Written by Jason Feemster, POS specialist with 15+ years of experience helping restaurants and retailers troubleshoot POS systems, payments, and hardware issues.
Common Issue: Square Terminal freezes, runs slowly, crashes during checkout, or becomes unresponsive.
Fast Fixes: Restart the Terminal, reconnect to Wi-Fi, clear pending updates, check for low battery mode, and ensure your router isn’t causing packet loss.
Need official help? See our Square Customer Service Guide.
Want guided troubleshooting? Try the POSUSA POS Support Assistant (Free).
Square Terminal freezing or running slow? This is one of the most common Square hardware issues, especially during peak hours. Symptoms include a frozen payment screen, slow keypad response, delayed transaction processing, or the Terminal rebooting unexpectedly.
This guide walks you through fast and proven fixes to get your Square Terminal working smoothly again.
Table of Contents
Common Reasons Square Terminal Becomes Slow or Unresponsive
- Weak or unstable Wi-Fi connection
- Pending software or firmware updates
- Terminal overheating after long usage
- Background processes stuck or crashed
- Low battery or faulty power supply
- Corrupted cached data in the Square POS software
How to Fix Square Terminal Freezing or Running Slow
1. Restart the Terminal (Fastest Fix)
A simple restart clears frozen processes and restores speed.
- Hold the power button for 3 seconds
- Tap Restart
This resolves most freezing issues immediately.
2. Reconnect to Wi-Fi (Very Important)
Slow or unstable Wi-Fi makes the Terminal appear frozen — especially during transactions.
- Go to Settings → Network
- Forget your Wi-Fi
- Reconnect and enter password
Try switching to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi if 5GHz drops frequently.
3. Check for Pending Updates
If the Terminal hasn’t installed required updates, performance tanks.
- Go to Settings → General → About
- Install any available updates
Some performance fixes only apply after updating.
4. Check Battery & Power Cable
Square Terminal slows down dramatically when the battery is low or the charger is unstable.
- Use Square’s original power cable
- Test a different outlet
- Avoid using cheap USB adapters
If the Terminal warms up while charging, the cable may be failing.
5. Close Background Apps
Sometimes the Square software fails to close processes after updates.
- Restart the Terminal
- Reopen Square Point of Sale
This refreshes memory and speeds up processing.
6. Allow the Terminal to Cool Down
If the Terminal gets hot, performance drops sharply.
- Move it away from heat sources
- Place it on a cooler countertop
- Unplug for 10 minutes if it feels warm
Heat causes temporary freezing and crashes.
When to Contact Square Support
- The Terminal freezes multiple times a day
- Software updates fail repeatedly
- The Terminal won’t turn on or randomly reboots
- The screen becomes permanently unresponsive
Square Customer Service – Phone, Chat & Help Center
Square Terminal Freezing – FAQs
Why does my Square Terminal keep freezing?
Why is Square Terminal so slow during payments?
Should I factory reset the Terminal?
Why does my Terminal reboot randomly?
Try the POSUSA POS Support Assistant
Need help fixing Square Terminal freezes or slow performance?
- POSUSA POS Support Assistant
- Select Square POS
- Type: “terminal freezing”
- Follow the guided troubleshooting steps
It’s fast, free, and built for real restaurants and retail shops.
Thinking About Switching POS Systems?
If you’re dealing with repeated POS issues, it might be time to compare more reliable options built for restaurants and retail businesses.
Takes 30 seconds • No sales pressure
