Yealink Phone Not Turning On? (Don’t Panic – Fix Now!)

Just when you need it the most, a Yealink phone not turning on feels like your lifeline to the world has been cut without warning.

Don’t worry–today we’re on a mission to help you fix this.

The issue could be caused by a faulty power supply, loose cables, outdated firmware, or a deeper internal hardware failure.

Let’s get started and fix this in a matter of minutes!

Yealink Phone Not Turning On – Fixed in 8 Quick Solutions!

Note: Have you checked if the Yealink phone responds to any inputs?

1. Power Reset the Yealink Phone 

There is a major difference in how Yealink handsets and IP phones receive power, so the power reset procedure slightly differs as well.

Unlike handsets that utilize the base to receive power, IP phones connect with an outlet directly, since they are stationary.

1.1 How to Power Reset a Yealink IP Phone?

To power cycle an IP phone, remove the handset from the base and unplug the power cord for a minimum of 60 seconds, until all of the power has drained completely. 

1.2 How to Power Reset a Yealink Handset?

To power cycle the handset, unplug the power cord from the base and remove the phone from the base as well.

Then, take out the handset batteries, then wait for roughly ~30–45 seconds. 

Note: While waiting for the phone to charge, verify that the power equipment is in good condition.

2. Try Alternative Electrical Outlets

Perhaps, the problem is caused by an insufficiency of the handset or the IP phone’s electrical outlet.

So, for testing purposes, relocate all of your phone equipment next to a functional outlet, preferably in another room (using a different fuse), and check if the Yealink phone will turn on.

Quick Tip: You can test the functionality of the previous outlet by connecting any low-voltage electrical appliance and powering it on after a few seconds.

3. Test Yealonk Phone’s LCD Module 

Note: This solution is only applicable to Yealink IP or desk phones!

In some cases, a stationary desk or an IP Yealink phone might refuse to power on after the LCD module runs into a defect.

However, there is an effortless method to test the functionality of the LCD by inputting a specific key combination on the keypad of your Yealink IP or desk phone.

Follow these steps to test the LCD module of your Yealink phone:

1. Connect the Yealink phone to the electrical power supply. 
2. Now, wait until the phone fully boots up after 5–6 minutes.
3. Now, press the +/- volume button on the Yealink phone.
4. Finally, wait until the phone rings and release the button.

If the power LED lights up after holding the +/- volume button and the phone rings, then it is confirmed that the LCD module is broken.

This is only the case if the display stays off while holding the volume button. 

4. Power the Yealink Phone Over PoE

The reason why your Yealink phone won’t turn on could be because of a failure with your power supply.

If so, we recommend powering the Yealink phone solely through PoE to determine if the fault persists.

If the device manages to power on without the adapter, then the adapter is faulty.

Note: If you have a Yealink handset that does not support Ethernet, skip this step.

Follow these steps to power the Yealink phone over PoE:

1. Plug one end of the Ethernet adapter into your Yealink handset.
2. Next, connect the other end of the cable to a yellow router port.
3. Wait until the connectors of the Ethernet cable start blinking.
4. Then, disconnect the power cable and test the Yealink IP phone.

The Yealink phone is also going to receive a static IP address from the router network, without having to set it up manually in the IP configuration. 

However, if the phone powers on without the power adapter, and only over Ethernet, consider purchasing an adapter replacement from the official Yealink equipment page.

5. Uninstall All Third-Party Equipment

A potential reason why your Yealink handset or desk phone refuses to start up is malfunctioning third-party equipment.

All devices interrupting the direct connection between the phone and the outlet, such as strips, dividers, or wall plugs, can be problematic.

The best recommendation here would be to verify that the power adapter of the Yealink phone connects directly with the electrical outlet, and then test the startup. 

In the meantime, check for any defects in the equipment, including the phone power adapter!

6. Access the Yealink Recovery Mode

In case of a fault with the unit, Yealink has designed the “Recovery” mode, which allows you to start up the device without engaging any of the online services.

This way, you can identify if the problem is related to any of the Yealink phone services or even the landline server or network.

To access the Yealink recovery mode, unplug the phone’s Ethernet or power adapter and hold the Speakerphone button while plugging the device back in.

Again, this only works for desk/IP phones; hence, if you have a handset, you will be unable to engage the recovery mode.

You will know that the recovery mode has been engaged once the display of the phone goes blank for several seconds and then starts up with a fully black menu.

If the phone manages to start up under “Recovery” mode, then the fault is firmware-related, which means that there are corrupted files in the database…

7. Recover the Yealink Phone Firmware

If you can boot the Yealink phone under “Recovery” mode, then the fault is firmware-related, and the only solution is to repair the firmware files. 

This procedure involves entering recovery mode, connecting to a server, and performing the recovery, while verifying that the phone’s firmware is not corrupted.

Step #1 – Enter Recovery Mode:

Entering recovery mode allows the Yealink phone to initiate a firmware recovery by accessing the base system settings, without activating any online or landline features.

Follow these steps to access the recovery mode:

• Power off the Yealink phone and hold Speakerphone or Redial.
• Now, reconnect the power adapter or PoE cable while holding.
• Release the buttons once the Yealink boots under “Recovery”.

Step #2 – Connect to a TFTP or USB Server:

Connecting to a TFTP or USB server provides the Yealink phone with access to the necessary firmware files and enables data transfer from the Yealink server.

Here are the simple steps to connect a TFTP or a USB server to Yealink:

• Install a TFTP server on your PC or format a USB drive to FAT32.
• Place firmware files (.bin, .rom, .rfs) in the TFTP root or USB drive.
• In recovery, select “TFTP” or “USB”, configure “IP”, or insert a USB.

Step #3 – Perform the Firmware Recovery:

Performing the firmware recovery updates the Yealink phone’s software and resolves underlying issues with the data structure.

Once you have successfully connected the phone to the firmware source, proceed with the following instructions:

• Follow the on-screen instructions to start the firmware recovery process.
• Ensure firmware files match your model (T54W.rom for T54W phones).
• If issues arise, verify file names, server setup, or contact Yealink support.

After the firmware is recovered, power cycle the Yealink phone and check if the startup issue is still there.

In case you are still unable to start up the phone, there is one last thing to try…

8. Initiate a Yealink Factory Reset Prompt

If all else fails and the Yealink phone is not turning on after all the solutions so far, the last resort solution you can attempt is to initiate a factory reset prompt.

If your phone has malfunctioned and can no longer start up due to a hardware problem, the factory reset prompt will not appear.

To initiate a factory reset on both IP phones and handsets, hold the “OK” key for ~10 seconds and check if the prompt will show on-screen.

To engage the factory reset, press the “OK” key once again, and wait until the phone powers down, erases all system settings, and then reboots.

Warning: All content erased by the Yealink factory reset is permanently irreversible.