How to restart your Apple Watch if you have watchOS 9
- If your Apple Watch is charging, take it off the charger.
- Press and hold the side button until the power button
appears in the top right-hand corner of the display.
- Tap the power button.
- Drag the Power Off slider.
- After your watch has turned off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.
How to restart your Apple Watch if you have watchOS 8 or earlier
- If your Apple Watch is charging, take it off the charger.
- Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider.
- Drag the Power Off slider.
- After your watch has turned off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.
Force-restart your Apple Watch
You should force-restart your Apple Watch as a last resort and only if it's not responding.
Don't force-restart your Apple Watch if you're updating watchOS. When you see the Apple logo and progress wheel, leave your watch alone and on its charger until the update has finished.
To force-restart your Apple Watch, press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, then release both buttons when you see the Apple logo.