Hard Reset Your iPhone

A hard reset forces your iPhone to turn off abruptly and turn back on immediately. It’s kind of like turning a desktop computer off by pulling the cord out of the wall.

Even though it’s not always a good idea to do, a hard reset is a go-to move for Apple technicians, especially when an iPhone is unresponsive. It’s the iPhone equivalent of the tried and true repair method of “unplug it and plug it back in.”

1. Press and hold the power button and the volume down button together until the screen goes blank and the Apple logo appears on the screen.
2. When the Apple logo reappears, let go of both buttons.
3. When your iPhone turns back on, the hard reset is complete.

Hard Reset On iPhone X or Newer

Hard reseting an iPhone X is slightly different than other models of the iPhone.

1. Quickly press the volume up button.
2. Quickly press the volume down button.
3. Press and hold down the Side button.
4. Release the Side button when the Apple logo appears on the center of the screen.

Why this works:

A hard reset is usually a temporary solution to a software problem. It doesn’t change anything at all — it just forces your iPhone to start from scratch, and often times the problem comes back.

Pro tip:

• Don’t give up too soon if nothing happens! Hold both buttons down for at least 20 seconds before you give up. A few extra seconds here could save you a trip to the Apple Store.
• You should only do a hard reset when absolutely necessary, because software corruption problems can occur when a hard reset occurs while the iPhone is doing something important, like saving a file.
• In Apple jargon, the power button is also know as the Sleep / Wake button.
• Make sure you’re holding the volume down button — holding the volume up button won’t hard reset your iPhone!