Learn how to troubleshoot your Toast Flex 3 Terminal.

Before you begin

Applies to: Toast Flex 3 Terminal, Toast Flex 3 Guest Display

Permissions needed:

Physical access to the Toast Flex 3 Terminal and any connected accessories (Guest Display, Printing Hub, card reader).
No Toast Web permissions required for the steps in this article.

What you'll accomplish: Diagnose and resolve common power, screen, internet, Guest Display, and card reader or accessory issues on the Toast Flex 3 Terminal.

Note: This article is for troubleshooting an installed Toast Flex 3 Terminal. If you are setting up a brand new Flex 3 for the first time, see the Toast Flex 3 Installation Guide instead.

Overview steps

If your Toast Flex 3 Terminal isn't behaving as expected, start with these high-level checks before working through the symptom-specific sections below:

Confirm the orange power button on the back of the terminal has been held for at least two seconds. The front-facing LED blinks white when the device is powering on.
Confirm all cables (power, Ethernet, USB, Guest Display) are firmly seated and the thumbscrews are tightened.
Check the indicator lights on the power supply, the Printing Hub, and any connected accessory.
Confirm the device has internet by checking the connection icon in the top-right corner of the terminal screen.

If those checks don't resolve the issue, find your symptom in the Quick fix table below and follow the matching section.

Quick fix

Find your symptom in the table below, then jump to the matching section for full steps.

Symptom	Most common cause	Quick fix	Self-service?
Terminal won't turn on or has no power	Loose power cable, faulty outlet, or Printing Hub power issue	Confirm the power supply LED is green; hold the orange button on the back for two seconds	Yes
Black screen, frozen screen, or general unresponsiveness	Device needs to reboot	Hold the orange button on the back for seven seconds until the LED blinks white	Yes
Touchscreen does not respond to touch input	Display works but touch input has stopped responding	Reboot the terminal; if the issue persists, see the touchscreen section below	Yes
No internet connection or "offline" banner	Ethernet cable issue or wrong network setting	Confirm the Ethernet cable is seated; confirm Wi-Fi is disabled and IP is set to DHCP	Yes
No power to the Guest Display	Brightness setting, USB cable, or device is off	Press the orange button on the Guest Display; check the brightness in quick settings; reseat the green USB cable	Yes
Card reader or accessory not responding	Loose cable, accessory needs reseating, or terminal needs reboot	Reseat the cable; reconnect the accessory; reboot the terminal	Yes
Setting up a brand new Flex 3 (not troubleshooting an installed device)	This article is for troubleshooting only	See the Toast Flex 3 Installation Guide	Yes—routes elsewhere

Terminal won't turn on

If your Flex 3 Terminal does not power on when holding the orange button on the back, follow the steps for your power source.

If your terminal is connected to the wall

Check for a green light on the adapter on the power supply cable.
If there is no green light, try another known working power outlet, or connect your device to a working USB power adapter, such as a laptop charger.
If you do see a green light, open the base cover on the back of your display, or the base of your Flex 3 Terminal, to confirm cables are correctly connected and the thumbscrew is completely tightened.
Each time you plug your cables back in, hold down the orange power button to turn the device back on. The front-facing LED blinks white when the device is powering on.

Expected outcome: The Toast logo appears on the screen and the device boots to the Toast Launcher home screen.

If your terminal is connected to the Printing Hub

Check the power indicator lights on the Printing Hub. The Printer Power LED should be lit, and the terminal connection LED should be lit and green.
If the Printing Hub terminal LED is amber, the printer is receiving power, but your terminal is currently powered off. To turn it on, hold the orange button on the back of the terminal.
If there are no lights on the Printing Hub, check the Printing Hub power supply for a green light. If the device is not receiving power, try another known working outlet or cable.
If both the printer and power supply lights are green and the terminal still isn't on, confirm the terminal is powered on by holding the orange power button. The LED begins blinking white when the device is powering on.
Finally, try unplugging the Printing Hub USB cord from the terminal and plugging it back in. You will need to turn the device on again by holding the power button.

Expected outcome: The Toast logo appears on the screen and the device boots to the Toast Launcher home screen.

If the terminal still does not power on after these steps, see Before you contact Customer Care.

Terminal screen issues

The Flex 3 Terminal screen can fail in two distinct ways. The fix depends on whether the screen displays nothing, or whether it displays the Toast app but does not respond to touch.

If the screen is black, frozen, or not displaying

If the terminal is on (LED indicator on) but the screen is black, frozen, or not displaying anything, start by rebooting the device.

Hold down the power button for seven seconds. Release it when the LED light begins to blink white.
The terminal has rebooted when the Toast logo appears.

Expected outcome: The Toast logo appears on the screen, followed by the Toast Launcher home screen or the Toast POS app.

If the touchscreen is not responding to touch

If the screen displays the Toast app but does not respond when you touch it, the issue is touch input rather than the display itself.

Reboot the device by holding the power button for seven seconds. The front-facing LED blinks white when the reboot starts.
After reboot, confirm the screen is clean and free of moisture, gloves, or screen protectors that may interfere with touch input.
Test touch in multiple areas of the screen.

Expected outcome: The screen responds to touch in all areas.

If rebooting does not fix the screen

If rebooting does not solve the issue, try performing a factory reset.

Important: Before performing a factory reset, confirm there are no pending payments on the device. A factory reset erases all data on the terminal.

From Toast Launcher, press the circle button and navigate to Settings and Tools > Device Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) > Erase All Data, then Erase All Data again.

Expected outcome: The terminal resets to factory state and walks you through initial setup. After setup, the screen should display and respond normally.

If the screen still does not work after a factory reset, see Before you contact Customer Care.

No internet connection on the Toast Flex 3 Terminal

If you are experiencing issues with your internet connection, work through these steps in order.

Check your connection status

Check the top-right icon in your terminal to confirm you have a connection. Three icon types indicate a connection: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB.

If no connection icon is displayed

Remove the base cover to unplug and inspect your cables.
If any cable is damaged, you may need to replace it.
Reconnect your cables securely. You should hear or feel the Ethernet cable click into place.
If your device is connected to a printer, see Get Help With the Toast Printing Hub.

Expected outcome: A Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or USB connection icon appears in the top-right corner of the terminal screen.

If you are connected via Ethernet

Confirm your cables are properly connected, then reboot the device by holding the orange power button for seven seconds.
Once the device reboots, check the connection by opening a web browser, visiting toasttab.com, and confirming the page loads.
If this does not solve your issue, check your Ethernet settings. On your device, navigate to Settings > Ethernet 0 USB or Ethernet 1 RJ 45.
Confirm that your IP is set to DHCP instead of Static, and that Ethernet is toggled on using the toggle bar at the top of the screen.
For devices using a wired connection, confirm that WLAN and Wi-Fi are not both enabled.
Recheck the connection by opening a web browser and visiting toasttab.com.

Expected outcome: The browser loads toasttab.com and the Ethernet icon shows a connection in the top-right corner of the terminal screen.

If you are experiencing issues with Wi-Fi

If you are experiencing issues with your Wi-Fi connection, see Get Help: Troubleshoot Network Equipment Error Messages.

No power to Guest Display with the Toast Flex 3 Terminal

If you are experiencing power supply issues with your Guest Display, try these troubleshooting steps:

Confirm the device is powered on. Press the orange power button on the back of the Guest Display to confirm the device is turned on.
Check the brightness settings. Confirm that the Guest Display brightness is not set to its lowest level. You can do this in the terminal quick settings by swiping down from the top of the screen.
Inspect and secure your cables. Confirm the green USB cable is securely connected to the terminal by tightening the screw and attaching the Guest Display. Also confirm the cable is not damaged.
Power cycle the terminal. If the Guest Display is still not working, power cycle the terminal by holding down the orange power button for seven seconds.

Expected outcome: The Guest Display screen powers on and shows an image.

If the Guest Display still has no power after these steps, see Before you contact Customer Care.

Card reader or accessory issues on the Toast Flex 3 Terminal

If you're having trouble with a card reader or another accessory (such as a scanner connected to your Guest Display), start by checking the connection.

Check the accessory connections. Confirm all cables are securely connected to the ports on the Guest Display, Printer, or terminal. Confirm the cables are securely connected.
- If connected to the Guest Display, confirm the green 90-degree USB cable is plugged correctly into the bottom of the Guest Display, and the Guest Display screen is showing an image.
- If connected to the Printing Hub, investigate the terminal icon LED on the printer.
  - If the terminal icon LED on the printer is green, then the printer is communicating with the terminal as expected. Check your accessory connections to the printer. Confirm the connection and reseat the cables. If you have a Flex 3 Guest Display, you can plug your accessory into the USB-A port there to test whether it's printer-related or not.
  - If the terminal icon LED on the printer is orange, your terminal is off, or your printer is not communicating over USB with your terminal. Power cycle the printer by holding the orange power button until the Power LED turns orange. Turn the printer back on by holding the Power button until the Power LED turns green.
  - Confirm printer connection to the terminal. Reseat the USB Power Plus cable connecting the printer and the terminal on both ends.
  - For advanced diagnostics on the printer, double-press the orange power button.
If your cash drawer is not opening, try the following:
- On your POS, under Printer Setup, ensure that your Toast Printing Hub is configured to expect a cash drawer. Select your printer under Printer Setup and make sure the cash drawer is selected.
- On your POS under Device Setup > Receipt printer, make sure you have a receipt printer selected. The receipt printer must be selected for the associated cash drawer to open.
- If the cash drawer still won't open, check the RJ11 connection to your printer and reseat it. Then, power cycle the printer.
- If none of the above work, see Before you contact Customer Care.
Reconnect the accessory. If connected to the Guest Display, try disconnecting and reconnecting the accessory from the Guest Display, and then disconnecting and reconnecting the Guest Display from the terminal.
Power cycle the terminal. If the accessory is not working after reconnecting, power cycle the terminal by holding down the orange power button for seven seconds. Release when the LED blinks white and the Toast logo appears.
Troubleshoot third-party accessories. If you are experiencing issues with a third-party accessory, continue to troubleshoot using the manufacturer's resources.

Expected outcome: The card reader or accessory responds normally — card swipes register, scanners read codes, or the accessory's status indicators show it is connected.

If the card reader or accessory is still not working, see Before you contact Customer Care.

Before you contact Customer Care

If the steps above do not resolve your issue, gather the following information before contacting Customer Care to speed up your interaction:

The exact symptom — for example, "terminal won't turn on," "screen is black," "card reader doesn't respond to taps," or "Guest Display has no power."
The terminal serial number. This can be found at the bottom of the back of the terminal, or in the Toast Now app under Device Status > Device tab.
Power source — whether the terminal is connected to the wall (with the 65W power adapter) or to the Printing Hub (TP300) via the USB power cable.
What you have already tried from the steps in this article.
Status of indicator lights on the terminal, power supply, Printing Hub, and any connected accessory.
Whether the issue affects this single terminal or multiple terminals at your location.
For card reader issues: the type of card reader (on-counter or direct attach) and the cable type (USB-A or USB-C).