Your Apple Watch screen is black, and pressing a button brings no response. The next step depends on whether the battery is depleted, charging has failed, or the watch is running with its display hidden. Start with the power and charging checks below, then follow the fix that matches what appears on your screen.
Try turning it on with the side button
Hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Wait for the watch face.
If the display stays black, tap it to check whether the watch is asleep. Raising your wrist or pressing or rotating the Digital Crown also wakes a powered-on watch. If neither the side button nor a wake action brings the screen to life, connect the watch to its charger next.
Give a depleted battery time to charge
If the watch is overheated or shows a red thermometer, remove it from your wrist and charger. Move it somewhere cooler. Wait for it to cool before wearing or charging it again. Apple says the watch turns back on after cooling.
Plug a USB power adapter into an outlet. Connect the supplied Apple Watch charging cable to the adapter. Place the watch on the charger.
Leave it charging for up to 30 minutes before expecting startup or a charging indicator. Keep charging temperatures between 32°F and 95°F (0–35°C), including for Ultra models.
Check the charger’s power and contact
If charging has produced no response, work through these checks.
- 1.Fully insert the charging cable into its USB power adapter and the adapter into the outlet.
- 2.Remove any wrapping from both faces of the magnetic charger, then clean the charger and the back of the watch.
- 3.Reposition the watch so the charger’s magnets align with it.
- 4.For a 44mm, 45mm, or 49mm watch on an Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock or MagSafe Duo, adjust the dock’s angle or lay it flat. If an Ultra still fails to connect, remove its band before charging.
- 5.Test another Apple Watch charging cable and USB power adapter.
- 6.If the watch reports an incompatible country-specific charger, check for WPT on the charger and WPT Compliant on its packaging. These chargers work only with Apple’s specified regional models. Use equipment compatible with your watch, such as its supplied cable.
Force restart an unresponsive watch
Use a force restart when the watch is unresponsive and a normal restart is impossible. Do not interrupt an update installation.
Hold the side button and Digital Crown together for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears. Release the buttons when the logo appears. Wait for startup. If the logo stays on the screen, follow the persistent-logo recovery steps below.
Arrange service if there is still no response
Open Apple’s Apple Watch service and repair page if the watch still will not power on or charge after these checks. Select Get started. Describe the failure.
Follow the troubleshooting or service options offered. Apple lists Genius Bar, Apple Authorized Service Provider, and mail-in service, with availability varying by location. If your watch makes sounds, shows a stuck Apple logo, or displays a recovery symbol, follow the matching section below before arranging service.
When the watch works but its screen stays dark
A watch that responds with sound is operating, even if its screen is black. For a watch already enrolled in Find My, use a sound to check for a response.
Open Find My on your iPhone. Select Devices > your Apple Watch > Play Sound. A successful sound confirms operation. An unavailable watch does not prove it has lost power; Find My also needs a connection.
If VoiceOver works while the screen stays hidden, open the paired iPhone’s Watch app. Go to My Watch > Accessibility > VoiceOver. Switch off Screen Curtain. VoiceOver can remain enabled.
For a display that wakes when tapped but stays dark when you raise your wrist, check Theater Mode. Tap the screen to wake it. Press the side button to open Control Center on watchOS 10 or later. Tap the active Theater Mode control, identified by the theater masks, to turn it off.
If Sleep Focus is active instead, tap the active Focus control in Control Center to turn it off. Sleep Focus can intentionally turn off the display. To restore wrist-raise behavior, open the watch’s Settings > Display & Brightness. Enable Wake on Wrist Raise.
If these changes do not restore the display on an operating watch, use Apple’s service options for the persistent screen failure.
Recover a watch stuck on the Apple logo
Unpairing and pairing again addresses a persistent Apple logo after a force restart fails. Keep the watch and paired iPhone together. Continue only if the watch can still complete unpairing. Unpairing erases the watch, and the iPhone creates a backup.
Open the iPhone’s Watch app. Select My Watch > All Watches. Tap the info button beside your watch. Choose Unpair Apple Watch.
Confirm with Unpair [your Apple Watch name]. Keep the cellular plan if your watch has one. Enter your Apple Account password when prompted. Tap Unpair.
Once unpairing finishes, select Start Pairing or Add Watch. Follow the setup prompts. Select Restore from Backup when offered to restore your saved setup.
Use nearby-device recovery for a recovery symbol
If the watch shows a red exclamation mark, double-click its side button. For the nearby-device recovery animation, start with charging below. Charge the watch to at least 50%, keeping it on its charger throughout recovery.
Bring an iPhone or iPad running its latest software near the watch. It does not need to be your paired device. Enable Wi-Fi on the nearby iPhone or iPad. Enable Bluetooth on that device.
Double-click the watch’s side button. Follow the recovery prompts on the iPhone or iPad. If recovery fails, try a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network without a captive sign-in portal or 802.1X authentication. Arrange service if the red exclamation mark persists after recovery attempts.
After startup returns, install an available update
Updating watchOS is a follow-up step once the watch runs again, including after recovery from a stuck Apple logo. A watch that cannot power on cannot use Software Update. Charge the watch to at least 50%, leaving it on its charger throughout installation.
Update the paired iPhone to the latest version of iOS. Connect the paired iPhone to Wi-Fi. Keep the iPhone near the watch. Open the iPhone’s Watch app.
Go to My Watch > General > Software Update. Tap Download and Install if an update is offered. Install the compatible software offered for your watch. Wait for installation to finish without restarting either device or quitting the Watch app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Low Power Mode make my Apple Watch seem turned off?
Low Power Mode disables Always On, so the display goes dark at rest. On a running watch, open Settings > Battery and switch off Low Power Mode to restore Always On availability on supported models. This changes display behavior; it does not resolve a failure to start.
How do I restart my Apple Watch if its controls still respond?
Disconnect the charger. Hold the side button until the sliders appear. Tap the power icon. Drag Power Off. Hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears. Apple also recommends restarting the paired iPhone when troubleshooting.
Can I use Siri to fix a screen hidden by VoiceOver?
On an operating watch with Siri enabled and functioning, ask Siri to “Turn off VoiceOver.” This provides an alternative to navigating the hidden screen. Siri cannot turn on a powerless watch.