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Connect your Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale

Connect Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale wirelessly to any tablet, iPad, or smartphone to make checkout easier for your customers. Ring up a sale on Square Point of Sale, let your customers pay on Square Terminal. If you’re new to Square Terminal, check out the Square Terminal Guide or visit Square Shop to purchase.

In seconds, you can turn Square Terminal into a dedicated customer display and checkout device. You can also:

  • Let customers check out anywhere: Keep your POS at the counter and use Square Terminal to let customers pay curbside or tableside.

  • Sell accurately and minimize errors: Show customers their itemized cart and total before they complete the transaction.

  • Keep a safe distance: Minimize contact by letting your customer complete the transaction on Square Terminal.

Note: Before getting started, make sure that your Square Terminal, Square POS app, and your phone, iPad or tablet are up to date.

Watch our YouTube video to learn more about connecting your Square Terminal to your Square POS app:

Connect Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale

Square POS can wirelessly connect to one Square Terminal at a time. Keep in mind before you start the setup process:

  • Make sure that your iOS or Android device and Square Terminal are connected to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network. Note:​ It doesn't have to be the same network, but both devices must be online.

  • If you’re logged in to your Square Terminal, sign out of your Terminal by tapping on the menu > tap ​Settings​ > ​Account​ > ​Sign out​. For newly purchased Square Terminals, power it on by pressing the side button and staying on the login page. 

To connect Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale:

  1. From the Square POS app on your iOS or Android device, tap Menu > ​Settings ​> ​Hardware > Square Terminal.

  2. Select ​Connect Square Terminal

  3. Enter a nickname and location to associate with your Terminal, then tap Continue.

  4. Tap Sign in.

  5. The Square POS app will generate a device code. Enter this code on your Square Terminal to complete pairing. Then, tap ​Sign In​. 

  6. You’ll receive a confirmation in-app once you've successfully connected your Square Terminal to your device — Square Terminal will display “Powered by Square”.

  7. Tap Done to start accepting payments.

Device Codes

  • Device codes will expire after five minutes. If your device code expires before you complete the pairing process, you'll need to generate a new code by following the same steps again. 

  • Make a note of this device code, and grab your Square Terminal device to begin the next steps. You can reuse this same device code if you ever need to reconnect to your Square Terminal.

Take Payments with Square Terminal

To take a payment:

  1. Go to the Checkout page of the Square POS app.

  2. Build a cart by selecting an item from your Item Library or enter a custom amount, then press Charge. Note: You can enable or restrict your team’s ability to add custom amounts to transactions by going to Permissions > Checkout in your online Square Dashboard.

  3. On the tender screen, tap Continue next to your Square Terminal’s nickname and have your customer complete payment by following the instructions on the Terminal. 

Note: Split tender functionality is not yet supported on Square Terminal connected with Square Point of Sale. To accept split tender payments, connect a Square Reader to your POS device to complete the payment. 

Cancel Payments with Square Terminal

If you want to cancel a payment, tap the X on either your Square POS app or on Square Terminal. You’ll see a notification in the Square POS app that the buyer has cancelled. You can then confirm the cancellation by tapping X then Cancel Payment, or you can attempt the checkout again by tapping Try again.

Printing Receipts on the Square Terminal

When you connect your Square Terminal with your Square POS app, receipts will be printed from your Square Terminal for card payments. 

Note: When your customer pays with cash, payments are marked as completed on your Square POS device. As the transaction is not sent to the Square Terminal, the terminal will not print receipts for cash payments. We recommend connecting a supported printer to your Square POS device to print all receipts.

Access Settings on the Square Terminal

From the “Powered by Square” screen on Square Terminal, swipe the screen from the left to reveal the menu that provides access to Checkout, Settings, and Support. 

Under Settings, you can configure your: 

  • Network

  • Display and sound options

  • Accessibility for talkback or magnification

  • Printer configurations 

  • Other general settings, including date and time, device names, and language

Disconnect Your Square Terminal

To disconnect your Square app from Square Terminal:

  1. On your POS device, tap Menu, then tap ​Settings​ > ​Hardware > Square Termina​l

  2. Tap Disconnect from this device​.

  3. Tap ​Disconnect​ to confirm. Square Terminal will disconnect from Point of Sale automatically. 

Note: If the disconnection fails, Terminal will continue to display the “Powered by Square” screen, and you'll need to manually sign out by swiping from the top left side of the Square Terminal screen to reveal the menu, then tapping ​Settings​ > ​Sign Out​. Tap Sign Out again to confirm.

Troubleshooting

My Square Terminal is not detected

If your Square Terminal loses connection with the connected POS device using Square Point of Sale or Square Retail app, you will need to pair the device again by signing out of the Square Terminal then go through the pairing steps again.

To sign out of the Square Terminal, swipe from left to the middle to open the menu panel, then tap Settings > Sign out.

Square Terminal is frozen or unresponsive

If your Square Terminal is unresponsive, try rebooting it by holding the power button down for 12 seconds. You will need to generate a new device code on your Square Terminal to sign back in.

Refer to the Square Terminal troubleshooting guide if you’re experiencing issues with your Square Terminal that aren’t related to the Square Terminal display.

I accidentally sent a checkout to my Square Terminal

With your Square Terminal, cancel the checkout by tapping X and trying again. If your Square Terminal is inaccessible, turned off, logged out, out of battery, or offline, reboot your device to cancel the outstanding payment. You can also cancel the outstanding payment from your Square POS or Square Retail app device.

I’ve sent a checkout to Square Terminal, but it’s not showing up

Tap once on the Square Terminal screen when it reads “Ready to take payment” to get to the Checkout screen.

A sale has been completed on my Square Terminal, but my device still shows it’s in progress

Tap once on the device’s screen that reads “Customer Completing Transaction” to retrieve the checkout status.

Square Terminal FAQ

Find answers to common questions about connecting your device to a Square Terminal.

What are the fees associated with the Square Terminal connected to the Square Point of Sale or Square Retail app?

2.6% + 10 cents for each contactless payment, dipped chip card, or swiped magstripe card when you connect Square Terminal and Square Point of Sale or Square for Retail Free.

If you’re subscribed to Square for Retail Plus, the processing fee is 2.5% + 10 cents per transaction.

For manually entered card payments, the fee is 3.5% + 15 cents per transaction.

Learn more about Square’s fees.

What devices can I use to connect the Square Point of Sale app and Square Terminal?

You can connect your Square Terminal as a customer-facing display to a compatible smartphone, Square Stand, iPad, or tablet. Check your device compatibility.

What devices can I use to connect the Square Retail app and Square Terminal?

Square Terminal will connect to the Square Retail app on compatible iOS devices only. Check your device compatibility.

Which Square apps can I connect with to Square Terminal?

You can connect Square Terminal to the Square Point of Sale app and the Square for Retail app. Square for Restaurants, Square Invoices and Square Appointments are not yet supported.

Can I connect an iPad in a Square Stand to a Terminal and Reader at the same time?

Yes, you can plug Square Reader into your Square Stand via the dock and connect the Square Terminal to your iPad wirelessly.

Can I connect Square Terminal to Square Register?

Not right now, but you can use your customer display on Square Register for the same function.

Will Square Terminal still have the same functions as the Square app?

Once you connect your Square Terminal to a device, it will stay on a “Powered by Square” screen. From there, you’ll be able to change your settings and access support resources. Simply swipe from the left to the middle of the screen to access the menu.

Will the payments taken on the Square Terminal appear in my transaction history?

Payments accepted on Square Terminal automatically appear on your online Square Dashboard and sync across all Square devices logged in to your business location.

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