iPhone won't turn off? 5 ways to shut it down

If your iPhone will not switch off, the most likely reason is that Apple changed which buttons do it. On older iPhones you held the power button. On every iPhone with Face ID, holding the side button alone wakes Siri instead. Below are all five ways to shut an iPhone down, including when the screen is frozen or a button is broken, plus why an iPhone sometimes turns itself back on.

Which buttons turn off your iPhone?

• iPhone X and later, including iPhone 11 to 17, Air and 18: side button plus either volume button, then drag the slider.
• iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), 8, 7 and 6: hold the side button alone.
• iPhone SE (1st generation) and 5 or earlier: hold the top button.

How to fix an iPhone that won’t turn off

Why Apple changed the power button

When Face ID replaced the Home button, the side button took over several jobs: waking the screen, confirming Apple Pay, taking screenshots with volume up, and calling Siri. Holding it alone now summons Siri, so shutting down moved to a two-button press. The same press, held longer, triggers Emergency SOS, which is why a quick press is all you need. If you rarely use Siri and prefer the old behavior for the side button alone, you can turn off Press Side Button for Siri in Settings › Siri, although you still need both buttons to see the power off slider.

Once you know the combination, shutting down takes two seconds, and it quickly becomes muscle memory. If someone else in the family has an older iPhone with a Home button, remember their phone still uses the side button alone. The steps above cover every other case, from a frozen screen to a broken button.

Why your iPhone turns back on

• It is plugged in: an iPhone starts up when connected to power, including MagSafe and car chargers.
• A button is stuck: a side button pressed by a tight case can wake it.
• It is restarting, not shutting down: if you used a force restart, it comes back on by design.
• It is in a restart loop: see why an iPhone keeps restarting.

Findable after power off

On iPhone 11 and later with Find My turned on, the power off screen says iPhone Findable After Power Off. The phone keeps a low-power Bluetooth signal so the Find My network can locate it for a while even when off. That is useful if it is lost or stolen. It is a genuinely useful feature, so leave it on in daily use. If you are sending the phone for repair or selling it, turn off Find My in Settings › [your name] › Find My first, as the repair shop or buyer will need.

Restart or shut down?

For fixing glitches, a restart is usually what you want: it clears memory and restarts services. Turning the phone off is better for saving battery during storage, flying without airplane mode, or before a repair. A force restart is meant only for a frozen phone that ignores taps. It does not delete anything, but it skips the normal shutdown, so do not use it as your daily way to switch off.

Stuck on the spinning wheel while shutting down

If the iPhone shows a spinning wheel for more than a minute after you drag the slider, something is holding up the shutdown. Force restart it with volume up, volume down, then hold the side button. Once it starts normally, update iOS in Settings › General › Software Update and update your apps, since a misbehaving app is the usual cause. If it gets stuck on the Apple logo instead, see what to do when an iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo.

Screen cracked or not responding to touch

The power off slider needs a working touch screen. If the screen is cracked or unresponsive, a force restart still works, because it uses only the buttons. After it restarts, you can ask Siri to turn the phone off, although Siri may ask you to confirm on screen. If the screen stays unresponsive, the phone will stay on until the battery runs down, which is safe. Book a screen repair, and see why an iPhone touch screen stops working.

Airplane mode or power off?

On a flight or when you just want peace and quiet, airplane mode is usually better than switching off. It stops calls and data but keeps alarms, music and downloaded videos working, and the phone is ready instantly. Turn the phone fully off when you plan to store it for a while, when a repair shop asks, or when you need to save every bit of battery in an emergency. Remember that alarms do not go off when an iPhone is powered off.

Turning off an iPad

The same logic applies to iPad. On iPads without a Home button, hold the top button and either volume button until the slider appears. On iPads with a Home button, hold the top button alone until the slider appears. Settings › General › Shut Down works on every iPad.

Broken side or volume button

Until the button is repaired, you can shut down from Settings › General › Shut Down, use AssistiveTouch, or set up Back Tap. Go to Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap, choose Double Tap, and pick Lock Screen or AssistiveTouch. Then tapping the back of the iPhone twice replaces the side button for locking. Siri can also restart the phone: say “Siri, restart my iPhone”.

Side and volume buttons are a common repair, often after a drop or a tight case. Apple repairs them under warranty when they fail on their own, and AppleCare+ covers accidental damage for a fee. See whether AppleCare+ is worth it.

Slider does not respond to your finger?

If the power off slider appears but will not move, the touch screen has frozen. Force restart the iPhone. If the screen still does not respond to touch after the restart, see our guide to an iPhone touch screen that is not working.