how to turn off apple watch

To turn off an Apple Watch, you have two main options: using the side button or using the Settings app.

How to Turn Off Apple Watch (Quick Scoop)

1. Turn off using the side button (fastest way)

This works on most recent Apple Watch models (including Series and Ultra).

Make sure the watch is awake (screen on).
Press and hold the side button (the flat button below the Digital Crown) until the power menu appears on screen.

Tap the Power (On/Off) icon if shown, then swipe the “Power Off” slider from left to right.

The screen will go black and the watch will fully shut down.

To turn it back on: press and hold the same side button until you see the Apple logo.

2. Turn off from Settings (if the button menu is glitchy)

If the side button menu is not working properly or you prefer going through menus, you can shut down from Settings on watchOS.

Press the Digital Crown to open the app grid/list.
Tap Settings.
Scroll down and tap General.
Scroll all the way down and tap Shutdown.

When the “Power Off” slider appears, swipe it from left to right to turn the watch off.

3. If the Apple Watch is frozen

If your Apple Watch is unresponsive and you just want to force it to restart (not stay off):

Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown together.
Keep holding until you see the Apple logo, then release.

This is a hard reset / force restart, useful if the screen is stuck or taps don’t register.

4. Quick HTML table of the methods

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Method</th>
      <th>Steps</th>
      <th>When to Use</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Side button power off</td>
      <td>Hold side button → tap power icon (if needed) → swipe “Power Off”.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
      <td>Everyday shutdown, saving battery quickly.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Settings → Shutdown</td>
      <td>Digital Crown → Settings → General → Shutdown → swipe “Power Off”.[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>When you prefer menu navigation or side button menu is odd.[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Force restart (not stay off)</td>
      <td>Hold side button + Digital Crown until Apple logo appears.[web:1][web:7]</td>
      <td>Frozen or unresponsive watch; for troubleshooting, not for powering down long-term.[web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

5. Little extra context (2025–2026 models)

Newer models like Apple Watch Series 10 and recent Ultras still use these same basic actions: long-press the side button for the power menu, or go via Settings → General → Shutdown. The look of the icons and menus may shift with watchOS updates, but the core gestures stay the same.

TL;DR: Hold the side button until the power menu appears, then swipe “Power Off”; or go to Settings → General → Shutdown and swipe “Power Off”.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

how to turn off apple watch