turn the watch back on, press and hold the physical Home button. Jeremy Laukkonen/Lifewire Release the Home button when the watch display turns on. How Do You Force Restart a Samsung Galaxy Watch? If your screen is frozen or the touchscreen controls aren’t working, you can also force restart your Galaxy Watch. Here’s how it works: Press and hold the physical Home button and back buttons on your watch. Try pushing and holding just the Home button if that doesn't work. Some Samsung watches, like the Galaxy Watch Active and Active 2, use this method instead. Continue holding the buttons when the power screen appears. Jeremy Laukkonen / Lifewire If your watch screen is frozen, this screen may not appear. In that case, continue holding the buttons until the screen turns black and you see a rebooting message. When the screen goes black, release the Home and back buttons, and your watch will automatically restart. Jeremy Laukkonen / Lifewire What’s the Difference Between Restarting and Resetting a Galaxy Watch? When you restart a Samsung Galaxy Watch, you essentially turn it off and turn it back on. The watch remains paired to your phone, and none of your settings or data are lost. Both methods of resetting accomplish this same task, although one requires you to turn the watch back on manually while the other reboots it automatically. Restarting a Samsung Galaxy Watch can fix many issues like sluggish performance, slow response, and a frozen display. Resetting a Galaxy Watch, also known as factory resetting, restores the watch to its factory original state. You can reset a Samsung Galaxy Watch through the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone or through the watch itself. After a reset, you need to set up your Galaxy Watch the same way you did when you first got it. Resetting a Galaxy Watch can fix some serious problems, but if you don't back up your watch before resetting it, you'll lose all of the settings and data stored on it. You'll also need to perform a reset before you can pair a Galaxy Watch to a new phone, sell it, or give it away. FAQ Can I make calls on my Samsung Galaxy Watch? Yes. On your watch, tap Phone and choose Keypad or Contacts. Tap the green Phone icon to start the call. To answer calls on your Samsung Watch, tap the left green answer button and swipe your finger to the center of the screen. How do I charge my Samsung Galaxy Watch without the charger? To charge your Samsung Galaxy Watch without the charger, place it on any compatible Qi charging station or a Galaxy Phone that supports PowerShare. Carefully monitor the device to make sure it doesn't get too hot. How do I connect my Samsung Galaxy Watch to my phone? To connect a Samsung Galaxy Watch to your phone, you must reset the watch and then set it up using the app on your new phone. A Samsung Watch can only be connected to one phone at a time. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit