Reset an iPod

Your iPod is frozen and you can't get it to work? Want to change that? Luckily, resetting your iPod is not too difficult, and there are multiple methods you can use depending on how serious your situation is. Resetting or restoring your iPod will not solve any serious problems with your iPod's hardware, but will fix any bugs or glitches that may be slowing you down. See Step 1 below to learn how.

Steps

Resetting Your iPod

iPod Touch and Nano 7th Generation

  1. Press and hold the Power button. If your iPod Touch is functioning properly, the Power Slider will appear after a few seconds. Swipe it to power your iPod Touch down. Press and hold the Power button after it is turned off to turn it on again.
  2. Reset a frozen iPod Touch. If your iPod Touch is not responding, you can perform a hard reset. This will reboot your iPod, and will terminate any apps that are currently running.
    • Press and hold the Power button and the Home button for 10 seconds. The Apple logo will appear and the device will reset.[1]

iPod Nano 6th and 7th Generation

  1. Identify the 6th generation Nano. The 6th generation Nano is comprised entirely of a screen. It has a square shape instead of the traditional rectangle.
  2. Reset the 6th generation Nano. If the 6th generation Nano is not responding, you can press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button for about 8 seconds. The Apple logo should appear if the reset happens correctly. You may need to repeat this in order to get it to work.
    • Plug the Nano into a power adapter or computer if you can't get it to reset. While the iPod is charging, try the reset process again.

iPod with Click Wheel

  1. Toggle the Hold switch. One of the quickest and easiest ways to reset a frozen iPod with a Click Wheel is to toggle the Hold switch on and off again. Most times, this will fix a frozen or unresponsive iPod.
  2. Reset a frozen iPod. If the Hold switch toggle doesn't work, you can perform a hard reset in order to regain control over the iPod. To do so, press and hold the Menu and Select button. The Menu button is located at the top of the Click Wheel, and the Select button is in the center of the Wheel.
    • Press and hold the buttons for at least 8 seconds. When the Apple logo appears on the screen, the iPod has been reset.
    • You may have to repeat the hard reset process in order for it to work.
    • The easiest way to perform this reset is to set the iPod on a flat surface and use two hands to press the buttons.

Restoring Your iPod

  1. Plug your iPod into your computer. If you can't reset your iPod no matter what you do, you may need to restore it. Restoring your iPod will erase all of the data, but you can load an old backup so that you don't have to start over from scratch.
  2. Open iTunes. If your device does not appear in iTunes, even though it is plugged in, you may need to enable Recovery Mode. You will need to unplug your iPod from your computer to enter Recovery Mode. See this guide for detailed instructions. If your iPod is recognized by iTunes, continue to the next step.
  3. Make a backup. Select your iPod and find the "Back Up Now" button in the Backups section. This will allow you to back up your settings, apps, and pictures to your computer before you restore your iPod. If your iPod is not functioning, you may not be able to make a new backup before restoring.
    • Make sure to back up to your computer instead of iCloud, as an iCloud backup doesn't save everything.
  4. Restore the iPod. With a backup safely made, you're ready to restore your iPod. Click the "Restore iPod" button to begin the restore process. You will be asked to confirm that you want to restore.
    • The restore process can range from several minutes to an hour, so make sure that you have enough time to wait for it to finish.
  5. Reload your old backup. After the restore process is complete, you can start using your iPod as if it was new, or you can load an old backup file. This will restore all of your settings and apps. You can load an old backup after the restore process is complete and the "Welcome to your New iPod" window appears. Select "Restore from this backup", ensure that the correct backup has been selected, and click Continue.[2]



Tips

  • Always keep back-ups of all your music. That way you can just restore your iPod when something goes haywire, and it you can put it all back on there.
  • If you plug in your iPod and it says "iPod is corrupt, you may need to restore it", do not restore it. Unplug it and try to reset it. Restoring it will wipe your iPod, and you won't have a chance to back-up the files.
  • Make sure the iPod is frozen. Normally if an iPod isn't starting up, it's just out of power. Plug it in to charge. If it freezes while you use it, or when you remove it or plug it in to a computer, then you have a freeze.
  • None of the above steps (Except Restore) will wipe any information off your iPod. If your iPod is corrupted, it will be because of something either you did wrong or some corrupted file you put on it.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1430
  2. ↑ http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/restoring-ipod-touch-after-forgotten-passcode/
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