How to Turn off Your GoPro

Turn off your device automatically or manually

How to turn off a GoPro action camera isn’t always obvious, and it varies by model. But once you know how to do this, it’s a great way to save battery life and make sure the camera doesn’t start recording while stowed away in your backpack. Shutting down a GoPro can often solve performance glitches or avoid overheating. Better yet, you can also set a GoPro to turn off automatically. If you continue to have problems after shutting down, you can also reset your GoPro to factory settings.

These instructions apply to the GoPro HERO7 Black, Silver, and White, the HERO6 Black, HERO 5 Black, GoPro Fusion, and GoPro HERO5 Session. If you have an older model, check your GoPro's manual.

Man attaching action camera to chest
Janie Airey / Getty Images

HERO7 Black, Silver & White; HERO6 & HERO5 Black

The instructions for the HERO7 series and the HERO6 and HERO5 are the same.

  1. Press and hold the Mode button for about two seconds.

  2. After you hear three beeps and the red LED blinks three times, the GoPro will power off.

  3. Alternatively, you can use the voice command “GoPro Turn Off.”

  4. To set the GoPro to power off automatically, go to settings by tapping the wrench icon on the GoPro’s screen.

  5. Select Setup > Manual Power.

  6. Choose the idle time: 5 Min, 15 Min (default), 30 Min, or Never.

Turn off GoPro Fusion

The GoPro Fusion has a different process from the rest of the camera lines.

  1. Press and hold the Mode button for two seconds. 

  2. The camera beeps several times and the camera status lights flash.

  3. Then the Fusion will power off.

  4. You can also use the voice command “GoPro Turn Off.”

The Fusion automatically powers off after 7 minutes of inactivity. You can’t change this setting.

The Fusion GoPro has a mode called QuikCapture in which the camera is only powered on when it’s capturing photos or videos. You can also record time-lapse videos in this mode. With Quikcapture turned on, you just press and hold the Shutter button until the Fusion beeps a few times and the status lights start blinking. To record time-lapse video, just keep your finger on the Shutter button until you’ve captured everything you need. Once you release the shutter, the Fusion shuts down.

To turn Quikcapture mode off you have to connect it to the GoPro app and disable it in settings.

Turn off GoPro HERO5 Session

The HERO5 Session also has QuikCapture mode, like the Fusion, however, in all modes, the camera shuts off when it’s not recording. If you have it connected to the GoPro app you’ll need to disconnect it to power it off. Its other modes are Video, Video + Photo, and Looping (continuous recording.)