What to do if your iPhone or iPad will not turn on

Last modified: Jan 17, 2022 8:55 AM
210 432185 Last modified Jan 17, 2022 8:55 AM

This has probably happened to everyone at some time: You press the POWER button on your iPhone - and nothing happens. Usually, this can be resolved easily. Either your battery has run down, or iOS has "crashed" and needs to be rebooted. On rare occasion the firmware has been corrupted, but let's save that for last. The following steps will usually get your phone working again in a few seconds:

  1. Unless you are absolutely certain that there is plenty of charge left on the battery, connect the phone to a wall charger for at least 15 minutes. If it was just a low battery the phone will come on by itself. If it doesn't go to step 2.
  2. Do a forced restart:
  • On an iPad Pro 11-inch or iPad Pro 12.9-inch: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Power button until the device restarts.
  • On an iPhone 8 or later (include the SE and SE 2020): Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
  • On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
  • On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.


If absolutely nothing happens after step 2. either your phone is broken, your cable is defective, or your charger has failed. Try different chargers and cables to isolate the problem. Or take all of them to an Apple store for diagnosis (make a genius bar appointment before going).


If you get an error message, or you see a picture of a USB plug and iTunes, you will need to restore your phone with iTunes. This, fortunately, is a very rare occurrence.

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