Quick Links

  • Force Restarting and iPhone Recovery Mode Explained
  • How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone viii, iPhone 10, iPhone eleven, and Newer
  • How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 7/7 Plus and iPod Touch on
  • How to Enter Recovery Fashion on iPhone 6s and Older
  • How to Forcefulness Restart and Enter Recovery Way on iPad
  • How to Recover Your iPhone Using Recovery Mode
  • iPhone Recovery Mode, Made Like shooting fish in a barrel

Looking to put your iPhone in recovery manner? You lot'll need to utilize this function if your iPhone runs into major problems. But information technology's non e'er clear how to put an iPhone in recovery fashion, especially since the procedure differs across devices.

We'll evidence you lot how to put your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in recovery mode, no matter which model you have.

Forcefulness Restarting and iPhone Recovery Style Explained

You hopefully won't need to forcefulness restart your iPhone often, and almost never have to put it in recovery mode. Just it's important to know for those occasions when something goes wrong.

When your device becomes completely unresponsive and you can't shut it down with the usual method, instead of waiting for the bombardment to deplete, you can initiate a strength restart. A forcefulness restart is basically the equivalent of pulling a desktop computer's power plug, every bit it forces your iPhone to shut down and start up again.

Recovery mode takes this a step further, putting your device into a state where you tin reinstall iOS by connecting your iPhone to a computer running iTunes (or using Finder on macOS Catalina and newer). If your iPhone refuses to boot, crashes on startup, or gets stuck on the Apple logo for a long fourth dimension, you'll need to put the device into recovery manner in order to rescue it.

The recovery mode image shown on an iPhone

Annotation that when you reinstall iOS, you'll lose all the data on your iPhone. This isn't a problem if you make regular iPhone backups, which yous can do using iCloud or locally in iTunes or Finder. Unfortunately, you can't support your device in recovery mode, since the process will merely offer to restore the firmware.

As such, if you are stuck with an iPhone that won't boot and you don't have a backup to restore, at that place'south nothing you can practise to save your data.

How to Enter Recovery Style on iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone eleven, and Newer

iPhone 13 Mini - One hand navigation

The iPhone 8 and later, including every iPhone model with Face ID, all use the same set of steps to force restart and enter recovery mode. The below steps volition work with the iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone X, XS, XR, iPhone 11 line, 2d-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 12 series, and iPhone thirteen devices.

Note that you lot'll need to perform these button combinations fairly rapidly. If they don't piece of work once, try them once more merely faster.

How to Forcefulness Restart an iPhone 8 or Newer

  1. Press then release the Book Up button.
  2. Immediately press then release the Volume Down push button.
  3. Concord the Side button until you come across an Apple logo. Let get of the push when you see this logo.

How to Put an iPhone 8 or Newer Into Recovery Mode

  1. Connect your iPhone to a calculator.
    1. On a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, launch iTunes. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder. You may need to shut and re-open iTunes if information technology was already running.
  2. Press then release the Book Up push.
  3. Immediately press then release the Volume Down push button.
  4. Hold the Side push button, and don't allow go when you run into the Apple logo.
  5. Continue belongings the Side button until yous see the Recovery Mode screen.

How to Enter Recovery Way on iPhone 7/7 Plus and iPod Affect

iPhone 7 display

The iPhone 7/7 Plus was the starting time iPhone model to lack a mechanical Home button, meaning that the Home push button doesn't part when the telephone is turned off. This required Apple tree to modify the force restart and recovery fashion shortcuts for the kickoff time since the iPhone launched in 2007.

These steps also work to forcefulness restart the seventh-generation iPod bear upon, released in 2022. This is currently the newest iPod affect available.

How to Strength Restart the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

  1. Press and concord the Side push button (or Meridian push on the iPod touch) and Volume Down buttons at the same fourth dimension.
  2. Continue property the buttons until yous run across the Apple logo, then let get.

How to Put the iPhone 7 or vii Plus Into Recovery Fashion

  1. Connect your iPhone to a reckoner.
    1. On a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, launch iTunes. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder. Y'all may need to close and re-open up iTunes if it was already running.
  2. Printing and agree the Side button (Meridian push on the iPod touch) and Book Down buttons at the same time.
  3. Keep property the buttons, even once y'all see the Apple logo.
  4. Release both buttons when you see the Recovery Mode screen, then go along through the steps (explained below).

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 6s and Older

iPhone 6S Touch ID

The iPhone 6s, released in 2022, was Apple'southward last iPhone with a mechanical home button. The post-obit steps piece of work for that device, too as all iPhones that came before information technology. This includes the Plus models, kickoff-generation iPhone SE, and 6th-generation iPod touch and earlier.

How to Forcefulness Restart the iPhone 6s and Older

  1. Press and concur both the Home and Side (or Acme) buttons.
    1. On the iPhone half dozen and later, the Side button is on the right side. For the iPhone 5s and earlier, the Elevation push button is on top of the device, as you lot'd expect.
  2. Release the buttons in one case you see the Apple logo.

How to Put the iPhone 6s and Older Into Recovery Mode

  1. Connect your iPhone to a computer.
    1. On a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, launch iTunes. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open up Finder. You may need to close and re-open iTunes if it was already running.
  2. Press and concur the Dwelling house and Side (or Top) buttons, as mentioned above.
  3. Keep belongings the buttons even once you see the Apple logo.
  4. Release both buttons when you lot see the Recovery Way screen.

How to Force Restart and Enter Recovery Mode on iPad

iPad Home Screen

Need to forcefulness restart or use recovery mode on your iPad? The process is simple.

To perform these procedures on an iPad model with a Home button, follow the same instructions for the iPhone 6s and earlier, described above. Y'all'll need to press and hold the Top and Abode buttons at the same fourth dimension. Let go when you come across the Apple logo if you desire to strength restart, or keep holding if you desire to enter recovery mode.

If you lot take an iPad with Face ID, follow the higher up steps for force restarting and using recovery mode on an iPhone 8 or newer. Press and speedily release the Volume Up, Book Downward, and Tiptop buttons in that order.

Call up that on iPad models, the power button is on top, non on the side.

How to Recover Your iPhone Using Recovery Mode

When you put your device into recovery manner using the to a higher place instructions, you'll have 15 minutes to begin reinstalling iOS or iPadOS earlier your device automatically exits recovery mode. You lot'll need to repeat the combination of button presses to put it back into recovery mode if this happens.

Yous might meet the recovery prompt, illustrated below, as soon as your device enters this mode. If non, try clicking on your device (on the left sidebar of Finder, or using the Devices icon at the peak-left of iTunes) to bear witness the recovery prompt.

On the error bulletin like the one below, endeavor the Update choice first, which will attempt to update your device without erasing anything. If this doesn't work, you'll have to cull Restore, which will reinstall iOS or iPadOS and remove everything that was on your iPhone or iPad.

iTunes Repair iPhone

Once your iPhone reboots following the restore process, you lot'll demand to walk through the setup again like it'due south a new iPhone. Function of this is logging in with your Apple ID credentials to remove Apple's Activation Lock. This is a security characteristic that prevents someone else from using your device if it'south reset without signing out of iCloud.

Because of this, y'all should never buy a secondhand iPhone if the seller refuses to unlock it in front of yous. A reset phone with Activation Lock still enabled will enquire for the owner's Apple tree ID before you can begin the setup process, making it useless to you.

iPhone Recovery Mode, Made Like shooting fish in a barrel

We've seen how to force restart any iPhone and enter recovery fashion with the button combinations for each iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch model. It'due south a simple process once you know it, simply the increasingly disruptive button combinations are a scrap obtuse. Hopefully, you won't need to use these often, if ever.

For more than serious iPhone troubleshooting, you lot'll need to turn to DFU fashion next.