How to Force Restart a Frozen Motorola Phone

If your Motorola phone freezes, shows a blank or black screen, or won’t respond to the Power button, a forced reboot (soft reset) usually brings it back. It doesn’t erase any data.

Quick steps: Press and hold Power + Volume up until the screen turns off, then let go — the phone restarts by itself.
  1. Motorola phone with the Power and Volume up buttons highlighted
    Step 1

    Hold Power and Volume up

    Press and hold the Power button and the Volume up button together until the screen turns off (this can take 10–20 seconds).

  2. Motorola phone screen turned off while restarting
    Step 2

    Let the phone restart

    Release the buttons. The phone restarts automatically.

  3. SIM PIN entry keypad
    Step 3

    Enter your SIM PIN if asked

    If a PIN screen appears, enter your SIM PIN and tap the arrow at the bottom right. Otherwise, go to the next step.

  4. Motorola lock screen
    Step 4

    Unlock the phone

    If the lock screen appears, swipe up and unlock as usual.

  5. Motorola Home screen after restarting
    Step 5

    You’re back on the Home screen

    The phone has restarted. Your apps and data are unchanged.

If the phone is still frozen or won’t turn on

  1. Charge it for at least 30 minutes with the original charger, then try again.
  2. If it keeps freezing, start it in safe mode to check for a problem app.
  3. If it won’t start at all, you can factory reset it from recovery mode using the buttons — this erases all data.
  4. If nothing works, the battery, display or motherboard may be faulty — check repair prices for your model.

Frequently asked questions

Does a forced reboot delete my data?

No. A forced reboot just restarts the phone. Your apps, photos and settings are not affected.

My Motorola screen is black but the phone vibrates or rings — what should I do?

Try a forced reboot first. If calls still come in but the screen stays black, the display may be damaged and need replacing — see the Motorola display price list.

Still having problems? It may be a hardware fault. Check the Motorola spare part prices for your model, or compare battery and display replacement costs.

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Steps and screenshots based on Motorola's official Forced reboot tutorial. Steps can vary slightly by model and Android version.