How to Reset or Force Restart Your Apple Watch

There are a couple of things you can try in case your
Apple Watch

stops responding for some reasons. This guide explains what you can do if your Apple watch is misbehaving.
The first and most direct resolution is to reset your Apple Watch, which is essentially a way of turning it off and on again. This is helpful in case
an app has crashed and a
standard force quit

doesn’t troubleshoot the problem, or if the live data exchange between your iPhone and Apple Watch appears unpredictable.
Keep in mind that you can’t restart an Apple Watch while it is charging, therefore, unplug it first from the charger before trying the following steps.

How to Restart an Apple Watch

1. Press and hold the side button until the Power Off slider appears on the screen.
2. Using your finger, drag the Power Off slider.
3. After your Apple Watch has turned off, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears.

In case that didn’t troubleshoot your problem, you can give your Apple Watch a force restart. Note that this should only be used as a last option. And whatever you
do, don’t initiate a force restart if your Apple Watch is in the middle of an OS update.

How to Force Restart an Apple Watch

1. Press and hold the side button along with Digital Crown simultaneously for about 10 seconds.
2. Let go off both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

What to Do if you Forget Your Apple Watch Passcode

If you forget your Apple Watch passcode, you’ll need to erase the device and then restore from a backup. You can achieve this by opening the Watch
app on your paired iPhone: tap on My Watch tab if it’s not yet selected, tap on General -> Reset, and finally, tap on Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings
.
You can also start the erase and restore process on your Apple Watch by hooking the device to its charger and following the steps below.

1. Press and hold the side button until the Power Off screen appears.
2. Long press the Power Off slider and then release.
3. Now, tap Erase all content and settings.
4. You’ll be prompted to set up your Apple Watch all over again when the process ends. When you do, keep in mind to restore from a backup.

Restarting Other Devices

Don’t have an Apple Watch? Make sure to check out our guides on how to force restart other Apple devices, listed below:

How to Force Restart iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR

How to Force Restart or Hard Reset the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

How to Force Restart iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

How to Force Restart iPhone 6s and Previous Models and Enter DFU Mode

How to Shut Down or Force Restart 2018 iPad Pro

How to Force Restart, Enter DFU, Recovery Mode on iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Max

How To Force Restart a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro