How to Start a Motorola Phone in Safe Mode

Apps crashing, unexpected reboots or fast battery drain are often caused by a downloaded app. Safe mode starts your phone with only its original software and apps, so you can find out whether a third-party app is to blame — without deleting anything.

Quick steps: press Power + Volume up → touch and hold Power off → tap OK. To exit, simply restart the phone.
  1. Motorola phone home screen before starting safe mode
    Step 1

    Know when to use safe mode

    If your Motorola phone runs slow, keeps crashing apps, reboots on its own or drains battery fast, restart it in safe mode. Safe mode starts the phone without any third-party (downloaded) apps, so you can tell whether one of them is causing the problem.

    Tip: Apps most often to blame are custom launchers, task killers and antivirus apps.

  2. Side Power and Volume up buttons highlighted on a Motorola phone
    Step 2

    Press Power and Volume up together

    Press and hold the Power button and the Volume up button at the same time until the power menu appears.

  3. Power menu with Emergency, Power off and Restart, Power off highlighted
    Step 3

    Touch and hold Power off

    In the power menu, touch and hold Power off (don't just tap it).

  4. Reboot to safe mode confirmation dialog with the OK button highlighted
    Step 4

    Tap OK to reboot to safe mode

    A “Reboot to safe mode” prompt appears. Tap OK.

  5. Motorola phone screen turned off while rebooting
    Step 5

    Wait for the phone to restart

    The phone switches off and restarts in safe mode automatically. This can take a minute.

  6. SIM PIN entry keypad with Safe mode label at the bottom left
    Step 6

    Enter your SIM PIN if asked

    If a PIN screen appears, enter your SIM PIN and tap the arrow at the bottom right. If it doesn't appear, go to the next step.

  7. Lock screen in safe mode with swipe-up indicator
    Step 7

    Swipe up to unlock

    If the lock screen appears, swipe up (and enter your screen lock if you have one). If it doesn't appear, go to the next step.

  8. Motorola home screen in safe mode with greyed-out widgets and Safe mode label
    Step 8

    Confirm you are in safe mode

    You'll see “Safe mode” at the bottom-left of the screen, and widgets and downloaded apps are greyed out. Use the phone normally and check whether the problem is gone.

If the problem goes away in safe mode

  1. Exit safe mode by restarting your phone.
  2. Uninstall recently downloaded apps one at a time.
  3. Restart after each removal and check whether the problem is gone.
  4. Once you find the problem app, reinstall the other apps you removed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off safe mode on a Motorola phone?

Just restart the phone: press and hold Power (or Power + Volume up), then tap Restart. It starts back up in normal mode with all your apps.

What should I do if the problem goes away in safe mode?

A downloaded app is most likely the cause. Exit safe mode, then uninstall recently downloaded apps one at a time, restarting after each removal, until the problem stops. Then reinstall the other apps you removed.

What if the problem still happens in safe mode?

Then it is probably not caused by a downloaded app. Update the phone software, and if the issue continues it may be a hardware fault such as the battery, display or motherboard — see our spare part price lists to estimate repair costs.

Will safe mode delete my apps or data?

No. Safe mode only stops downloaded apps from running. Your apps, photos and data stay on the phone and everything returns when you restart normally.

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 Safe mode tutorial. Steps can vary slightly by model and Android version.