I'll be completely honest with you. I didn't know there was a difference between a regular restart and a force restart until about two years ago. I always thought turning your phone off and back on was just... turning your phone off and back on. Turns out there's actually a pretty important distinction, and knowing how to force restart your iPhone can save you from a lot of panic when your screen suddenly freezes and stops responding to anything.
Let me tell you what happened to me. I was in the middle of editing some photos, switching between apps pretty quickly, and my iPhone just... stopped. The screen was on, I could see everything, but nothing I touched did anything. Couldn't swipe, couldn't tap, couldn't even get to the power off slider. I sat there for probably five minutes just pressing buttons randomly hoping something would happen. Spoiler alert: nothing happened.
Eventually I googled it on my laptop and learned about force restarting. Took me about ten seconds once I knew what to do, and my phone came back to life like nothing had ever happened. Would've been nice to know that trick beforehand though.
So What's the Difference Anyway?
A normal restart is what you do when you hold the side button and drag that "slide to power off" slider. Your iPhone goes through its normal shutdown process, closes all your apps properly, saves whatever needs to be saved, and turns off gracefully. It's like asking someone politely to leave the room.
A force restart is different. It's a hardware-level command that cuts the power and forces the phone to reboot immediately. It doesn't ask the software for permission first. It's like physically picking someone up and throwing them out of the room. You only do it when the polite way isn't working.
Will I Lose Data?
No. A force restart does not delete any data on your iPhone. It's completely safe to do when your phone is frozen. It just forces the operating system to reboot.
How to Force Restart (The Method Depends on Your iPhone)
This is where it gets a little confusing, because Apple has changed the button combination a few times over the years. You need to use the right method for your specific model. I've broken it down by iPhone type below.
iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X and Newer)
This includes the new iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, XS, XR, and the original iPhone X. Basically any iPhone that doesn't have a Home button (except the newer SE models). This is a three-step process that you have to do kind of quickly.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button (the power button on the right) and keep holding it.
- Don't let go when you see the "slide to power off" screen. Keep holding until the screen goes black and you see the Apple logo appear. Then let go.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
These models are a bit unique. They have a Home button, but it's not a mechanical button that actually clicks, so Apple had to use a different combination.
- Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Side button (power button) at the exact same time.
- Keep holding both buttons down until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen. Then release them.
iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st Gen), and Older
If you're rocking one of these classics with a physical, clicking Home button, the method is pretty straightforward.
- Press and hold both the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button (power button on the side or top) at the same time.
- Keep holding until you see the Apple logo appear. Then let go.
When Should You Use This?
Like I said, this isn't for everyday use. You should only force restart your iPhone if:
- Your screen is completely frozen and won't respond to touches.
- Your screen is stuck being black or white, but you know the phone is on (maybe it still vibrates or rings).
- Your phone is stuck in a boot loop (showing the Apple logo over and over but never fully turning on).
- An app has completely locked up the phone and you can't even exit to the Home screen.
What If It Happens A Lot?
A one-off freeze isn't usually a big deal. Computers get confused sometimes. But if you find yourself needing to force restart your iPhone constantly—like multiple times a week—that's a sign something bigger is wrong.
It could be a specific app that's poorly written and causing crashes. It could be that your iPhone's storage is completely full (phones hate that). It could be a software issue that a full iOS reinstall might fix. Could be failing hardware. Whatever it is, frequent force restarts aren't normal and you should look into the underlying cause.
The Bottom Line
Force restart is one of those things you hopefully won't need to use very often, but when you need it, you really need it. There's nothing more frustrating than staring at a frozen screen and not knowing how to fix it.
Now you know the methods for every iPhone model. The newer ones with that Volume Up, Volume Down, then hold Side Button sequence. The iPhone 7 with Volume Down plus Side Button together. The older ones with Home Button plus Sleep/Wake together.
Hopefully your iPhone behaves itself and you never need to use this. But if you do, at least now you know what to do. Good luck out there.