Smart & Connected Life Smart Watches & Wearables How to Turn off Your Apple Watch Step-by-step instructions for powering off your Apple Watch by Amanda Derrick Freelance Contributor Amanda Derrick is a mechanical engineer, business strategist, and former Lifewire writer who has also written for USAF Civil Service, ATK, and Boeing. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Amanda Derrick Updated on December 02, 2020 Smart Watches & Wearables Working From Home Headphones & Ear Buds Smart Home Smart Watches & Wearables Travel Tech Connected Car Tech iPods & MP3 Players Tweet Share Email Apple Watches are in constant motion, with its users draining every ounce of battery life to track steps, use apps, get notifications and alerts, make calls, and more. Still, there are times you may want to power down your favorite wearable. Here's how to power off your Apple Watch. These instructions will work for any generation of Apple Watch. Chris McGrath / Getty Images Power off Your Apple Watch There are only a few steps involved when you're powering down your Apple Watch. Hold down the side button until the Power Off slider appears. Depending on your Apple Watch version, you may also see an Emergency SOS or Medical ID option. Make sure not to tap these unless you're experiencing an emergency. Drag the slider to the right to Power Off your Apple Watch. To turn the watch on again, hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears. This process won't work if your phone is actively charging. Force Restart an Apple Watch If your Apple Watch isn't responding, you may need to force it to restart before you power it down. This is also a troubleshooting step to try if your device isn't charging when placed on the magnetic charger. Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds. Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo, which means the device is restarting. You should now be able to power down the device. Apple warns that you should never force restart your device when it's in the middle of an update. If the Apple Watch is updating, you'll see the Apple logo and progress wheel. Wait for an update to finish before powering off or restarting your Apple Watch. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit