Troubleshoot Square Register customer display
The Square Register's customer display can be docked or undocked, depending on your countertop setup. This article provides troubleshooting steps for your Square Register if you are experiencing issues with your customer display, such as the customer display not responding to touch or frozen on the Square logo.
Before you begin
When to troubleshoot
Troubleshooting your customer display issues involves steps that may take a bit of time, such as rebooting your hardware or installing software updates. If at all possible, try to troubleshoot your Square Register after hours. If you must troubleshoot during the workday, try to avoid peak busy hours so your customers will experience fewer delays.
Troubleshooting requirements
To troubleshoot your customer display, you may need the following:
Your Square account login information (email address and password or device code)
Wi-Fi network name and password
Step 1: Dock and undock your customer display
Make sure the customer display is properly connected to the Square Register.
- Place the Square Register screen down on a flat surface exposing the bottom where the customer display release latch is located. If using the Mounting Plate, twist the base of the Square Register 90 degrees to unlock it then lift off of the mount.
- Undock your customer display by sliding the release latch towards the Customer Display. You will see the customer display slightly eject from the base.
- Using both hands, gently lift the customer display up and out of the slot on the neck of the Square Register.
- Ensure there is no dust or other obstructions in the docking port or on the customer display that could prevent connection.
- Place the customer display back into the slot on the Register and press firmly on each side of the dip slot until you hear a click on both the left and right sides of the display.
- Make sure that the display is docked completely and evenly on both sides. There should not be any gap between Register and the customer display.
- If the problem still persists, undock your customer display and connect it to the Register using the customer display cable you received with your Register. This can help determine whether there is an issue with the docked position only.
- If you are still experiencing the issue, go to Step 2: Update Square Register software in the guide below.
- Inspect all cables to ensure they are not loose or damaged.
- Unplug the customer display cable from the back of the customer display and then firmly plug it back in.
- Place the Square Register screen down on a flat surface exposing the bottom where the customer display release latch is located. If using the Mounting Plate, twist the base of the Square Register 90 degrees to unlock it then lift off of the mount.
- Unplug the customer display cable from the bottom of the Register, then plug it back in.
- It is possible that there is an issue with the customer display cable that connects the two devices. You can purchase a replacement customer display cable on the Square Shop.
- Dock your customer display to determine whether there is an issue with the undocked position only. Remove the micro USB cable from the back of the customer display and plug it into the base of the Register. Dock the customer display into the slot on the Register. Press firmly on the bottom edge until you hear a click on both the left and right sides of the display.
- If you are still experiencing the issue, go to Step 2: Update Square Register software in the guide below.
Step 2: Update Square Register software
If your customer display is running a software version which is higher than your connected Square Register, you will see the following error: Customer Display Disconnected - Update needed.
Make sure your customer display is connected to the Square Register, either docked or undocked, before updating the software.
Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > General. If you’re signed out, tap Change Settings > General.
Tap About Square Register.
From this page, you’ll see your software version. Tap Check for Update to see if a software update is available.
If you see Software Up To Date then you are all set.
If you have issues during a software update, learn how to troubleshoot failed software updates on Square Register.
Step 3: Restart your Square Register
Press and hold the power button and release as soon as you see the Restart option.
Tap Restart. If you hold the power button down too long and see a black screen with a count-down timer, immediately release the power button before the timer goes to 0. If you don’t, this will Factory Reset your Square Register instead of restarting it.
After the restart, sign in to your Register and check the customer display connection. If your customer display is still experiencing issues, continue to Step 5.
Step 4: Send a diagnostic report
Sending a diagnostic report helps Square further investigate your issue if you cannot resolve it on your own. This report is vital for discovering the cause of the issue and must be sent prior to factory resetting your device.
Diagnostic reports can take between 2-7 minutes to upload — make sure you have a strong internet connection and your device is powered on during this time.
Sign in to your Square Register.
Tap ≡ More > Support > Troubleshooting.
Tap Upload Support Ledger.
Tap Send Diagnostic Report.
A blue loading circle will appear next to Sending Diagnostic Report as the report is uploaded to Square servers. Do not attempt any other troubleshooting steps until the circle disappears and the Send Diagnostic Report text turns blue.
Step 5: Factory reset your Square Register
The final troubleshooting step is to perform a factory reset on your Square Register. A factory reset, unlike a normal restart, will restore your hardware to its original state when it was first purchased.
Factory resetting your device should only be done after all other troubleshooting steps have been attempted.
Before you factory reset your device, you must:
Send a diagnostic report (Step 4)
Performing a factory reset on your device will reset your general settings (date, time, language, etc.), remove any assigned modes or printer profiles, delete all pending offline payments, and remove previous software updates.
Once you have read and understood the risks of factory resetting your device, you may proceed to perform a factory reset on your Square hardware. After the factory reset is complete, you will need to perform a software update as part of the initial device setup. Ensure your customer display is connected to your Square Register during the software update.