Occasionally an iPod or iPhone may freeze or fail to respond to your commands. This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while. Restarting an iPod or iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences. " Dear @methodshop, Dumb question. If the iPod is not responding and appears to be frozen, what do I do? " ~ Lloyd

Double Check the Hold Switch

1. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. The hold switch is located in the top corner of the iPod. If you see orange, then the iPod is locked. To unlock the iPod, slide the switch in the opposite position.

Button Combinations

2. Press and hold the following combination of buttons buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.

• iPod 1G to 3G (scroll & touch wheel iPods): "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
  
  
  
• iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select Center Button"
  
  
  
• iPhone & iPod Touch: "Menu" and "Sleep Button" (see image on right)
  
• Shuffle: Turn it off. Turn it on. Done.
  

 

If you have an iPod Mini or 4th gen iPod or higher, then you need to press the Menu and Select buttons. The Select button is the center button in the middle of the wheel.

For older iPods (1G - 3G) you'll need to press the Menu and Play buttons to restart.

Upon reset, your will see the iPod/iPhone name and the Apple logo. When this happens, you can let go - the iPhone/iPod is rebooting. If your battery is very low, you may have to attach your iPod/iPhone to a power source.

The Restart Screen

3. The iPod name and the Apple logo will briefly appear upon a successful restart before advancing to the Main Menu.

Remounting

4. If you have your iPod/iPhone connected to your computer and iTunes open, then your iPod/iPhone should mount and show up under "Devices" in the left iTunes sidebar.

If your iPod/iPhone doesn't mount, please read this page: My iPod/iPhone Won't Mount or Update.