Get Help With the Toast App on the POS

In this Article:

• Before You Begin
• Overview Steps
• Quick Fix
• If Your Screen Is Frozen or Unresponsive
  • When the Screen Still Responds to Touch
  • When the Screen Is Fully Frozen and Won't Accept Input
  • When Only Part of the Screen Is Unresponsive
• If You See the "Unfortunately, Toast POS Has Stopped" Error
• If Your Terminal Is Stuck on the Toast Logo at Startup
• If the Toast POS App Icon Disappeared From the Home Screen
• If Your Kitchen Display System (KDS) Tickets Keep Freezing
• If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue
• If Your Toast App Won't Update
• If Your Toast Go® Handheld Isn't Working
• If Your Card Reader Isn't Working
• Before You Contact Customer Care
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Articles

Before You Begin

Applies to: Toast POS app on Toast Flex, Toast Flex 3, Toast Go® 2, Toast Go® 3, Elo terminals, and Kitchen Display System (KDS) devices

Permissions needed: No specific Toast Web permission required; physical access to the affected device. If the device is in Kiosk Mode, then 3.7 - Void Items / Orders permissions will be required to get out of Kiosk Mode.

What you'll accomplish: Identify the symptom you're seeing, follow the matching troubleshooting branch, and either resolve the issue on the device or gather the info Customer Care needs before you reach out

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Overview Steps

Most Toast POS app issues — frozen screens, app crashes, and missing icons — can be resolved by force stopping the app or power cycling the device. Use this article when the Toast POS app on a device isn't behaving as expected.

Quick fix for most issues:

• If the screen still responds to touch, force stop the Toast POS app from the device Settings.
• If the screen is fully frozen, press and hold the device power button for five to ten seconds, then power back on.
• If the issue persists after a power cycle, log out of the Toast POS app and back in.
• If the issue continues, find the matching scenario in the Quick Fix table or in a section below.

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Quick Fix

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If Your Screen Is Frozen or Unresponsive

A frozen screen is the most common Toast POS app issue. Recovery depends on whether the screen still responds to touch.

When the Screen Still Responds to Touch

1. From the device home screen, select the main menu (the white circle with six dots).
2. Navigate to Settings, then select Apps.
3. Locate and select Toast POS.
4. On the App info page, scroll down and select Force Stop, then confirm. You can also clear cache or data on this page if needed.
5. Reopen the Toast POS app from the home screen.

Expected outcome: The Toast POS app reopens to the passcode screen and is responsive.

If force stopping the app didn't resolve the issue, the next step is to log out and back in — see If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue.

When the Screen Is Fully Frozen and Won't Accept Input

1. Press and hold the device power button for five to ten seconds until the device powers off.
2. Press the power button to turn the device back on.
3. Reopen the Toast POS app.

Expected outcome: The device powers up and the Toast POS app loads.

For full restart steps by device type, see Restart Your Device to Improve Performance. If the power cycle didn't fully resolve the issue, the next step is to log out and back in — see If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue.

When Only Part of the Screen Is Unresponsive

If only part of the screen freezes — for example, half the screen is upside down, or one area won't accept touch — this usually indicates a hardware fault rather than an app issue. Skip the steps above and see Before You Contact Customer Care.

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If You See the "Unfortunately, Toast POS Has Stopped" Error

This message appears when the Toast POS app encounters an issue and closes itself — sometimes also described as the app "crashing," "force quitting," or "keeps stopping." Most cases resolve on the first try.

1. Select OK on the error prompt.
2. Reopen the Toast POS app from the home screen.

Expected outcome: The Toast POS app opens normally and you can resume use.

If the error appears repeatedly, force stop the app, using the steps in If Your Screen Is Frozen or Unresponsive.

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If Your Terminal Is Stuck on the Toast Logo at Startup

If the device powers on, displays the Toast logo, and does not progress further, this usually indicates a deeper startup issue. Force stop and routine restart steps may not resolve a device that's stuck on the Toast logo.

1. Press and hold the device power button for 10 to 15 seconds to fully power down.
2. Unplug the device's power cord and wait one to two minutes.
3. Plug the power cord back in and power the device on.

Expected outcome: The device boots past the Toast logo and reaches the passcode screen.

If the device is still stuck on the Toast logo after a hard reset, see Before You Contact Customer Care to complete a factory reset or verify warranty status and discuss replacement.

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If the Toast POS App Icon Disappeared From the Home Screen

If the Toast POS app icon is no longer visible on the device home screen, the app may have moved to the App tray. The app does not need to be reinstalled.

1. From the home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the App tray.
2. Press and hold the Toast POS app icon until you see a small bubble that says App info.
3. While still holding your finger on the screen, drag the app to the home screen. Release when the icon is in the position you want.

Expected outcome: The Toast POS app icon is back on the home screen and ready to open.

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If Your Kitchen Display System (KDS) Tickets Keep Freezing

If KDS tickets freeze, fail to bump, or disappear after a force stop, the device may be alternating between Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. The KDS device — sometimes referred to as the expo screen — should run on a single connection type. If your KDS is not using Wi-Fi as a primary connection, continue below.

1. From the device home screen, navigate to Settings.
2. Select Network & internet, then select Wi-Fi.
3. Select the connected Wi-Fi network and select Forget.
4. Verify the device remains connected to the wired Ethernet network.

Expected outcome: The KDS device runs only on the Ethernet connection, removing the connection-switching cause.

For KDS-specific troubleshooting beyond the Wi-Fi switching cause — for example, KDS tickets not arriving from the POS, KDS display fully unresponsive, KDS data corruption, or hardware-level issues — see Get Help With KDS Tickets and Get Help With KDS.

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If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue

When force stopping and a power cycle haven't resolved the issue, log out and back in to refresh the app session. This is also the step to try when employees are getting kicked out repeatedly in the middle of service.

1. From the Toast POS app passcode screen (Switch User), select the overflow menu (the three dots at the top right of the screen).
2. From the menu, select Log Out.
3. Sign back in with your email and password.

Expected outcome: The Toast POS app reloads with your session refreshed.

If logging out and back in didn't help, the next step is to resync the device's data.

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If Your Toast App Won't Update

If the Toast POS app hasn't updated and the new touchless installation hasn't taken effect, you can update manually. For manual update steps, see Update Your Toast App.

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If Your Toast Go® Handheld Isn't Working

If the Toast POS app on your Toast Go® 2 or Toast Go® 3 handheld isn't working — for example, the handheld won't connect to Wi-Fi or cellular, the screen is frozen, the device won't accept credit card payments (tap, chip insert, or swipe), or it keeps logging out — try the force-stop and power-cycle steps in the matching scenario above. The Toast POS app on a handheld responds to the same force stop, power cycle, log out, and resync steps as a stationary terminal.

If those steps don't resolve the issue, see Get Help With Your Toast Go® 2 Handheld for handheld-specific troubleshooting including charging issues, cellular connectivity, and device-level diagnostics.

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If Your Card Reader Isn't Working

If the card reader on your Toast POS device isn't working — for example, you see an error message such as "oops, something went wrong," a "device not responding" message, or an error code from the reader; or the reader won't accept tap, chip, or swipe payments — start by force stopping the Toast POS app using the steps in If Your Screen Is Frozen or Unresponsive. Many card reader symptoms resolve when the app is restarted.

If the issue persists after a force stop and power cycle, go to Get Help With Your Card Reader.

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Before You Contact Customer Care

If the steps above didn't resolve the issue, gather the following before reaching out so Customer Care can assist faster:

• Device info: The device's serial number and device type (for example, Toast Flex, Toast Flex 3, Toast Go® 2, Toast Go® 3, Elo terminal, or KDS)
• Context: The action you were taking when the issue started (for example, processing a payment, opening Shift Review, or sending an order to KDS)
• Pending payments: Whether the device has any pending credit card payments — see Check Unsettled Credit Card Payments on Device
• Steps tried: The steps you've already tried from this article
• Timing and scope: The time the issue started and whether it affects one device or multiple devices

Contact Customer Care if you see any of the following — these indicate a hardware fault that can't be resolved by software troubleshooting:

• A partial-dead screen (for example, half the screen is black, lines through the display, or one section of the screen won't accept touch)
• A screen that is flickering or showing shaded boxes
• A blinking red LED on a handheld
• A charger or power cable that isn't charging the device
• A terminal that won't power on at all

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does My Toast POS App Keep Crashing or Force Quitting?

The Toast POS app crashing or force quitting on the device usually shows up as the "Unfortunately, Toast POS has stopped" error or as the app closing on its own without an error message. Most cases resolve on the first try — select OK on any error prompt and reopen the app. If the issue repeats, force stop the app from the device Settings using the steps in If Your Screen Is Frozen or Unresponsive and then reopen it. If crashes continue after a force stop, log out and back in to refresh the session — see If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue.

Also asked as: "Why does my Toast app keep crashing?", "My POS keeps force quitting the Toast app", "Toast app keeps stopping"

How Do I Resync Data on My POS or Handheld?

Resyncing data on your POS or handheld reloads the device's local data from Toast's servers. Before resyncing, check the device for unsettled credit card payments — unsynced payments can be permanently lost. Depending on your device, the overflow menu may show Resync Orders, Resync Data, or Resync ALL Data — these are different options. For full resync steps and which option to use on your device, see Resync All Data on Your Devices.

Also asked as: "How do I resync the POS?", "Resync data on handheld", "POS won't let me resync"

Why Does My POS Keep Logging Me Out in the Middle of Service?

A POS that keeps logging out — sometimes described as "kicked out" or "the screen keeps going to the login screen" — usually means the app session needs to be refreshed. Log out from the overflow menu and sign back in with your email and password using the steps in If Logging Out Doesn't Resolve the Issue. If logging back in doesn't hold the session, the next step is to resync the device's data — but check the Credit Card Queue for unsettled payments first.

Also asked as: "Toast POS keeps logging me out", "Getting kicked out of the Toast app", "Screen keeps going back to the login screen"

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Related Articles

• Resync All Data on Your Devices
• Restart Your Device to Improve Performance
• Check Unsettled Credit Card Payments on Device
• Update Your Toast App
• Get Help With Elo V2/V3
• Get Help With Elo Tablet Power Issues After Soft Restart
• Get Help With the Toast Flex 3 Terminal
• Get Help With Your Toast Go® 2 Handheld
• Get Help With KDS Tickets
• Get Help With KDS
• Factory Reset Your Toast Flex Terminal

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