Samsung Galaxy S8 Won’t Turn On? Here Are 10 Ways to Fix It (Charge, Restart + More Tips)

If your Samsung Galaxy S8 is not turning on, don’t panic. There are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and get it working again. Follow this guide to diagnose and resolve a Galaxy S8 that is completely unresponsive when you try to power it on.

1. Charge Your S8

The first thing to try when your S8 won’t power on is charging it. Use the original Samsung charging cable and adapter and plug your phone in for at least 30 minutes before attempting to turn it on.

Charge S8

This will give the battery enough initial charge to potentially boot up the device. Inspect the charging port for debris that could be preventing a proper connection. If it still doesn’t turn on after sufficiently charging, move on to attempting a forced restart.

2. Force Restart Your S8

Press and hold the Volume Down key and Power button together for 10-20 seconds to force restart your Galaxy S8.

Keep holding the buttons past any vibrations until you see the Samsung logo appear on the screen.

Restart

Releasing the buttons when the logo shows up will boot your phone back up. A forced restart often fixes minor software glitches preventing normal startup.

3. Boot Into Safe Mode

Boot your S8 into Safe Mode to determine if apps or software may be causing startup issues:

  • Make sure your phone is off
  • Press and hold Power + Volume Down until Samsung logo appears
  • Keep holding Volume Down until “Safe Mode” appears

Safe Mode disables third party apps and software. If your phone works normally in Safe Mode, uninstall any problematic apps or do a factory reset to fix the issue.

4. Wipe the Cache Partition

Wiping the cache partition can clear out corrupted files preventing startup. Here’s how:

  • Turn your S8 off
  • Press and hold Power + Volume Up + Bixby until recovery menu appears
  • Use Volume keys to select “Wipe cache partition”
  • Press Power to select and complete wipe
  • “Reboot system now” will appear when finished – select this

This resets the cache without deleting personal data. If successful, your S8 should now be able to turn on.

5. Reset Your S8 to Factory Settings

If the above steps don’t work, reset your S8:

  • Backup data first, this erases everything
  • With S8 off, press Volume Up + Bixby + Power until Samsung logo shows
  • Use Volume keys to select “Factory data reset”
  • Press Power button to select and begin reset
  • Once completed, select “Reboot system now”

Resetting to factory default settings often resolves software issues preventing startup. Only use this solution as a last resort.

6. Check for Physical Damage

If your S8 was recently dropped or damaged, hardware issues could be preventing it from turning on.

Carefully inspect the phone body, screen, buttons and ports for any signs of damage. Even if it looks fine externally, internal components like the motherboard may be malfunctioning.

Check for damage

Connecting it to a computer can help determine whether the issue is hardware or software-related. If the computer doesn’t recognize your S8, there is likely internal damage requiring professional repair.

7. Use Original Samsung Charger

Be sure to use the official Samsung charging cable and adapter that came with your S8. Generic or third party chargers often don’t provide adequate steady power delivery to start up a completely dead battery.

Test your charger with another device like wireless headphones or a second phone. If it powers those devices, the issue is with your S8 itself, not the charger. Avoid using power banks, car chargers, or computer USB charging to revive your S8.

8. Let the Battery Cool Down

In rare cases, an overheated or swollen battery can prevent an S8 from turning back on. If you know your phone recently overheated or you notice any battery swelling, allow 1-2 hours for it to fully cool before attempting to power up.

Do not charge or attempt to restart an overheated phone – this could damage components or be dangerous. Moving the device to a cool location and allowing time for the battery to stabilize is the safest approach.

9. Get Professional Repair Assistance

For any hardware-related issue preventing power on, seek professional repair help. Samsung and authorized service centers have the expertise to accurately troubleshoot and resolve a wide range of no power issues.

Technicians can determine if the problem stems from the battery, charging port, motherboard or other components. DIY fixes for hardware problems often create bigger issues. Get qualified help to get your Galaxy S8 working properly again quickly and safely.

10. Contact Samsung Support

If you still can’t get your S8 to turn on after trying these troubleshooting tips, contact Samsung Support. Their experts can provide customized troubleshooting guidance based on your unique situation.

Provide details on when the issue started, any events leading up to it, and steps you’ve tried already. They can also initiate a warranty repair or replacement if your S8 is still covered. Getting Samsung involved gives you the best shot at determining the cause and solution.

TheDroidGuy Mailbag

🛠️If you have questions, check our Help section for details on how to submit your questions.💡


Posts You Might Like

68 thoughts on “Samsung Galaxy S8 Won’t Turn On? Here Are 10 Ways to Fix It (Charge, Restart + More Tips)”

  1. I about had a heart attack this morning when I took my S8 off the charger the light didn’t turn off and the screen didn’t display.

    One thing to note: On the forced reboot/soft reset, you will be given four (4) options. Use the volume keys to navigate, and the “Bixby” key to select. Option 1 will do a normal boot, as if you’re turning the device on.

  2. THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!! I was so upset this morning because ive only have this phone for a few months (s8). I was going to call tech support but I found your website and “the down button with the power button” suggestion WORKED!!! I’m so happy as it is very hard to take time off work to make those long tech support calls. AND I
    don’t have to get another phone…THANK GOD!

  3. My S8 plus died after choosing “reboot” option. Died complectly. It took Samsung almost 2 weekes to repair it, and now, after a week of using it – it died again (same, after reboot). This really sucks. It’s an expensive device, it should sovle problems not generate them.
    Never buying Samsung again.

  4. my galaxy had shut off randomly at work. your page was the first that i checked. i was able to fix it with step 1 ! hopefully this doesnt indicate any underlying problems

Leave a Comment