Restarting a Samsung phone can mean a normal restart from the power menu, a force restart when touch is frozen, or an automatic scheduled restart. Newer Galaxy phones may open Bixby instead of the power menu unless the Side button is configured differently.
These steps apply to Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI, including recent S, A, Z, and Note models.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if you want to restart normally, the power menu is not appearing, or the phone is frozen and will not respond to taps.
Restart Normally
- Press and hold the Side button for a second or two.
- If Bixby or another shortcut opens instead, press Side and Volume Down together.
- Tap Restart.
- Tap Restart again if Samsung asks for confirmation.
- Wait for the phone to turn off and back on.
A normal restart does not delete anything. Apps, messages, photos, accounts, and settings remain in place.
Force Restart a Frozen Samsung
- Press and hold Side and Volume Down together.
- Keep holding for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Wait for the screen to go black, the phone to vibrate, or the Samsung logo to appear.
- Let the phone boot normally.
Use force restart only when the screen or system will not respond to the normal menu. It is safe and does not erase data.
Useful Restart Settings
Schedule Auto Restart
Open Settings > General management > Reset > Auto restart and choose a quiet time, such as overnight, if you want regular restarts.
Make Side Button Show Power Menu
Open Settings > Advanced features > Side button, then set Press and hold to Power off menu.
Restart vs. Power Off
Restart turns the phone off and back on automatically. Power off stops after shutdown and requires you to press the Side button to turn it on again.
When Restart Is Not Enough
If one app keeps crashing or the phone slows again immediately, clear that app cache, check storage, or boot Safe Mode instead of repeatedly restarting.
Sources
- Samsung Support: Restart your Galaxy phone
- Samsung Support: Force restart your Galaxy phone
- Samsung Support: Schedule automatic restart