If your Samsung tablet won’t shut down, hold Side + Volume Down for 7–10 seconds to force-restart, then review button settings and misbehaving apps.
Stuck on a black screen? Frozen on a home screen? A Galaxy Tab that refuses to power down is annoying, but you can fix it with a few quick moves. This guide walks through fast resets, button combinations, and settings tweaks that get the power menu back, even when the screen won’t respond.
Tablet Won’t Power Down: Fast Answers
Start with a force restart using the Side and Volume Down buttons. If the menu still won’t show, call up the power icon from Quick settings, or change what a long press does in Side key settings. If a buggy app is locking the screen, boot into Safe mode and remove it. Still stuck? Recovery mode and a data backup come next.
Quick Fix Matrix (Pick The Match)
| Symptom | What To Try First | Steps (Short) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen frozen, taps don’t register | Force restart | Hold Side + Volume Down for ~7–10 sec until the screen goes dark and the logo appears. |
| Power key opens assistant, not power menu | Change Side key setting | Swipe down twice > tap Power icon > Side button settings > set Press and hold to Power off menu. |
| Power menu visible, but device hangs on shutdown | Safe mode test | Press and hold Power off on the on-screen menu > tap Safe mode > retry shutdown. |
| Buttons work, but no menu appears | Use Quick settings power | Swipe down twice > tap the top-right Power icon > Power off or Restart. |
| Looping reboots or deep freeze | Recovery mode | Power off > hold Power + Volume Up until recovery screen > try Reboot system now or Wipe cache. |
Do A Proper Force Restart
When the touch layer stalls, a long press of two buttons cuts power signals and reboots the system.
- Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down together.
- Keep holding for about 7–10 seconds. Ignore screen flickers.
- Release when the Samsung logo appears.
This restart won’t erase data. It’s the fastest fix for a frozen panel or an app that seized the UI.
Open The Power Menu Without The Side Key
If the long press launches an assistant or nothing happens, use the on-screen route:
- Swipe down with two fingers to open Quick settings.
- Tap the Power icon in the top-right corner.
- Choose Power off or Restart.
On recent One UI builds, the Side key and Bixby key merged into one button. The on-screen power icon gives you a reliable path to shutdown even if the key’s long-press action is remapped.
Fix The Side Key So Long-Press Opens Power Options
If a long press keeps waking an assistant, flip the setting so it shows the power menu.
- Open the on-screen Power icon from Quick settings.
- Tap Side button settings.
- Under Press and hold, pick Power off menu.
Now a long press will always bring up shutdown choices. If you like double-press shortcuts, you can keep those while restoring the long-press power action.
Use Safe Mode To Rule Out A Problem App
Third-party apps can hook into the system and block normal power actions. Safe mode runs only system apps, which makes shutdown simple again.
- Open the on-screen Power menu.
- Touch and hold Power off until Safe mode appears.
- Tap Safe mode. The device restarts with a badge on the corner.
Try to power off. If it works here, uninstall the most recent or suspicious apps, then reboot back to normal mode and test again. You can also reach Safe mode from a powered-off state by turning the tablet on and holding Volume Down when the logo appears.
Want the official walk-through for Safe mode? See Safe mode steps for Galaxy devices. For a general Android freeze fix, Google’s guide is here: Android help: device freezes.
Close Or Remove The App That Froze The Screen
After a successful reboot, clear the culprit so the hang doesn’t return:
- Force stop a stuck app: Settings > Apps > choose the app > Force stop.
- Uninstall the offender: Settings > Apps > select the app > Uninstall.
- Update laggy apps: Open Play Store > Manage apps > Update all.
- Clear space: Free 10–20% storage so the system can write logs and caches.
Try Recovery Mode When Nothing Responds
If the power menu won’t show and the screen won’t accept touch, Recovery mode gives you a text menu that doesn’t need the UI.
- Power off if you can. If not, wait for the battery to drain to 0% to force shutdown.
- Hold Power + Volume Up until the recovery screen appears.
- Use the volume keys to move and the power key to select.
- Pick Reboot system now. If freezes keep coming back, try Wipe cache partition. Leave Wipe data/factory reset as a last resort after a backup.
Recovery tools are built in and work even when the regular interface is stuck.
Button Combos And What They Do
Different tasks call for different long presses. Here’s a handy map you can save.
| Action | Buttons | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Force restart | Side + Volume Down (7–10 sec) | Reboots a frozen tablet without data loss. |
| Open power menu (hardware) | Side + Volume Down (brief press) | Shows Power off / Restart when the key is merged. |
| Open power menu (on-screen) | Quick settings > Power icon | Tap Power off or Restart if the Side key is remapped. |
| Safe mode | Press and hold Power off on screen | Boots with only system apps active. |
| Recovery mode | Power + Volume Up (hold) | Text menu: reboot, wipe cache, factory reset. |
When The Power Key Itself Is The Problem
If the Side key feels mushy or doesn’t click, try these moves before a repair ticket:
- Use the on-screen power: Quick settings > Power icon.
- Remap the long press: Side button settings > set Press and hold to Power off menu.
- Plug in a USB-C keyboard or mouse: Use the pointer to reach the power icon and shut down cleanly.
Stop The Freeze From Returning
A stable tablet shuts down normally every time. These tweaks keep it that way:
- Keep software current: Settings > Software update > Download and install.
- Audit launchers and lock apps: Remove ones that grab gestures or overlays you don’t use.
- Watch heavy games and streaming apps: If hangs track back to one title, clear its cache or switch to a lighter build.
- Storage hygiene: Clear old downloads, large videos, and stale APKs. Leave some free space.
Safe Mode Uninstall Flow (Clean And Simple)
Found that shutdown works only in Safe mode? Remove the bad actor with this flow:
- Restart into Safe mode.
- Open Settings > Apps.
- Sort by Last used or Last updated.
- Uninstall the suspect app, then restart normally.
- Repeat if the issue returns.
When A Full Reset Is Worth It
If the tablet still hangs on shutdown even after Safe mode cleanup and cache wipes, a factory reset can clear deep conflicts. Back up first: Samsung Cloud, Google Drive, or a computer copy of your photos and files. Then head to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset. After setup, keep the Side key set to the power menu and add apps back in small batches to spot the trigger early.
Power Menu, Every Time
Your end goal is reliability: Side-button long press brings the power menu, the on-screen power icon always works, and a force restart is muscle memory. With the steps above, a tablet that refused to shut down goes back to normal—and stays that way.