How to Turn Apple Watch Off & On

Learn how to turn off Apple Watch and turn it back on again to restart the watch or to preserve the battery in an emergency.

By Olena Kagui Updated 01/31/2023

Turning off your Apple Watch can preserve your battery in an emergency or help you take a break from technology. Once you turn it off, you will need to know how to power on Apple Watch so that you can use it again. Turning the watch off and on restarts your Apple Watch and can help troubleshoot issues.

How to Shut Off Apple Watch

Press and hold the Side button.
A screen will show up with the option call for help via SOS Emergency or turn off your Apple Watch. If you have it activated, you may also see Apple ID on this screen.
Swipe right to Power Off your watch.

How to Turn On Apple Watch

Press and hold the Side button.
Release the Side button when the Apple icon shows up.

Now you know how to shut down Apple Watch and turn it back on again. This can be done to do a soft restart on your watch and fix some software glitches. Turning the watch off can also help preserve your battery or give you a break from technology. Also, learn what to do if you forget your Apple Watch passcode.

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics

How-To

Apple Watch

Did you like this tip

Author Details

Olena Kagui

Olena Kagui is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life who lives in Hawaii. With a BA in International Relations from Anglo American University, Olena traveled the world. She has lived in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, China, and the USA. Olena won an excellence award for a controversial article, got a grant to blog from a war-zone, and published a short fictional story. She hopes to publish a full-length novel and continue writing up a storm on her blog The Travel Bug Bite! When she’s not typing or flying, she is loving on animals, crafting bizarre creations, and devouring all-you-can-eat sushi.

Article Spotlight

New Podcast: Apple Spring Buyer’s Guide 2023, Yellow iPhone 14 & Apps for Learning Guitar

You may know iPhone Life for the magazine and website that help anyone master their Apple devices. But did you know about the monthly podcasts that you can enjoy on the go? The iPhone Life Podcast covers apps, gear, and how-tos. The hosts are CEO and Publisher David Averbach and Editor in Chief Donna Cleveland. Needless to say, they are pros on all things Apple. Tune in to benefit from all their valuable tips; subscribe to the podcast today!

Featured Products

Master 2023 with this Calendar App for Easy Organization

Informant 5 can help you meet all your 2023 organizational goals! Try it for free and experience a productivity boost by managing projects with tasks and notes, syncing your calendar among all your devices, enjoying a user-friendly 30-day calendar view, and so much more. Informant 5 features SmartBar navigation which makes it so much easier to use and master this calendar app. Plus, you can use it almost anywhere thanks to Dark Mode. With a dark background, you can check in on your tasks and schedule anywhere, even the movie theater. Upgrade to the best calendar app and task manager for iOS! Embrace the "out with the old, in with the new" spirit with Informant 5.

Run Your Business Smarter with Remote Device Management

Effortlessly set up and manage all of your Apple devices with Jamf Now! This cloud-based device management software allows you to remotely configure the devices your team uses on a daily basis (such as iPads, iPhones, Mac computers, and more), giving you the ability to set up new equipment, add apps, manage security features, and much more. With Jamf Now, one person can do in a day what a small team of people could do in a week. Start with three devices for free and add more for just $2 per device, paid monthly.