A broken power button can be frustrating, especially when it prevents you from turning on your phone.
Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to turn on your device without the power button.
Connect your charger
One of the easiest methods is to plug your phone into a charger. Many smartphones will automatically turn on when plugged in.
If your phone still has some battery left, connecting it to a charger can wake it up even if the power button is broken. Wait a few moments to see if the phone turns on on its own.
Use a keyboard shortcut
Most modern phones allow you to use other hardware buttons to turn the device on. Typically, you can try the following combinations:
- Volume down + Home button + Volume up
- Volume down + Volume up + Home button
- Decrease volume + increase volume
Keep holding these buttons for a few seconds until the home screen appears. If your phone has a physical home button, it is usually part of the combination.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Use USB debugging
If you enabled USB debugging on your phone before the power button broke, you can turn it on using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from your computer. Follow these steps:
- Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
- Open a command prompt or terminal on your computer.
- Type the adb devices command to make sure your phone is recognized.
- Type the adb reboot command to turn on your phone.
This method requires USB debugging to be set up beforehand, so it is only effective if the feature was enabled before the power button malfunction occurred.
Here you will find our guides on how to root your Android phone or tablet and how to exit your Android phone’s Safe Mode, including USB debugging. You should also download and install Minimal ADB & Fastboot on your computer.
Download an app
If your phone still works but the power button is unreliable, you can download an app like “Power Button to Volume Button” from the Google Play Store.
This app allows you to turn on the screen with the volume button instead of the power button.
There are also apps like Gravity Screen, which activates your phone screen when you pick up the device, and Shake Screen On Off, which does something similar.
Looking for professional repair
If none of the above methods work, it may be time to seek professional help. A repair shop can either fix or replace the broken power button, restoring full functionality to your phone.
If you get away with it this time, be sure to back up your data regularly to avoid losing important information if the device stops responding altogether.