To perform a hard reset (force restart) on an iPhone, the exact button sequence depends on your iPhone model:
For iPhone 8 and later (including iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16):
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side (Power) button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- Release the Side button when the Apple logo shows up.
This process forces the iPhone to shut down and reboot without deleting any data
For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus:
- Press and hold the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) button.
- Keep holding both buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.
- Release both buttons when the logo appears.
This also force restarts the device without data loss
For iPhone 6s and earlier:
- Press and hold the Home button.
- While holding the Home button, press and hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) button.
- Continue holding both buttons until the Apple logo appears.
- Release both buttons when the logo appears.
This method force restarts older iPhones safely
Notes:
- A hard reset is used to fix unresponsive or frozen iPhones by shutting down and restarting the software.
- It does not erase your data.
- If the screen shows "slide to power off," keep holding the Side button until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.
- If Siri activates instead of restarting, try pressing the volume buttons more quickly in sequence
This is Apple's recommended troubleshooting step for software issues on iPhones
