The most common reason your tablet restarts repeatedly is a software crash or a full storage drive
When a tablet powers off and back on by itself over and over, it is usually one of three things: the operating system is crashing and rebooting to recover, the storage is completely full and the system cannot function, or the battery is failing and dropping voltage suddenly. Less often, it is a hardware problem like a loose connection inside or a defective power button. The good news is that most of these are fixable without taking the tablet apart.
Start by checking two things right now: how much storage space is left, and whether the tablet is hot to the touch. If it is hot, turn it off completely and let it cool for 20 minutes before trying anything else. If the storage bar shows you are using 95 percent or more of your space, that is almost certainly the culprit — the system cannot write temporary files and keeps crashing.
Key Takeaways
- A full storage drive is the single most common cause of restart loops; check your storage in Settings and delete old photos, videos, or apps if you are above 90 percent capacity.
- Force-stopping the Google Play Store or Apple App Store can fix restart loops caused by a failed update, and takes less than a minute.
- A battery that is swollen, cracked, or more than four years old will cause sudden power loss and restart cycles, and should be replaced by a technician.
- If the tablet restarts only when you open one specific app, that app has a bug or corruption; uninstalling and reinstalling it usually solves the problem.
- If nothing stops the restarts after trying these steps, the motherboard or power management system may be failing, and you should contact the manufacturer or a repair shop.
Check your storage space first
Open Settings on your tablet. On Android, tap Settings > Storage or Settings > About tablet > Storage, depending on your model. On iPad, tap Settings > General > iPad Storage. Look at the bar or percentage shown — if it says you are using more than 90 percent of your space, that is your problem.
When storage is nearly full, the operating system cannot create temporary files it needs to run apps and system processes. It crashes, reboots, and tries again, only to crash again because the storage is still full. The fix is to delete things you do not need. Start with photos and videos — these take up the most space. Go to your Photos or Gallery app, select old images or videos, and delete them. You can also delete apps you no longer use: go to Settings, find Apps or App Store, and uninstall anything you have not opened in months.
If you are still above 85 percent after deleting photos and unused apps, clear your browser cache. On Android, open your browser, tap the menu (three dots), go to Settings > Clear browsing data, and check Cached images and files. On iPad, go to Settings > [Browser name] > Clear History and Website Data. This can free up several gigabytes.
Force-stop the app store if restarts happen during updates
If your tablet started restarting after you saw an update notification, or if it restarts whenever you open the app store, the update process is stuck. Force-stopping the store app clears its cache and lets it start fresh.
On Android, go to Settings > Apps, find Google Play Store, tap it, and tap Force Stop. Wait 10 seconds, then go back to the home screen and open the Play Store again. It will restart the update from the beginning. On iPad, you cannot force-stop the App Store the same way, but you can restart the tablet completely: hold the power button until you see the power-off slider, slide it all the way, wait 30 seconds, then hold the power button again to turn it back on.
After the tablet restarts, do not open any apps yet. Let it sit for two minutes so the system can finish any background updates. Then check the App Store to see if an update is still pending — if it is, let it finish before using the tablet normally.
Uninstall and reinstall an app if it causes the restarts
If the tablet only restarts when you open one specific app — like a game, social media app, or messaging app — that app has a bug or corrupted files. Uninstalling and reinstalling it usually fixes the problem because it downloads a fresh copy.
Go to Settings > Apps (Android) or Settings > General > iPad Storage (iPad), find the app that causes the restarts, and tap Uninstall. Then open the app store, search for the app by name, and install it again. This takes a few minutes but solves the problem in most cases.
If the app restarts your tablet again after you reinstall it, the app itself is broken or incompatible with your tablet's operating system version. Contact the app maker's support team, or stop using that app and find an alternative.
Check the battery if the tablet is more than four years old
A failing battery can cause sudden power loss that looks like a restart. If your tablet is more than four years old, or if you notice the back of the tablet is swollen or warped, the battery is likely failing. Batteries degrade over time and eventually cannot hold a charge or deliver power steadily.
You can check the battery health on some tablets. On iPad, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and look at the Maximum Capacity percentage. If it is below 80 percent, the battery is aging. On Android, there is no built-in battery health tool, but you can read a free app like Battery Health or AccuBattery from the Play Store to check.
If the battery is failing, you should not try to replace it yourself — tablets are glued together and opening them risks breaking the screen or damaging internal parts. Take the tablet to an authorized repair shop or the manufacturer's service center. Battery replacement usually costs between $50 and $150 depending on the tablet model.
Restart the tablet completely if nothing else works
If you have tried the steps above and the restarts continue, do a complete restart — not just turning it off and on, but a full reboot that clears temporary files and resets the system state.
On Android, hold the power button for 10 seconds until the power menu appears, then tap Power off. Wait 30 seconds, then hold the power button again until you see the startup animation. On iPad, the method depends on your model: if it has a home button, hold the top button and home button together until you see the power-off slider; if it does not have a home button, quickly press and release the volume up button, quickly press and release the volume down button, then hold the top button until the slider appears. Slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, then hold the top button to restart.
After the restart, do not open any apps for two minutes. Let the system finish its startup processes. Then use the tablet normally and watch whether the restarts happen again. If they do, the problem is likely a hardware issue that requires professional repair.
When to contact the manufacturer or a repair shop
If your tablet keeps restarting after you have cleared storage, force-stopped the app store, uninstalled problem apps, and done a complete restart, the issue is probably inside the tablet — either the battery, the power management circuit, or the motherboard itself. These are not things you can fix at home.
Contact the tablet maker's support line or visit an authorized repair center. Bring the tablet and explain exactly when the restarts happen — whether it is random, during certain apps, or when the battery is low. This information helps the technician diagnose the problem faster. If the tablet is still under warranty, repair may be free or low-cost; if not, ask for a repair estimate before they start work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a virus or malware cause my tablet to restart over and over?
Malware can cause restarts, but it is rare on tablets. If you suspect malware, read a free antivirus app like Avast or Bitdefender from the app store, run a full scan, and let it remove any threats it finds. If the restarts stop, malware was the cause. If they continue, the problem is something else.
My tablet restarts only when the battery gets below 20 percent. What does that mean?
This almost always means the battery is failing. A weak battery cannot deliver enough power to run the system at low charge levels, so the tablet shuts down to protect itself. You need a battery replacement from a repair shop or the manufacturer.
Is it safe to keep using my tablet if it keeps restarting?
It is safe in the sense that it will not hurt you, but repeated restarts can damage the storage drive over time if the tablet is writing files when it crashes. If the restarts are frequent, try the fixes in this guide, and if they do not work, stop using the tablet until you can have it repaired.
Do I need to back up my data before trying these fixes?
The steps in this guide do not erase your data, so you do not need to back up before trying them. However, if the tablet is restarting constantly, it is a good idea to back up your photos and important files to cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud in case the storage drive fails.
What if the tablet restarts only in certain rooms of my house?
This is unlikely to be a WiFi or signal problem — tablets do not restart from poor signal. If it happens in one room, it is probably a coincidence. Try the storage and app fixes first. If the restarts truly happen only in one location, the tablet may be overheating from something in that room (like a heater or direct sunlight), so move it to a cooler spot and see if the problem stops.