Turn Off Low Power Mode Apple Watch

Turn off Low Power Mode on Apple Watch from Control Center by tapping the battery percent, then switching Low Power Mode off.

Low Power Mode is handy when you’re trying to stretch a charge. When you’re back near a charger, it can feel like your watch is holding back. You might notice slower updates in complications, fewer background checks, or a different feel during workouts. Turning it off brings your watch back to its normal behavior.

This walkthrough covers every reliable way to switch Low Power Mode off, plus the fixes that help when the toggle is missing, stuck, or keeps turning itself back on.

What Low Power Mode Changes On Apple Watch

Low Power Mode isn’t just a dimmer screen. It reduces or pauses several features that use steady power. That’s why the watch can feel different even if you never open Settings.

Area	What Changes	What You Might Notice
Background Activity	Less app refresh and less background syncing	Apps update when you open them more often
Sensor Checks	Reduced background sensor work	Fewer passive readings until normal mode returns
Display And Wake	Lower-power screen behavior	Less frequent screen wakes and fewer live updates
Workout Behavior	Workout can run in a lower-power state	Longer workout battery life with different background behavior

If you turned it on during travel, a long day, or a low-battery warning, switching it off when you’re done is the cleanest way to restore your usual experience.

Turning Off Low Power Mode On Apple Watch In Control Center

This is the quickest route, and it works even if your iPhone isn’t nearby.

Open Control Center — Press the Side button once from your watch face.
Tap The Battery Percent — Select the battery percentage tile to open battery details.
Switch Low Power Mode Off — Toggle Low Power Mode off, then return to your watch face.

If you want Apple’s own step list for this exact screen flow, this page matches what you’ll see on watchOS: Apple’s Low Power Mode steps for Apple Watch.

Turn Off Low Power Mode From Settings On The Watch

If you prefer menus, or if the Control Center path is annoying in the moment, the Battery menu gets you to the same switch.

Open Settings — Press the Digital Crown, then tap the Settings app.
Open Battery — Scroll down, then tap Battery.
Toggle Low Power Mode Off — Switch Low Power Mode to off.

This route is also useful if you’re already changing battery-related settings and want everything in one place.

Turn Off Low Power Mode Using Your iPhone

If your watch screen is being finicky, or you just prefer a larger screen, the Watch app on iPhone can switch Low Power Mode off too.

Open The Watch App — Launch the Watch app on iPhone.
Go To Battery — Tap My Watch, then tap Battery.
Switch Low Power Mode Off — Turn Low Power Mode off and leave the Watch app open for a moment.

If it doesn’t change right away on the watch, keep Bluetooth on and give it a minute. The setting normally syncs quickly.

When Low Power Mode Turns Off By Itself

Sometimes you don’t have to touch anything. Apple Watch can return to normal power mode on its own in a couple of common cases.

Charge Up Past The Threshold — Low Power Mode can switch off when the watch charges to around 80%, unless you selected a timed option.
Timed Mode Ends — If you chose an “On For 1 Day / 2 Days / 3 Days” option, the watch can keep it on until that window ends.
Battery Alert Is Over — If you enabled it from a low-battery prompt, charging and normal use can bring you back to standard mode.

If you keep seeing Low Power Mode return after you turned it off, check whether you previously picked a timed option. Turning it off manually still works, but a timed setting can catch you off guard later.

Fixes When You Can’t Turn Low Power Mode Off

In most cases, the toggle works instantly. When it doesn’t, the cause is usually one of these: Control Center access is different than you remember, the watch is too low on charge, or the interface is lagging.

Control Center Won’t Open

On recent watchOS versions, Control Center opens with the Side button. If you keep swiping and nothing happens, you’re likely using an older gesture from an earlier layout.

Go To The Watch Face — Press the Digital Crown once to exit any app.
Press The Side Button — Use the Side button to open Control Center.
Try Again After A Short Pause — If the first press doesn’t respond, wait a second and press again.

If you want a refresher on where Apple places the Control Center controls on your watchOS version, this is the official Control Center guide: Use Control Center on Apple Watch.

The Toggle Is Greyed Out Or Flips Back On

This often shows up when the battery is already low or the watch is struggling with lag. Charging briefly and restarting clears a lot of weird behavior.

Charge For Ten Minutes — Put the watch on its charger, wait a bit, then try switching it off again.
Restart The Watch — Hold the Side button, tap the power icon, then slide to power off. Turn it back on after a few seconds.
Restart The iPhone Too — If you’re using the Watch app route, restart the phone to refresh the connection.

If the watch won’t power off from the normal menu, you can force a restart. Hold the Digital Crown and the Side button together until the Apple logo appears, then release both.

You Can’t Find Low Power Mode Anywhere

If you don’t see Low Power Mode at all, one of these is usually true: the watchOS version is older, you’re in a different battery feature, or you’re looking in the wrong menu.

Check Your watchOS Version — Low Power Mode arrived with watchOS 9. Watches that can’t run watchOS 9 won’t show this feature.
Watch For Power Reserve — Older models used Power Reserve as the battery emergency mode, and it behaves differently.
Look At The Battery Percent Tile — On watchOS 9 and later, the battery tile in Control Center is the fastest path to the switch.

If you’re on watchOS 9 or later and the option still isn’t there, install the latest watchOS update available for your model, then restart the watch.

What To Check Right After You Turn It Off

Once Low Power Mode is off, your watch should return to its standard feature set. These quick checks confirm you’re back to normal.

Confirm The Yellow Indicator Is Gone — The yellow Low Power Mode indicator should disappear from the top area of the watch face.
Test A Notification — Send yourself a message or reminder and see if it arrives promptly.
Open A Complication — Tap a complication that updates often and see if it refreshes normally.
Start A Short Workout — Begin a quick walk and verify that heart rate and pace behave as you expect.

If something feels off for a minute, give the watch a short window to settle. A battery mode change can briefly shift background sync timing.

Battery Moves That Help You Avoid Low Power Mode

If you keep ending up in Low Power Mode, it helps to reduce the drain that’s pushing you there. You don’t have to strip your watch down. A few targeted changes often buy you a lot of time.

Cut Screen Drain Without Making The Watch Feel Bare

The display can be a steady drain, especially with frequent wakes. Small tweaks can help without changing how you use the watch.

Reduce Wake Duration — Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then set Wake Duration to a shorter option.
Lower Brightness A Step — In Display & Brightness, drop brightness one notch and use it for a day.
Disable Always On When Needed — If your model has Always On, turn it off on long days away from a charger.

Trim Background App Refresh So Only Useful Apps Update

Background refresh helps complications stay current. If you don’t rely on many complications, trimming refresh can cut steady drain.

Open Background App Refresh — Go to Settings, tap General, then tap Background App Refresh.
Switch Off Low-Value Apps — Leave refresh on for the apps you use daily, then switch off the rest.
Recheck After New Installs — New apps can add background work, so scan this list after installing apps.

Stop Constant Wrist Taps From Notifications

If your watch is buzzing all day for alerts you never act on, the battery pays the price. Cleaning up notifications also makes the watch feel calmer.

Open Watch Notifications — On iPhone, open the Watch app, then tap Notifications.
Turn Off No-Action Alerts — Disable watch alerts for apps that don’t need your attention on your wrist.
Use Silent Delivery When It Fits — Keep the alert on the phone and skip the wrist buzz for low-priority apps.

Use A Lighter Watch Face On Long Days

Faces packed with live complications can refresh more often. Keeping a simpler face ready is an easy battery saver you can switch on and off fast.

Choose Fewer Complications — Use a face with only the complications you check often.
Avoid Constantly Updating Data — Remove complications that refresh frequently when you don’t need them.
Save A Travel Face — Keep a second face set up for long days, flights, or events.

Apple also maintains a watch battery guide that includes the “Return to normal power mode” steps in the same section: Apple Watch battery and Low Power Mode guide.

A Bookmark-Ready Checklist For Turning It Off Fast

If you just want the clean action list, this is the shortest dependable path back to normal mode.

Press Side Button — Open Control Center from the watch face.
Tap Battery Percent — Open the battery details panel.
Switch Low Power Mode Off — Toggle it off and return to your watch face.
Charge Briefly If It Won’t Stick — Add a short charge, then toggle off again.
Restart If The Screen Lags — Power off and back on to clear stuck interface behavior.

After that, your Apple Watch should behave like it did before Low Power Mode was enabled, with background checks, refresh timing, and screen behavior back to normal.