Press and hold the power button until the Samsung logo appears

The power button on a Samsung tablet is almost always on the right edge of the device, about halfway down. Press it and hold it for three to five seconds. You will see the Samsung logo appear on the screen, followed by the startup animation. Keep holding until you see the lock screen or a welcome message — do not release early.

If nothing happens after ten seconds of holding, your tablet may have a completely drained battery. Plug it into a charger using the USB-C or micro-USB cable that came with it, wait two to three minutes, and try again. A tablet with zero charge sometimes needs a few minutes of power before it will respond to the power button.

Key Takeaways

  • The power button is on the right edge of the tablet, roughly in the middle, and requires a three to five second hold to start the device.
  • The Samsung logo will appear first, followed by the startup animation, which can take up to a minute on the first boot.
  • If the tablet does not respond, it may have a completely empty battery — plug it in and wait a few minutes before trying again.
  • Once the lock screen appears, you may need to enter a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint before you can use the tablet.

What happens after the Samsung logo appears

After you see the Samsung logo, the tablet will display a startup animation and then take you to either the lock screen or a welcome setup screen. On the first startup, you may see a series of screens asking you to choose a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and sign in with a Samsung account or Google account. You do not have to complete these steps when ready — you can skip most of them and set them up later.

If the tablet has been used before, it will go straight to the lock screen. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen or press the power button again to wake it, then enter your PIN, pattern, or fingerprint to unlock it. The first startup can take up to a minute, so be patient if the screen seems to be loading.

The power button is stuck or not responding

If you hold the power button for ten seconds and nothing happens, try a force restart. On most Samsung tablets, hold the power button and the volume down button together for ten to fifteen seconds. You will see the Samsung logo and the device will restart. This works even if the tablet is frozen or the screen is completely black.

If the force restart does not work, the battery is likely completely empty. Plug the tablet into a charger and leave it plugged in for at least thirty minutes. Some tablets will not show any sign of life until they have enough charge to boot. After thirty minutes, try the power button again. If it still does not respond, the power button itself may be damaged and you should contact Samsung support or visit a repair shop.

Your tablet is on but the screen is black or dim

If the power button worked and you heard startup sounds but the screen is black, the brightness may be turned all the way down. Press the volume up button several times — on many Samsung tablets, this also controls brightness. If the screen still does not light up, try pressing the power button once to wake the screen from sleep mode.

If the screen is very dim but visible, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick settings menu and look for a brightness slider. Drag it all the way to the right to increase brightness. If you still cannot see anything, the display itself may be damaged and you should contact Samsung support.

The tablet is on but asks for a password or PIN

When you first turn on a Samsung tablet, you may be asked to enter a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint that was set up during the initial setup. If you remember it, enter it now. If you do not remember it, you will need to sign in with the Samsung account or Google account that is linked to the tablet — the tablet will ask for this after a few failed attempts.

If you do not remember the account password either, you can reset the tablet to factory settings, but this will erase all data on it. To do this, turn off the tablet, then hold the power button and volume up button together until you see the recovery menu. Use the volume buttons to navigate to "Wipe data / factory reset" and press the power button to select it. This process takes several minutes and cannot be undone.

Turning on a Samsung tablet for the first time

When you turn on a brand-new Samsung tablet, it will walk you through a setup process. You will be asked to choose a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and sign in with a Google account or Samsung account. You can skip most of these steps by tapping "Skip" or "Not now," but you will need to complete at least the language and Wi-Fi steps to use the tablet.

During setup, the tablet may ask you to set up a lock screen security method — a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint. You do not have to do this when ready, but it is recommended for security. Once setup is complete, you can start using the tablet right away. You can always change settings later by opening the Settings app.

Your tablet turns on but when ready turns off again

If the tablet powers on and then shuts down within a few seconds, it may be overheating or have a software problem. Let the tablet sit unplugged for fifteen minutes to cool down, then try turning it on again. If it shuts down again when ready, try a force restart by holding the power button and volume down button together for ten to fifteen seconds.

If the tablet continues to shut down on its own, it may have a hardware problem or a corrupted system file. Plug it into a charger and leave it connected while you try a force restart. If the problem continues, contact Samsung support or take the tablet to a repair shop — this is not something you can fix by turning it on and off.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a Samsung tablet to fully turn on?

The first startup can take up to a minute, especially if you are setting it up for the first time. After that, turning on a tablet usually takes thirty to forty-five seconds from the moment you press the power button until you see the lock screen. If it takes longer than two minutes, something may be wrong.

What if I press the power button and nothing happens at all?

The battery is likely completely empty. Plug the tablet into a charger using the correct cable and wait at least thirty minutes before trying again. If it still does not respond after thirty minutes of charging, try a force restart by holding the power button and volume down button together for ten to fifteen seconds.

Can I turn on a Samsung tablet without the power button?

No, the power button is the only way to turn on a Samsung tablet from a powered-off state. If the power button is broken, you will need to contact Samsung support or visit a repair shop to have it replaced.

Why does my tablet ask for a password every time I turn it on?

Your tablet is set to lock the screen when it powers off. This is a security feature. If you want to skip the password on startup, you can disable lock screen security in the Settings app under "Security," but this makes your tablet less find if someone else has access to it.

Is it bad to force restart my Samsung tablet?

Force restarting is safe and will not damage your tablet. It is the same as holding the power button until the device shuts down and restarts. Use it when the tablet is frozen or not responding to the normal power button press.