An iPhone that is frozen and unresponsive happens to everyone eventually. Touch does not work. Apple logo stuck. Black screen. The fix is a force restart, and the button sequence depends on which iPhone model you have. Knowing the right sequence saves you from panicking when it happens.
Here is the complete walkthrough for every iPhone model, plus what to do when force restart does not work.
Force Restart for iPhone 8 and Newer
The button sequence for iPhone 8 and every newer model (X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) is the same. Three quick steps. Press and release Volume Up. Press and release Volume Down. Then press and hold the Side button. Keep holding until the Apple logo appears on screen. This usually takes about 10 seconds of holding.
Let go of the Side button after the Apple logo appears. The iPhone restarts normally and boots back to your lock screen. This is the most common force restart method and it works on every iPhone released since 2017.
Force Restart for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 has its own unique force restart sequence because of the way Apple removed the physical home button. Hold Volume Down and the Side button at the same time. Keep both pressed until the Apple logo appears. Let go and the iPhone restarts.
Force Restart for iPhone 6s and Older
For older iPhones with a physical Home button (iPhone 6s, 6, 5s, SE 1st generation), hold the Home button and the Side (or Top) button at the same time. Keep both pressed until the Apple logo appears. Let go and the iPhone restarts.
When Force Restart Does Not Work
Rare but possible. If force restart fails to bring iPhone back, work through these next steps in order. The most common cause is a completely drained battery.
Plug iPhone into power for 30 minutes before trying anything else. The iPhone may be completely drained and needs basic charge before it can boot. Use a different cable and charger to rule out hardware issues. Cables fail silently. Connect to a computer with iTunes (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and try force restarting while connected. The recovery mode screen may show up. If iPhone still does not respond, recovery mode is the next step.
Recovery Mode
Recovery mode lets you restore iPhone software without losing data, as long as you have a recent backup. The process requires a computer.
Connect iPhone to Mac (open Finder) or Windows PC (open iTunes). Force restart your iPhone using the right sequence for your model. Keep holding the buttons even after the Apple logo appears. The recovery mode screen shows a cable plus computer icon. In Finder or iTunes, you see options. Click Update first because it tries to fix iPhone without erasing your data. If Update fails after multiple attempts, click Restore which erases iPhone and lets you restore from backup.
When iPhone Keeps Freezing
If freezing happens often, there is usually an underlying cause worth fixing. The common culprits have specific solutions.
- Storage full. Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Keep at least 10% of storage free for iOS to work smoothly.
- A misbehaving app. Spot which app you were using when freezing started. Delete it and see if freezing stops.
- Outdated iOS. Update to the latest iOS version because point releases fix performance bugs.
- Old battery. Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If maximum capacity is below 80%, iPhone is throttling to protect the battery. Replacement helps.
- Hardware issue. If everything above fails, visit an Apple Store. Some issues are physical and need professional repair.
Difference Between Power Off and Force Restart
These two actions sound similar but do different things. Power off normally works when iPhone responds to touch. Hold Side and Volume Up until the slider appears, then slide to power off. The iPhone fully shuts down through the proper OS process.
Force restart is more aggressive. It is used when iPhone does not respond to touch. The sequence forces iPhone to reboot without going through proper shutdown. Despite sounding scary, force restart is safe and does not delete data. The difference is just that the OS does not get to gracefully save state before the reboot.
Final Thoughts
To restart a frozen iPhone, use the Volume Up, Volume Down, hold Side button sequence on any iPhone 8 or newer. Older models use Volume Down and Side or Home and Side. Force restart never deletes data. If freezing keeps happening, check storage, update iOS and look at battery health. Most freezing has a fixable cause beyond just rebooting.
If you have a tip that helped your stuck iPhone, share it in the comments.