Reset a Frozen Infotainment Screen

Last updated: June 10, 2026

If the central display on your Mercedes GLC (X253, 2015–2022) has frozen, gone black, or stopped responding, you can usually reboot it yourself in under a minute — but the method depends on whether your GLC has the early COMAND system or the facelift MBUX, so check which one you have first.

Which system your GLC has — COMAND or MBUX

The first-generation GLC changed its infotainment at the 2019 facelift:

• 2015–2019 (pre-facelift): COMAND Online / Audio 20 (NTG 5), with the smaller dash-top screen and the rotary controller plus touchpad. No “Hey Mercedes” voice assistant.
• 2019–2022 (facelift): MBUX (NTG 6), a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with the “Hey Mercedes” assistant and steering-wheel touch-controls.

Tell them apart in seconds: if you can say “Hey Mercedes” and the screen responds, you have MBUX; if it’s controlled only by the dial and touchpad with no voice wake-word, you have COMAND.

Soft reset — facelift MBUX cars (2019–2022)

Do this parked, with the ignition on.

1. On the steering wheel, press and hold the phone/answer button and the voice-control button together for about 15–20 seconds.
2. The screen goes dark, then the Mercedes-Benz logo reappears as MBUX reboots.
3. Release and wait 30–60 seconds for the home screen to reload.

The Favourites “star” and Telephone touch-controls held together do the same reboot if your trim uses those.

Soft reset — early COMAND cars (2015–2019)

The pre-facelift GLC has no MBUX button combo. Reboot the head unit instead:

1. If fitted, press and hold the CD/DVD eject button for about 10–15 seconds to force COMAND to power-cycle; release when the logo reappears.
2. If there’s no disc slot, cycle the ignition fully — switch off, lock the car, walk away for five minutes, then restart.

Will this erase anything? No

Neither reset wipes your radio presets, navigation favourites, paired phones, or settings — the system just reloads its software, like restarting a phone. Do it as often as you need.

If the screen stays frozen

• Hold longer / repeat. Give the MBUX two-button hold a full 30 seconds, or run the COMAND eject-hold again.
• Cycle the ignition fully. Switch off, lock the car, walk away for about five minutes so the electronics sleep, then restart.
• Check the SD/map card (COMAND cars). A corrupt navigation SD card can hang the early system on boot — refit it with the ignition off.
• Check for a software update. Both systems benefit from current firmware — MBUX updates over the air via Mercedes me; a dealer can flash either system.

Factory reset (erases data — rarely needed)

A factory reset is separate from the reboot and only worth doing if you are selling the car or clearing a deep, persistent glitch. On both systems it lives under System Settings → Reset in the on-screen menu. It erases presets, paired phones, navigation history, and settings, so only do it deliberately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my GLC has COMAND or MBUX?

Pre-facelift 2015–2019 cars run COMAND (dial and touchpad, no voice wake-word). The 2019–2022 facelift runs MBUX with a bigger touchscreen and “Hey Mercedes”. The wake-word is the quickest tell.

Why doesn’t the steering-wheel button reset work on my 2017 GLC?

Because that’s a COMAND car, and the two-button MBUX reset only applies to the 2019-on facelift. Use the CD eject-hold or an ignition cycle instead.

Will I lose my saved stations or nav favourites?

No. Both the MBUX and COMAND reboots keep presets, favourites, and paired phones. Only a deliberate System Settings reset clears them.

Is it safe to drive with the screen frozen?

Yes. The infotainment unit is independent of the engine and driving systems — you only lose audio, navigation, and (on MBUX) voice control. Reset it when you are safely parked.

My facelift GLC keeps freezing after an update — what now?

A freeze right after an over-the-air MBUX update usually clears with a two-button soft reset. If it returns, have a dealer confirm the update installed cleanly.

If a warning light or fault message stays on the dash after the reboot, it may have stored a diagnostic trouble code — you can look it up on autodtcs.com.