If your Apple Watch doesn’t turn on, a few issues could be causing the problem. Most of them are quick.

How to Fix It When Your Apple Watch Won’t Turn On

Try the following steps, in order, to get your Apple Watch working again. They should apply to all Apple Watch models and versions of watchOS.

1. Press or turn the Digital Crown. You may have some settings active that make your Apple Watch screen not activate, even when you tap the screen.

   To see if they’re active, open the Watch app on your phone, and then go to Display & Brightness. Make sure Always On and Wake on Wrist Raise are both active.

2. Check the bottom of the Apple Watch to ensure there is nothing stuck to the charging pad. The Apple Watch uses induction to power up while sitting on the charging pad. Anything attached to the bottom of the watch can cause a problem.

3. Verify that the charging station is plugged into a wall outlet. Someone might unplug the charging station to use the wall outlet, and it’s easy to forget to plug it back into the wall.

4. Put your Apple Watch on its charger. The main reason for an Apple Watch – or any device really – not to turn on is that it’s out of battery power. Put your watch on its charging puck and wait a few minutes to see if it turns back on.

   If this is the problem, you should still be able to tell right away because your Apple Watch’s screen will show the time and battery level in red before it has enough charge to power up.

5. Inspect the cable to ensure there are no cuts, worn-out spots, or other damage. If someone else in the household has an Apple Watch, use their watch to check that the charging station is supplying power. The watch’s display should show the power icon (a lightning bolt) when it is charging.

6. Try a force-restart. Hold down the Apple Watch crown, which is the dial that spins on the side, and the small button just below the crown simultaneously.

   The watch should restart within 10 seconds, but keep both buttons down for at least 30 seconds.

7. The Apple Watch display can also be turned off via an accessibility feature called Screen Curtain. This feature is part of the VoiceOver assistance for the visually impaired. When VoiceOver is turned on, the watch is operated by sound rather than sight.

   Open the Watch app on the iPhone paired to your device, and then go to Accessibility > VoiceOver, and then tap the switch at the tip of the screen to turn off the feature.

   If you’re using other VoiceOver options and just want to turn off Screen Curtain, it has its own switch farther down the screen.

Causes of Apple Watch Not Turning On

The most common reason for the Apple Watch display to go dark and become unresponsive is a battery issue. Unless you’ve been wearing the Apple Watch all day and depleted the battery, the first troubleshooting step you should perform is a forced restart. You don’t want to wait a half-hour or more for the watch to charge if that isn’t the problem.

The Apple Watch may also have experienced a software issue, or you may have accidentally triggered a mode that caused the watch to go dark.