Updated
Glasses frozen: how to force restart
Applies to Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3), Meta Glasses (Adventurer, Fury, Starfire, Capri, Nova), Ray-Ban Meta Optics (Gen 2), Oakley Meta Vanguard, Meta Ray-Ban Display, Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), Oakley Meta HSTN, Ray-Ban Meta Audio, Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1) and Ray-Ban Stories.
A force restart is Meta's fix for glasses that freeze, stop responding to taps, or hang on a light. It combines the power switch and the capture button, and you release when the status LED turns red. Meta says it does not delete captures or unpair the glasses, which makes it the safe first step before anything more drastic. It is different from a factory reset, which wipes the glasses and is meant for selling or giving them away.
Official steps
- Slide the power switch to OFF.
- Press and hold the capture button.
- While holding it, slide the power switch to ON.
- Release when the status LED turns red. A force restart does not delete captures or unpair the glasses.
Steps from the maker's support pages.[1]
Still not working?
If the glasses freeze again soon after a restart, update the Meta AI app and glasses software, since a bug fix may already exist. Repeated freezes after updating are worth a support ticket: include the glasses software version, what you were doing when it froze, and whether it happens on charge. See restart Meta glasses.
Questions people ask
Is a force restart the same as a factory reset?
No. A force restart keeps your captures and pairing. A factory reset erases the glasses.
What should I have ready if the freezes keep coming back?
The serial number, which the Meta AI app shows under About your glasses and which is also printed inside the left temple, plus the glasses software version and roughly when each freeze happened.
When is a factory reset the right step?
When support asks for it, or before you sell or give away the glasses. On Meta Ray-Ban Display, Meta says a factory reset deletes all captures on the glasses and means pairing again, so import media first.
Other fixes
- Meta glasses won't pair with the Meta AI app
- Ray-Ban Meta or Oakley Meta not charging: what to check
- Charging case red light on Meta glasses: what it means
- Dead Meta glasses that won't turn on: what to check
- Hey Meta not responding: fix the wake word and voice
- Feature not available in your country or language on Meta AI
- Photos and videos won't import from Meta glasses
- Meta glasses update stuck or won't install
- Factory reset Meta glasses before selling or gifting
- Meta charging case reset: steps by model
Sources
- How to restart AI glasses(meta.com, read 5 October 2026)
- Ray-Ban Meta FAQ (Ray-Ban US), serial number(ray-ban.com)
- Meta Ray-Ban Display FAQ (Ray-Ban US), factory reset(ray-ban.com)
Last verified 5 October 2026 against the sources listed on this page.