How to Turn off an iPod

Extend the battery life of your iPod by turning it off.

by Doug Updated January 29, 2009

Press and hold down the Play/Pause button to turn off iPod.

To turn off your iPod press and hold down the Play/Pause button on the Click Wheel for two or three seconds. You will notice that the iPod screen will turn off and go blank. If you've stopped playing music, your iPod will automatically turn off after two minutes of inactivity in order to save its battery life.

Use the Hold switch on your iPod to make sure that your iPod doesn't accidentally turn on when you’re not using it and drain the battery. The Hold switch is located on the top of your iPod, next to the headphone jack. To set the Hold switch to Hold, slide the switch toward the center of the iPod (an orange bar is visible when it’s set to Hold). This will disable the iPod's Click Wheel controls and also help to prolong the battery life.

If your iPod has become locked or frozen you will probably need to reset your iPod. Learn how to reset your iPod here.

15 Comments

by Lenya on 8/4/2007 I bought my husband a 20 GB(4th Generation) iPod for father's Day. It didn't come instructions. We went online to download the instructions and to learn how to use it. We cannot turn it off. The screen doesn't go blank. It sits on a pause mode and the battery is always needing to be charged. It says on the screen "charged" but by the time he comes home from work it needs to be charged again. Songs are stopped and they pick up right where he left off. Again like it is in a pause mode. Any solution?
by Doug on 8/5/2007 Have you tried reseting the ipod? If not go here to learn how: https://www.gotknowhow.com/articles/ipod_do_not_disc... I'd try that first, although I'm guessing you've tried that already. So next I would make sure your computer is running the latest version of iTunes which is currently 7.3.2 : http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ Once you've installed the latest version of itunes, reboot your computer. After rebooting plug your iPod into your computer (let the iPod sync completely), and then go to the Summary page in iTunes and click the Check for Update button to see if you are running the latest iPod software. Now I'd unplug your iPod from the computer and see if the iPod turns off ( wait a few minutes, maybe 10 mins just to be sure). If it still does not turn off, I'd plug the iPod back into your computer and go back to the Summary page and click the 'Restore' button and following the instructions. Hopefully, your iPod shuts off after restoring it. Keep in mind, if your running Windows Vista on your computer, you may need to get an update for the iPod issue that was occurring (I ran into this problem). http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936824 Also, note that if your running Vista and you get a Pop-up window when you plug your iPod into your computer, just close the box, do not let Windows fix the so-called 'problem'. If you do, it may screw up your iPod's hard-drive. As a last resort, you may need to take your iPod into an Apple store (hopefully you have one near you) and see if they can diagnose the problem or give you a new one.
by Heather on 8/16/2007 Well, one day at school I had been listening to my Ipod on the ride there and when I went to turn it off, it just would not. After much freaking out and asking everyone I knew what to do, we decided it was probebly just 'supercharged'. I had just gotton a docking station and it had been 'charging' and 'docked' for about a week or two. So, we just left it on, and changed the setting for the screen to always stay on. Tried resetting it and everything. Eventually, around 4th period or so, it turned off and has since been acting and playing normally.
by bill on 12/19/2007 won't turn off 1GB Ipod Nano won't turn off! It plays music but won't turn off!
by Jake Miller on 1/17/2008 Ipod touch wont turn on. One day i was messin around on my ipod touch and now it wont turn on. What do i do??
by Corinne on 2/23/2008 My iPod won't turn off at all. I know how to turn it off and it's not workingg. I'm getting very frustrated. PLEASE HELLPPP!!!
by Tina on 8/15/2008 my ipod is frozen!!!! what do i do HELLLLLPPPPPPPP ME
by Loz on 9/10/2008 I borrowed my boyfriends ipod and dint no how to turn it off haha but this site has hepled thanks (:
by anonymous on 10/24/2008 MY IPOD WONT TURN ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my ipod is not turning on. please help me!!!!!!!! wat do i do?
by annie on 12/1/2008 how do you turn off a 30gb ipod.... we got it but dont know how to turn it off
by bob on 12/2/2008 help please how do i turn it off
by a on 12/20/2008 hold the play/pause button as described and make sure the hold button is off
by Obi on 12/31/2008 Try reading the whole article before posting about how you can't turn it off etc.
by rookie on 1/7/2009 thank you. Extremely helpful.
by Elaine on 1/15/2009 Thanks you... For such a simple thing as how to tunr an ipod off. I didn't think technology was made to make you look stupid :o) I'm sure I'll be back. Thanks again

by Lenya on 8/4/2007

I bought my husband a 20 GB(4th Generation) iPod for father's Day. It didn't come instructions. We went online to download the instructions and to learn how to use it. We cannot turn it off. The screen doesn't go blank. It sits on a pause mode and the battery is always needing to be charged. It says on the screen "charged" but by the time he comes home from work it needs to be charged again. Songs are stopped and they pick up right where he left off. Again like it is in a pause mode. Any solution?

by Doug on 8/5/2007

Have you tried reseting the ipod? If not go here to learn how: https://www.gotknowhow.com/articles/ipod_do_not_disc... I'd try that first, although I'm guessing you've tried that already. So next I would make sure your computer is running the latest version of iTunes which is currently 7.3.2 : http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Once you've installed the latest version of itunes, reboot your computer. After rebooting plug your iPod into your computer (let the iPod sync completely), and then go to the Summary page in iTunes and click the Check for Update button to see if you are running the latest iPod software. Now I'd unplug your iPod from the computer and see if the iPod turns off ( wait a few minutes, maybe 10 mins just to be sure). If it still does not turn off, I'd plug the iPod back into your computer and go back to the Summary page and click the 'Restore' button and following the instructions. Hopefully, your iPod shuts off after restoring it.

Keep in mind, if your running Windows Vista on your computer, you may need to get an update for the iPod issue that was occurring (I ran into this problem). http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936824 Also, note that if your running Vista and you get a Pop-up window when you plug your iPod into your computer, just close the box, do not let Windows fix the so-called 'problem'. If you do, it may screw up your iPod's hard-drive.

As a last resort, you may need to take your iPod into an Apple store (hopefully you have one near you) and see if they can diagnose the problem or give you a new one.

by Heather on 8/16/2007

Well, one day at school I had been listening to my Ipod on the ride there and when I went to turn it off, it just would not. After much freaking out and asking everyone I knew what to do, we decided it was probebly just 'supercharged'. I had just gotton a docking station and it had been 'charging' and 'docked' for about a week or two. So, we just left it on, and changed the setting for the screen to always stay on. Tried resetting it and everything. Eventually, around 4th period or so, it turned off and has since been acting and playing normally.

by bill on 12/19/2007

won't turn off 1GB Ipod Nano won't turn off! It plays music but won't turn off!

by Jake Miller on 1/17/2008

Ipod touch wont turn on. One day i was messin around on my ipod touch and now it wont turn on.
What do i do??

by Corinne on 2/23/2008

My iPod won't turn off at all.
I know how to turn it off and it's not workingg.
I'm getting very frustrated.
PLEASE HELLPPP!!!

by Tina on 8/15/2008

my ipod is frozen!!!! what do i do HELLLLLPPPPPPPP ME

by Loz on 9/10/2008

I borrowed my boyfriends ipod and dint no how to turn it off haha but this site has hepled thanks (:

by anonymous on 10/24/2008

MY IPOD WONT TURN ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my ipod is not turning on. please help me!!!!!!!! wat do i do?

by annie on 12/1/2008

how do you turn off a 30gb ipod.... we got it but dont know how to turn it off

by bob on 12/2/2008

help please how do i turn it off

by a on 12/20/2008

hold the play/pause button as described and make sure the hold button is off

by Obi on 12/31/2008

Try reading the whole article before posting about how you can't turn it off etc.

by rookie on 1/7/2009

thank you. Extremely helpful.

by Elaine on 1/15/2009

Thanks you... For such a simple thing as how to tunr an ipod off. I didn't think technology was made to make you look stupid :o) I'm sure I'll be back. Thanks again

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How to Turn off an iPod

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