How to Turn Apple Watch Off & On

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.

Related: When & How to Reset Your Apple Watch with a Restart or Force Restart

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How to Shut Off Apple Watch 

  1. Press and hold the Side button.

    Press and hold the Side button.
     
  2. 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.

    A screen will show up with the option call for help via SOS Emergency or turn off your Apple Watch.
     
  3. Swipe right to Power Off your watch.

    Swipe right to Power Off your watch.

How to Turn On Apple Watch

  1. Press and hold the Side button.

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

    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.

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Author Details

Olena Kagui's picture

Author Details

Olena Kagui

Olena Kagui is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life. In the last 10 years, she has been published in dozens of publications internationally and won an excellence award. Since joining iPhone Life in 2020, she has written how-to articles as well as complex guides about Apple products, software, and apps. Olena grew up using Macs and exploring all the latest tech. Her Maui home is the epitome of an Apple ecosystem, full of compatible smart gear to boot. Olena’s favorite device is the Apple Watch Ultra because it can survive all her adventures and travels, and even her furbabies.