iPhone X, XR, XS, and XS Max: How to Hard Reset - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone X, XR, XS, and XS Max: How to Hard Reset

by

Apple's newest crop of devices, the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR don't have a Home button and feature new Side buttons with unique functionality, so Apple has introduced a new method for forcing a quick restart.

It takes a unique combination of button presses to cause your iPhone to restart, and while it's not immediately obvious, once you've learned the steps, a force restart is the quickest way to restart your iPhone if it's acting up.

Hard Resetting iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR

howtoforcerestartiphonexs

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
  2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears, then release the Side button.

During this process, you will see a slider to power off the iPhone. You're going to want to ignore it and continue holding down the Side button until the screen goes black. At that point, the Apple logo will pop up, and after the restart is complete, the screen will activate once again.

Using the force restart process prevents you from having to shut the iPhone down entirely, which takes several more steps.

If you do want to shut the iPhone down, you can do so by going to the General section of the Settings app, scrolling down to the bottom, and choosing the Shut Down option.

You can also hold down the Volume Up button and the Side button at the same time to bring up the Emergency SOS interface that also houses a "slide to power off" option.

Top Rated Comments

105 months ago
Since the SE, Apple has been increasingly losing its philosophy of ease of use (face recognition in front view instead of the nice fingerprint homebutton ready from anywhere, thus abandoning the central control element, at the same time screen size and thus increased weight for the Asian market, the ugly notch, roundings in the design at the expense of clear grip, etc.) due to differentiation pressure in the marketplace on an actually developed product.

No perfect product comes out of such a compromise matrix. Only an "optimal".
As an owner of a long line of iPhones, I can say that Face ID was a revelation in ease of use - it is so unintrusive that it may as well not be there - fingerprint sensors just aren’t in the same league. And the gesturing is so much more intuitive on these new phones - far better than the home button single/double/triple presses. The only thing they should fix IMO is to bring up notifications with a bottom left swipe and the control center with a bottom right swipe.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Morgenland Avatar
105 months ago
Since the SE, Apple has been increasingly losing its philosophy of ease of use (face recognition in front view instead of the nice fingerprint homebutton ready from anywhere, thus abandoning the central control element, at the same time screen size and thus increased weight for the Asian market, the ugly notch, roundings in the design at the expense of clear grip, etc.) due to differentiation pressure in the marketplace on an actually developed product.

No perfect product comes out of such a compromise matrix. Only an "optimal".
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
105 months ago
I’m trying to find another X to swap this one out at this point.
I’ll trade with you. PM me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
105 months ago
Konami code
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimSHB Avatar
105 months ago
Konami code
Does this button sequence also give you 100 extra lives?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
105 months ago
Thanks for the info MacRumours!

I’m so sorry I upgraded to the Xs! It is such an inferior product compared to the first gen. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have had to reset this peice of garbage. I can count the times I had to on the X, probably less than 5 in over a year. Apple really screwed us this time with this malfunctioning sorry excuse for a phone. WiFi sucks, celluar data speeds suck, frozen safari pages and on and on and on. I’m trying to find another X to swap this one out at this point.
All these issues and you haven't thought to take it back to Apple? I am sure complaining about it on an internet forum will solve it though!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

RIP, MacBook Ultra

Monday October 19, 2026 9:37 am PDT by
Apple today sent out invites for an experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, and the "Pro and tell" tagline on the invitation likely means that the rumored MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays will stick with MacBook Pro branding instead of the once-rumored "MacBook Ultra" name. The long-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up being named iPhone Duo, so speculation that Apple...
iPhone Duo Trio

Here's What Apple's Apps Look Like on the iPhone Duo

Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:12 am PDT by
With just three days to go until the iPhone Duo is released, Apple is getting ready for the launch. Behind the scenes, the App Store now has screenshots of Apple's built-in apps running on the Duo. We've seen some apps in marketing materials, but images of the ones we haven't seen give us an idea of what it will be like using the iPhone Duo day to day. Many apps are shown in landscape...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Announcing New Products Next Week: 'Pro and Tell'

Monday October 19, 2026 9:05 am PDT by
Apple's Greg Joswiak today hinted at new product announcements coming next week, sharing a social media post that says "Can't wait to pro and tell next week." Rumors suggest Apple is planning to debut the new MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen display, an M6 entry-level MacBook Pro, an M6 iMac, an iPad mini with an OLED display. Can't wait to pro and tell next week....
Latest Stories
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
1 hour ago
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store
2 hours ago
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
2 hours ago
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
5 hours ago
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
6 hours ago
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
6 hours ago
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
7 hours ago
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
8 hours ago
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
9 hours ago
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
9 hours ago
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
13 hours ago
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
14 hours ago
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
14 hours ago
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
14 hours ago
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
15 hours ago
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
15 hours ago
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
15 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
20 hours ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
22 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
22 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
23 hours ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
1 day ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
1 day ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
1 day ago
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
1 day ago
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
1 day ago