Frozen iPod Help

If your iPod is frozen or doesn't respond.

Symptoms

If your iPod does not power on, is stuck with just the battery logo showing, has stopped responding while playing music (in which case the Click Wheel doesn't respond) or it will not wake from sleep.

Solution when it will not power on
Try the following steps:

Make sure the Hold switch is on. Toggle the Hold switch, slide the switch to Hold (an orange bar appears) and then slide it back (orange bar is hidden). Your iPod will not respond if the Hold switch is set to off.
Make sure the battery is charged. The iPod won't turn on if the battery is empty. Instead, a low battery screen appears for about 3 seconds when you try to turn it on. Note: If you are connecting via USB and the battery is completely discharged, there may be up to a 30-minute delay before iPod powers up. Click here for more information.
Reset the iPod (full instructions) by holding down the Menu and Center buttons for 10 seconds.
Let the iPod charge for at least 20 minutes. Note: If the iPod is connected to a computer, make sure the computer is not set to sleep, standby, or hibernate.
After the iPod has charged for at least 20 minutes and while it is still connected to the power source, toggle the Hold switch again as in step 1.
- If the Apple logo appears on the display, connect the iPod to a computer and verify that it appears in iTunes and can play music. If the iPod appears in iTunes and can play music, no further troubleshooting is needed.
- If the Apple logo does not appear or the iPod is not seen in iTunes, the iPod should be serviced.
If iPod does not turn on, disconnect it from all power sources and leave it disconnected for about 24 hours, then reset your iPod again. If it turns on now, use the iPod Updater to update your iPod's software.
- If the Apple logo does not appear or the iPod is not seen in iTunes, the iPod should be serviced.

How to unfreeze and reset an iPod touch.

Recharge - If you see this screen or the screen says, "Charging. Please wait...", keep iPod touch connected so it continues charging.
Note:
* Use a high-power USB port such as the one on your computer, or use your iPod touch AC adapter (sold separately).
* Don't use the USB port on your keyboard because it is a low-power port and iPod touch will not charge.
Restart - Try restarting iPod touch. To turn it off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears. Slide your finger across the slider to turn off iPod touch. To turn iPod touch on, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.
Does iPod touch appear frozen or stuck? Try pressing and holding the Home button for 6 seconds to close a frozen application. Then try restarting iPod touch again.
Reset - To reset iPod touch, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time until you see the Apple logo.
Remove Content - If iPod touch is not working as expected, it may be due to some of the content synced to it. Try selectively removing certain content that may be causing unexpected behavior such as songs, contacts, calendars, photos, videos, or podcasts. To remove content, connect iPod touch via USB and use iTunes to change the sync settings. Click on iPod touch in the Source list, and select each tab to change what content is synced and click Apply.
Reset Settings - Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings
Note: This will reset all settings. No data or media will be deleted.
If that does not resolve your issue, try erasing all settings.
Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings
Note: This will delete all media and data. All settings will be reset as well.
Restore - Try restoring iPod touch using iTunes.
Connect iPod touch. When it appears in the Source list, click on Restore in the Summary tab.
Note: This will delete all media and data. All settings will be reset as well.

If you think your iPod needs repair(click to help verify)

Apple iPod Support - Main Page try here, Apple provides plenty of help. Make sure you make use of the search functions to drill down to the information you need.

Not finding the help you need, try these pages or use the handy site search in top upper left corner: