How to Force Restart iPhone and Enter Recovery Mode

Want to put your iPhone into recovery mode?You'll need to use this feature if you're having major problems with your iPhone.But it's not always clear how to put an iPhone into recovery mode, especially since the process is different for different devices.

We'll show you how to put your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into recovery mode, no matter what model you have.

Force Restart and iPhone Recovery Mode Explained

Hopefully you don't need to force restart your iPhone very often, and it should rarely be necessary to put it in recovery mode.But on those occasions where things go wrong, it's important to know that.

When your device becomes completely unresponsive and you can't turn it off the usual way, instead of waiting for the battery to drain, initiate a force restart.Force restarting is the equivalent of unplugging your desktop computer, as it forces your iPhone to shut down and restart.

Recovery Mode goes a step further and puts your device into a state where you can reinstall iOS by connecting your iPhone to a computer running iTunes (or using the 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 time, you'll need to put the device into recovery mode to save it.

Note that when you reinstall iOS, you will lose all data on your iPhone.This is not a problem if you do regular iPhone backups, you can use iCloud or your local iTunes or Finder for backups.Unfortunately, you can't backup your device in recovery mode, as this process will only provide recovery firmware.

So if you're stuck on an unbootable iPhone and you don't have a backup to restore, there's no way you can save your data.You must continue with these steps and start over.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone 13 and Newer

iPhone 8 and later, including every iPhone model with Face ID, use the same set of steps to force restart and enter recovery mode.The steps below will work for iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone X, XS, XR, iPhone 11 series, 12nd generation iPhone SE, iPhone 13 series and iPhone XNUMX devices.

Note that you need to execute these button combinations fairly quickly.If they don't succeed once, try again, but faster.

How to Force Restart an iPhone 8 or Newer

1. Press and release the volume up button.

2. Immediately press and release the volume down button.

3. Press and hold the side button until you see an Apple logo.When you see this sign, let go of the button.

How to Put an iPhone 8 or Newer into Recovery Mode

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer.

Note that on a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, you'll need to launch iTunes.On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder.If iTunes is already running, you may need to close and reopen.

2. Press and release the volume up button.

3. Immediately press and release the volume down button.

4. Press and hold the side button and don't let go when you see the Apple logo.

5. Continue to hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 7/7 Plus and iPod Touch

The iPhone 7/7 Plus were the first iPhone models to lack a mechanical home button, which meant the home button didn't work when the phone was off.This requires Apple to change shortcuts to force restart and recovery mode for the first time since the iPhone's launch in 2007.

These steps can also be used to force restart the seventh-generation iPod touch released in 2019.This is the last iPod touch model released by Apple.

How to force restart iPhone 7 or 7 Plus?

1. Press and hold the side button (or top button on iPod touch) and the volume down button at the same time.

2. Continue to hold the button until you see the Apple logo, then let go.

How to Put iPhone 7 or 7 Plus into Recovery Mode

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer.

Note that on a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, you'll need to launch iTunes.On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder.If iTunes is already running, you may need to close and reopen.

2. Press and hold the side button (the top button on iPod touch) and the volume down button at the same time.

3. Continue to hold the button even if you see the Apple logo.

4. When you see the Recovery Mode screen, release both buttons and continue through the steps.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 6s and Older Models

The iPhone 2015s, released in 6, was Apple's last iPhone with a mechanical home button.The steps below apply to this device, as well as all previous iPhones.This includes the Plus model, the first-generation iPhone SE, and the sixth-generation iPod touch and earlier.

How to Force Restart iPhone 6s and Older Phones

1. Press and hold the Home and Side (or Top) buttons at the same time.

On iPhone 6 and later, the side button is on the right.For iPhone 5s and earlier, the top button is at the top of the device, as you'd expect.

2. Once you see the Apple logo, release the button.

How to Put iPhone 6s and Older into Recovery Mode

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer.

Note that on a Windows PC or Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, you'll need to launch iTunes.On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder.If iTunes is already running, you may need to close and reopen.

2. Press and hold the Home and Side (or Top) buttons as described above.

3. Keep pressing these buttons even if you see the Apple logo.

4. When you see the Recovery Mode screen, release both buttons.

How to Force Restart and Enter Recovery Mode on iPad

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

To perform these procedures on iPad models that have a Home button, follow the same instructions described above for iPhone 6s and earlier.You need to press and hold the top and home buttons at the same time.If you want to force restart, let go when you see the Apple logo, and continue to hold if you want to enter recovery mode.

If your iPad doesn't have a Home button, follow the steps above to force restart and use recovery mode on your iPhone 8 or newer.Press and quickly release the volume up, volume down, and top buttons in sequence.

Remember, on iPad models, the power button is on the top, not the side.

How to Restore Your iPhone Using Recovery Mode

When you put your device into recovery mode using the instructions above, you'll have 15 minutes to begin reinstalling iOS or iPadOS before your device automatically exits recovery mode.If this happens, you'll need to repeat the key combination to get it back into recovery mode.

When your device enters this mode, you may see a recovery prompt as shown in the image below.If not, try clicking on your device (in the left sidebar of Finder, or using the device icon in the upper left corner of iTunes) to display the restore prompt.

In an error message like the one below, try the update option first, which will try to update your device without wiping anything.If that doesn't work, you'll have to choose restore, which will reinstall iOS or iPadOS and delete everything on your iPhone or iPad.

Once your iPhone restarts during the restore process, you will need to go through the setup again as if it were a new iPhone.Part of this is logging in with your Apple ID credentials to remove Apple's Activation Lock.This is a security feature that prevents others from using your device if it is reset without signing out of iCloud.

Because of this, you should never buy a used iPhone if the seller refuses to unlock it in your presence.A reset phone with Activation Lock still enabled will ask for the owner's Apple ID before you start the setup process, and without this information it's of no use to you.

iPhone recovery mode, easy to get

We've seen how to force restart any iPhone and enter recovery mode, a button combination for every iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch model.It's an easy process once you get the hang of it, but the increasingly confusing combination of buttons is a bit puzzling.Hopefully you don't need to use these tools very often.