How to Turn on Your iPod: Touch, Nano, Classic, and Shuffle

PDF download Download Article
An overview of every type of iPod and how to turn them on
PDF download Download Article

There are four different kinds of iPods: iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle. While the method for turning an iPod on or off varies a bit depending on the type and generation, most of them are pretty simple. This article covers how to turn on every kind of iPod.

How to Turn on Your iPod

  • Turn on an iPod touch or an iPod nano (6th-7th gen) by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button.
  • Press any button on an iPod nano (1st-5th gen) or iPod classic to wake it up.
  • Slide the three-way switch to the on position to turn on an iPod shuffle.
  • Make sure your iPod is fully charged and that the Hold switch is unlocked, if it has one.
Section 1 of 5:

iPod Touch

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Sleep/Wake button is at the top of the iPod touch. Hold it down until you see the
    Mac Apple
    Apple logo on the screen. [1]
    • If your iPod touch isn’t turning on, the battery may be drained. Plug it into a charger and try again.
    • To turn off your iPod touch, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until the power slider appears, then drag the slider to power down.
      • Alternatively, navigate to
        iPhone Settings App Icon
        Settings > General > Shut Down and then drag the power slider .
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 5:

iPod Nano

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you’re using a newer iPod nano, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the screen lights up. This button is located at the top of the iPod nano on the right side.
    • To turn your iPod Nano off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the screen goes dark again.
  2. On all other models of iPod nano, press any button on the iPod to wake it. Make sure the Hold switch is in the unlocked position (no orange should be visible on the switch).
    • To turn it off again, either let it fall asleep on its own or press and hold the Play/Pause button until it goes dark.
    3. Advertisement
Section 3 of 5:

iPod Classic

PDF download Download Article
  1. Turning on an iPod classic is simple. With the Hold switch in the unlocked position, press any button and the screen should light up. [2]
    • To turn off iPod classic , press and hold the Play/Pause button .
    • You can tell if the Hold switch is unlocked by looking at the switch. If any orange is visible next to the switch, it’s locked.
Section 4 of 5:

iPod Shuffle

PDF download Download Article
  1. There’s a three-way switch at the top of the iPod shuffle. You’ll see green next to the switch when it’s in the “on” position.
    • Slide the switch the other way to turn it off.
    2. Advertisement
Section 5 of 5:

Troubleshooting

PDF download Download Article
  1. If your iPod isn’t turning on, the battery might be drained. Plug it into a charger, give it a little time to charge, and try again.
  2. If you have an iPod classic or an iPod nano generation 1 through 5, the Hold switch may be in the lock position, preventing it from turning on. If the Hold switch shows orange, it’s in the locked position. Toggle the switch to the unlocked position. Turn on the iPod.
    • Even if the Hold switch is unlocked, it may prevent the iPod from turning on. Toggle the Hold switch firmly from unlocked to locked and back to unlocked.
  3. If your iPod starts up but doesn’t work properly, it might need a force restart. The right way to do this depends on your model. To learn how to force restart your iPod, check out the instructions on the Apple Support website .
    4. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • Some types of iPods, such as the Nano 1st-5th generations, can’t be turned off—just put in sleep mode. They will power down completely if the battery runs out, however.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Copy Music from Your iPod to Your Computer
      How to
      Check & Identify Your iPod's Generation
      How to
      Unlock a Disabled iPod
      5 Easy Ways to Open Any Otterbox Case
      How to
      Add Music to an iPod
      How to
      Turn Off Your iPod Classic
      How to
      Charge an iPod Shuffle
      4 Easy Ways to Get Windows to Recognize Your iPod
      How to
      Reset & Restore Every Gen of iPod Nano
      Easy Ways to Reset and Restore an iPod
      2 Ways to Transfer Songs Off Your iPod Without iTunes
      How to
      Put Music on iPod Shuffle
      2 Ways to Turn Off Your iPod Touch, Nano & Classic
      How to
      Put an iPod Into Disk Mode
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/ipod-touch/turn-ipod-touch-on-or-off-iph841379c3d/ios
      2. ↑ http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1195/en_US/iPod_classic_160GB_User_Guide.pdf

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 92,005 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement