How to Restart Your Android Phone Without Power Button: 2 Easy Ways

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ZDNET Highlights

• You should make a habit of restarting your phone.
• There are several ways to restart an Android device.
• These methods can help with wear and tear on physical buttons.

I regularly restart my Pixel 9 Pro, and there’s a good reason for that. In fact, there are several reasons why I restart my phone regularly (at least weekly). Here’s a short list for you to consider:

• Improves performance by clearing temporary cache.
• Enhances security by disrupting potential cyber attacks and clearing potential malware stored in memory.
• Addresses issues such as if your phone is slowing down, overheating, apps are crashing, and you’re having connectivity issues, a restart will often fix these issues.

Only those three points will help you to access your Android phone.

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As for me, I usually restart my phone every Saturday. I have to do this manually, as Google removed an auto-restart feature from Android some time ago. There are apps available to add this functionality back, but I would prefer to do it myself.

Every time I restart my phone, it’s as if some kind of magic has happened under the hood; My Pixel 9 Pro is back to being professional again. You should also seriously consider doing this. Of course, you probably already know how to restart your phone. Press and hold that Power button until the Power menu appears and tap Restart. This is simple.

However, what if there is some reason why you can’t press and hold that button? I know some people who have arthritis in their fingers, and pressing and holding the buttons can be a challenge. Additionally, wear and tear of physical buttons is a real thing.

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Luckily, Android has alternative ways to restart the OS, options that don’t require pressing and holding a physical button. I use one of these methods, and I think you’ll find it better than using a button. Let me show you how.

How to restart your Android phone from notification shade

If you pull down the notification shade twice on your Android phone, you will see a small power icon at the bottom right corner. Tap that button, and the same power menu appears (as if you’d gone the physical button route).

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Tap Restart and voila – your phone will restart.

This is the method I always use to restart my phone.

How to restart your Android phone from the Accessibility menu

This method requires that you enable the Accessibility menu.

Once you enable this feature, you will see an expandable menu button at the bottom left of your display. Tap that button, and the Accessibility menu appears, where you can tap the Power button to reveal the power menu. Wow!

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To enable the Accessibility menu, follow these steps.

Close the Settings app, and you’ll see an Accessibility menu shortcut at the bottom right of your display. Tap that button, tap Power Options, and then tap Restart.

Now you have several ways to restart your Android phone.

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Editor’s note: This story was originally published in September 2025 and last updated and fact-checked in October 2025.