Question: My iPod has totally stopped working. It won’t charge when plugged into the computer and won’t turn on at all. What can I do?

Question: My iPod has totally stopped working. It won’t charge when plugged into the computer and won’t turn on at all. Could it be a battery issue? Thanks – Jean

Answer: Jean, you’re not alone with the whole iPod freezing situation. I just bought my wife an iPod nano for Valentine’s Day, and two days later it completely froze up. The kids had been playing with it, and I think they just got a little crazy with all the buttons.

Resetting a Frozen iPod, iPhone, or iPad

The trick for resetting a frozen iPod or iPhone (yes, this works on iPads too) is to press the Menu and center button at the same time and hold them for about 6 seconds. 

You should see the Apple icon and your iPod should restart. Give that a try and let me know if it does the trick.

If it doesn’t work, then I recommend taking your iPod into an Apple store where they can check if the battery is fried.

156 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    June 24, 2010,

    ipod touch not working
    I tried to reset my ipod touch, it still wont come on. any ideas?

  2. David
    July 7, 2010,

    Reset Ipod
    Thanks your advice worked first time. Though I had lost everything but now is’t all back.
    A great site which I will bookmark for future info.

  3. Anonymous
    July 21, 2010,

    It Worked!
    I held those two buttons for 6 seconds and the apple showed up. My iPod is working again! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

  4. Music Teacher
    July 29, 2010,

    I use an OLD 2nd generation
    I use an OLD 2nd generation 20 gig iPod. Thanks for helping me avoid spending money on a new one. Thank you SO much!!

  5. Shirley
    August 6, 2010,

    iPod not switching on
    Can I just say a big thank you Ricky, my iPod is now working again after pressing the middle button and menu button at the same time. I am so happy that I don’t have to fork out money for a new one 🙂

  6. Sarah
    August 17, 2010,

    hi, my ipod when im trying
    hi, my ipod when im trying to charge or upload songs now shows that its connected then flicks back to the apply sympbol and just keeps doing it, it wont charge and it isnt registering in my itunes as being connected, ive bought a new connector/charger and tried on different pcs but looks like its the actual ipod, ive tried your top post holding the power and menu button at the same time and it isnt working, i keep trying but no joy, i didnt buy it from an apple store but a supermarket, any advice on something i can do with it without having to go back to a store?

  7. mel
    September 6, 2010,

    Thanks! Your advice worked.
    Thanks! Your advice worked. Your a genius.

  8. Julio
    September 21, 2010,

    Many thanks Ricky. You are
    Many thanks Ricky. You are the man!

  9. phil
    September 28, 2010,

    RICKY YOUR A LEGEND!
    RICKY YOUR A LEGEND!

  10. Ellie
    October 1, 2010,

    Connecting iTouch to WiFi
    I’ve spent at LEAST 30 hours trying to connect my ITouch (bought about Feb 2008 I think) to my own WiFi without success. It was connected for a short time what seems like eons ago but NOTHING i do now seems to work. Can ANYONE help me PLEEEEEEZE. Thank you muchly in advance.

    Ellie

  11. Extremely Glad Music Lover
    October 6, 2010,

    Thank you for saving my
    Thank you for saving my I-pod!!! I thought I had to go buy a new one! You’re a genius!!!

  12. Anonymous
    October 14, 2010,

    Thank you!! My ipod’s
    Thank you!! My ipod’s working again!!

  13. Judy
    October 17, 2010,

    freezing ipod
    wow thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! was ready to take back to the store!! Ur solution worked like a dream!!!!!! thank u thank u 🙂

  14. Anonymous
    October 19, 2010,

    itouch with camera
    Holding the power button and centre button got the itouch working again thanks for this article.

    But am i the only one to think that this is totally crazy, my itouch is 2 days old and it froze up on me! thats crazy! Come on Apple, i paid $500 for this faulty piece of ….! My old Nano screen packed up on me after a year too. Im starting to lose my respect for Apple…!

  15. Anonymous
    October 19, 2010,

    NEW Itouch (Camera version)
    Holding the power button and centre button got the itouch working again thanks for this article.

    But am i the only one to think that this is totally crazy, my itouch is 2 days old and it froze up on me! thats crazy! Come on Apple, i paid $500 for this faulty piece of ….! My old Nano screen packed up on me after a year too. Im starting to lose my respect for Apple…!

  16. iris
    November 18, 2010,

    i was totally freaked out
    i was totally freaked out afraid that my ipod was dead but thanks to the following advise:”The trick for resetting a frozen iPod is to press the Menu and center button at the same time and hold them for about 6 seconds…ey can check if the battery is fried.” it worked…thank you!

  17. Soohappyrightnoww
    December 6, 2010,

    You saved my Ipods life lol
    You saved my Ipods life lol thank you soo much!!

  18. Anonymous
    December 8, 2010,

    Thank you so much! My ipod
    Thank you so much! My ipod stopped working and I found this page. Your advice worked like a dream. God bless you.

  19. Anonymous
    January 8, 2011,

    Thank you sooooooooooooo
    Thank you sooooooooooooo much!!!! We panicked and my daughter cried. We just had the Itouch for Christmas and we thought it broke! Thanks again for your advice.

  20. Anonymous
    January 8, 2011,

    Thank you!!!
    stumbled into this as i googled what to do when my ipod stops working and the *trick* worked like magic! im soo happy, u saved my day rick! gracias! 🙂

  21. Music lover
    January 8, 2011,

    Thanks so much Rick!
    Thanks so much Rick! stumbled across this page in my search for how to fix a broken ipod and the trick saved my day! soo happy!

  22. Anonymous
    January 20, 2011,

    was just dead, now screen is white
    My iPod touch was dead, I did what you said & after a bit it did come on but just with a white screen. Is that good or bad? Should I wait & try it again a little later, or is there something else I should do? Plz help!!!!!!

  23. Don
    January 25, 2011,

    Hey, that worked !!!
    Wow !!! That did work !!! I tried it a few times and it didn’t…. then i tried it again and BAM !!! It worked… Thanks so much !!!

  24. JC (Costa Rica)
    February 20, 2011,

    ipod froze
    Thanks man, google up the problem and found your site, did the fix and 6 seconds later my ipod was back. Thanks man thought i lost my ipod.

  25. Anonymous
    February 27, 2011,

    thank you sooooooo much i
    thank you sooooooo much i thought i would have to buy a neew titchy tiny little one ;P

  26. Anonymous
    March 2, 2011,

    thank you so much, my ipod
    thank you so much, my ipod had frozen i had no idea what to do and now its working again. i had only got it a few months ago and was like what the $%^#. your a $%^#&% live saver. thanks thanks

  27. Keisha
    March 4, 2011,

    It worked for me
    Thank You Ricky

    My Ipod just stopped working, I tried what you suggested with the Menu and Center button and it came on immediately and began charging.

    Informaton is Power

    Thank You

  28. Kelly N
    March 6, 2011,

    I LOVE YOU… You saved my
    I LOVE YOU… You saved my IPod. It just went out/black wouldn’t turn on for anything. I thought I lost everything, everything link I saved to screen, every note I wrote in notes, all my pics and music then I found this article and presto bango its up and running.
    Thank you thank you thank you.

  29. Anonymous
    March 23, 2011,

    ThANKS DUDE, ALL FIXED!!
    ThANKS DUDE, ALL FIXED!!

  30. Mariana H
    March 23, 2011,

    iPod froze
    Thanks so much for your advice on how to unfreeze an iPod. It worked perfectly. If you could give an explanation as to why this happens, it would also help to avoid it happening again. Thanks again!

  31. Anonymous
    March 25, 2011,

    OMG!!!!!!!!!! this
    OMG!!!!!!!!!! this works….thankyou sooo much…I thought it was dead…I feel sooo happy now! hehe 😀

  32. Anonymous
    March 26, 2011,

    I was on the tennis courts,
    I was on the tennis courts, i set my iPod down but when we finished our game it was completely frozen but I remembered what you said and it came back to life!!! This was sooooo helpful!

  33. margaret
    April 27, 2011,

    frozen mp3
    thank you i thought i had lost the whole thing after only 3 weeks use. Great info

  34. Anonymous
    May 6, 2011,

    Thanks
    It died when I was walking into work. I have stressed all day. All my stuff is in my car because I had to get my IPOD to work. The Menu+button works!!!!! Now ITunes does not recognize it but I will deal with that.

  35. Jaddo
    May 23, 2011,

    Ipod stopped working
    Hi There,

    My Ipod stopped working after I gave to my friend over the weekend.

    When he returned it was dead flat and when I tryed to charge it there was no respond, nothing happen no sign of any thing on the ipod.

    Can help with some advice.

    Kind regards

  36. Mr d
    June 2, 2011,

    ipod nano
    very many thanks for un freezing my ipod,Mr D, Bedford

  37. Anonymous
    June 2, 2011,

    my ipod just wont turn on.
    my ipod just wont turn on. its fully charged. is there a way i can get my photos on my computer even if it wont work ? -kaylee

  38. Mike
    June 8, 2011,

    possesed ipod
    My ipod classic 120mb no longer turns on properly it shows a flashing circle with a slash and tells me not to disconect. then when i finaly recharged it all the way and ejected it properly it still flashes that circle but instead says its ok to disconect. i cant veiw music or anything i cant do anything it just stays on that screen. be for this started it would randomly freez and you coouldnt do a thing except wait for it to die and then when u went to recharge it it would take files from my computer and hen replace them with viruses and completly make my computer crash. i dont know what to do. apple told me that they dont even know whats wrong with it.

  39. Anonymous
    June 9, 2011,

    My frozen IPOD
    God Ricky thanks soooooo much,,, I thought my IPOD was a goner,,, one google search , up u popped and its fixed! cheers man

    Linda

  40. mith
    June 11, 2011,

    Thanks, i solve the problem
    Thanks, i solve the problem by go thorough to ur advice……..thanks a lot.

  41. Joao
    June 16, 2011,

    Thank you, my iPod wasn’t
    Thank you, my iPod wasn’t working at all and with your post I could make it work again.

  42. Tiffany C. Wright
    June 21, 2011,

    Thank you!
    I just had to write to say “Thank you very much!!” I could not get my iPod to turn on. Half the time my computer could not detect it. I finally got iTunes to detect it but I got a corruption message. I tried to restore my iPod but nothing happened. I finally searched on “iPod stopped working”. I came straight here and tried what you said to do. Worked PERFECTLY!! Everything is still on my iPod. Thank you so much! I iPod is invaluable for my workouts and my guided meditation. Thank you again!

  43. Erin-Lily
    July 21, 2011,

    Ohmygosh! Thankyou soooo
    Ohmygosh! Thankyou soooo much. You made my dead ipod work!xxx

  44. Anonymous
    July 28, 2011,

    thankyou
    thankyou somuch you helped me to get my ipod touch to work again

    🙂 🙂 sooo happy!!!

  45. Marie Stacey
    July 30, 2011,

    Thank you! That advice just
    Thank you! That advice just fixed my ipod and made my week!!!

  46. Jo
    August 11, 2011,

    Thank you
    Rick, thanks so much. I was convinced my son had killed my ipod and was totally gutted. Just tried your tip and its working! I am so happy! I had almost accepted it was only good for the ago and am so glad i found your site. Thanks again Rick, you really are a star x

  47. My Chemical Romance
    September 5, 2011,

    ipod toutch
    my ipod toutch is not working i was half way through a game and stopped working. when i press the on button noathing happens same with the home button. when i put it on to charge noathing happens heeelpp -_- how do i get it to work!?!

  48. Steven
    September 7, 2011,

    Ipod touch 4G
    My ipod touch 4G 32 gig stopped working!! its screen will not turn on, it still shows on i tunes when plugged in and it the voice comand still works.. what do i do??

  49. Anonymous
    September 22, 2011,

    thank you thank you thank
    thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU. I had the same problem and I had no idea how to get it working, I though i had to go out and buy a new one. Really, thank you so much.

  50. vincent dubem
    September 28, 2011,

    thanks
    ricky you are the boss thanks

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