Touchscreen

Warning

Always pay attention to road and traffic conditions when driving. To minimize driver distraction and ensure the safety of vehicle occupants as well as other road users, avoid using the touchscreen to adjust settings while the vehicle is in motion.

Use the touchscreen to control many features that, in traditional cars, are controlled using physical buttons (for example, adjusting the cabin heating and air conditioning, headlights, etc.). You also use the touchscreen to control media, navigate, use entertainment features, and customize Model S to suit your preferences. For hands-free access to common touchscreen controls, use voice commands (see Voice Commands).

If the touchscreen is unresponsive or demonstrates unusual behavior, you can restart it (see Restarting the Touchscreen or Instrument Panel).

CAUTION

Do not apply a screen protector on the touchscreen. Doing so can result in unintended inputs to the touchscreen (phantom inputs), delayed response or unresponsiveness to touches, electrostatic discharge which can damage the touchscreen, etc. Any damage caused by installing a screen protector is not covered by the warranty.

Note

Illustrations are provided to improve conceptual understanding only. Depending on vehicle options, software version, market region and regional and language settings, the details displayed on the screen will differ.

Status bar: Find car controls and status in the top bar (see Top Status Bar Icons).
Navigation: Change the orientation of the map, find or navigate to a destination, and change navigation settings (see Maps and Navigation).
Controls: Control various features and customize Model S to suit your preferences. The Controls screen appears over the map. Touch an option on the Controls screen to display the various settings and preferences associated with the chosen option.
To search for a specific setting, touch Search at the top of the Controls screen. Make changes directly from the result or touch the link to jump to that option in Controls.

When an information icon displays beside a specific setting, touch it to display a popup that provides helpful details about the associated setting.

Note
Many vehicle controls, settings, and preferences (such as climate, media, and navigation) can be adjusted hands-free using voice commands (see Voice Commands).
Note
You can send touchscreen feedback to Tesla by long-pressing this icon.
Climate controls (driver): Use the left and right arrows to decrease/increase cabin temperature. Touch Split on the popup to display separate controls for the driver and passenger. Touch the temperature icon to customize climate control settings (see Operating Climate Controls).
My Apps: For one-touch access to frequently used apps and controls, you can choose what displays here. See Customizing My Apps.
App Launcher: Touch the app launcher to open the app tray. Then touch any app to open it. The app you choose displays on top of the map. To close an app, drag it downward.
Note
Depending on market region, vehicle configuration, options purchased, and software version, your vehicle may not be equipped with these features, or the features may not operate exactly as described.
Recent App(s): Displays the most recently used app(s). The number of recent apps displayed here depends on how many apps have been added to My Apps. If you add the maximum number of apps to My Apps, only the most recent app displays.
Climate controls (passenger): Displays when temperature controls have been Split to provide separate controls for the driver and passenger.
Volume Control: Controls the volume of media player and phone calls (see Volume Controls). The volume of navigation instructions is controlled separately (see Maps and Navigation).

Customizing My Apps

For one-touch access to commonly used apps and controls, you can customize what displays in the My Apps area on the touchscreen's bottom bar:

Enter customization mode by touching and holding any app or control in the My Apps area. If this area is empty, touch the App Launcher.
Drag any app or control from the app tray onto the My Apps area in the bottom bar.
Note
Seat heaters selected from the app tray appear next to the temperature, instead of in the My Apps area.

Note

When you've added the maximum number of apps or controls to My Apps, adding an additional app removes the rightmost app.

Note

Remove an app or control from the My Apps area by touching and holding, then touching its associated "X".

Top Status Bar Icons

Touch to lock/unlock all doors and trunks.

4:20 pm

Your vehicle automatically updates the time. If the time is incorrect, confirm your vehicle has internet and GPS connectivity with the latest software.

Displays when a software update is fully downloaded and ready to install. (See Software Updates).

a half circle with a smaller circle on top of it

Add, configure, or quickly switch driver profiles (including Valet Mode and Easy Entry). See Driver Profiles.

Control or program HomeLink devices (if equipped) (see Smart Garage).

a red circle with an exclamation point inside

Displays when a notification is in effect. Touch to display information about the notification. To display a list of the most recent notifications, with the most recent listed first, you can also touch Service > Notifications.

Connected to a Wi-Fi network.

lines increasing in height from left to right

Connected to cellular network. Touch to connect to Wi-Fi (see Wi-Fi).

lines increasing in height from left to right with a line through it

Displays when Model S cellular connectivity is unavailable. Touch this icon for quick access to Wi-Fi settings.

Connect to a Bluetooth device (see Bluetooth).

a yellow person and air bag with the text "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF"

Status of the front passenger airbag (see Airbags).

Restarting the Touchscreen or Instrument Panel

You can restart your touchscreen if it is unresponsive or demonstrates unusual behavior.

Note

To ensure the safety of occupants as well as other road users, restart the touchscreen only when the vehicle is in Park.

Shift into Park.
Hold down both scroll buttons on the steering wheel until the touchscreen turns black. Pressing the brake pedal while holding down the scroll buttons does not have any impact and is not required.
After a few seconds, the Tesla logo appears. Wait approximately 30 seconds for the touchscreen to restart. If the touchscreen is still unresponsive or demonstrating unusual behavior after a few minutes, try power cycling the vehicle (if possible). See Power Cycling the Vehicle.

To reset the instrument panel, shift into Park and press the top two buttons on the steering wheel (Voice Commands and Next) for 15-30 seconds, or until the screen turns black. A few seconds later, a Tesla logo appears. Wait approximately 30 seconds for the instrument panel to restart.

Note

Pressing the scroll buttons only restarts the touchscreen. It does not restart any other vehicle component and does not power Model S off and on.

Customizing Display and Sound Settings

Touch Controls > Display to adjust display settings to suit your preferences:

Appearance: Customize the display to be Dark or Light. When set to Auto, the brightness changes automatically based on ambient lighting conditions.
Brightness: Drag the slider to manually control the brightness level. If Display Mode is set to Auto, the touchscreen further adjusts based on both the ambient lighting conditions and your brightness preference. Model S remembers your chosen brightness preference and adjusts the touchscreen accordingly.
Energy Saving: When toggled on, Model S reduces the amount of energy being consumed when not in use (for newer vehicles, this is automated). See Getting Maximum Range.
Screen Clean Mode: When enabled, your touchscreen darkens and temporarily disables to facilitate cleaning. Follow the onscreen instructions to exit Screen Clean Mode.
Touchscreen Language: Select the language that the touchscreen displays.
Note
Model S must be in Park to change the language. When you change the language, you experience a brief delay as Model S shuts down and restarts the touchscreen.
Voice Recognition Language: Choose the language to be used for voice commands.
Voice Navigation Language: Choose the language that the navigation system uses for spoken instructions.
Note
For languages that require a download, select the language in the dropdown list to initiate the download (Wi-Fi connection required).
Time: Choose to display time in either 12 or 24 hour format.
Energy Display: Choose to display remaining energy and charging units as either a percentage of battery energy remaining, or as an estimate of the distance you can drive.
Note
When anticipating when you need to charge, use energy estimate as a general guideline only. Many factors have an impact on energy consumption. See Factors Affecting Energy Consumption.
Distance: Choose to display measurements in metric (kilometers, centimeters, etc.) or imperial (miles, inches, etc.) units.
Temperature: Choose to display temperature using Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Tire Pressure: Choose to display tire pressures using BAR or PSI.

In addition to customizing the display, you can enable Joe Mode to reduce the volume of all chimes that are not related to critical safety issues. Touch Controls > Safety > Joe Mode to enable.

Naming your Vehicle

To further personalize your vehicle, you can name it. Touch Controls > Software > Name Your Vehicle located on the right side of the touchscreen below the image of Model S. If your vehicle already has a name, touch the existing name to change it. Enter the new name in the popup and touch Save. The name of your Model S also appears in the Tesla mobile app.

Erasing Personal Data with a Factory Reset

When transferring ownership of Model S, perform a factory reset for security purposes before removing your vehicle from your account by touching Controls > Service > Factory Reset. Before erasing data, Model S verifies your credentials by prompting you to enter the user name and password associated with your Tesla account.

Note

Performing a factory reset is only possible when the vehicle is in your account. After the vehicle is removed from your account, you no longer have access to perform a reset of customized settings to the factory defaults and to erase all personal data.