How to Put iPhone in Recovery Mode (2024)

A simplified user experience is what Apple strives for with every product it launches. This also includes easy troubleshooting methods for any major problems on your iPhone so that one can fix it by themselves at home. This is possible due to the recovery mode on iPhone, which helps you quickly restore the operating system.

In this article, we want to show you how to put your iPhone in recovery mode. If you have trouble doing so, you are in the right place. Before we get to that, let us understand more about recovery mode and all the scenarios where you have to enter recovery mode on your iPhone.

When Should You Enter the Recovery Mode on iPhone

• If you forgot the passcode on your iPhone, you can restore it using iTunes/Mac from the recovery mode. However, you must use your Apple ID and password to use the restored iPhone.
• If you run into any issues on your iPhone – say it refuses to turn on or is stuck in a boot loop, use the recovery mode on your iPhone to restore it.
• If you want to downgrade to a specific version of iOS, use the recovery mode to restore your iPhone.
• If your iPhone is stuck on a boot loop while updating iOS – you can update your iPhone from the recovery mode on PC/Mac.
• If you want to downgrade to a stable version of iOS from a developer beta, the recovery mode will come in handy to restore the iPhone.

Yes – Recovery mode is predominantly used to restore your iPhone. In the next section of the article, we want to show you how to enter the recovery mode on your iPhone.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone

Here’s an easy step-by-step procedure to enter the recovery mode on your iPhone. There are two ways to enter recovery mode.

1. Enter Recovery Mode When You Cannot Turn On Your iPhone

If you cannot turn on your iPhone because it is stuck in a boot loop, or if it is bricked, or if you forgot your passcode, here’s how to enter the recovery mode to restore your iPhone.

Press and hold the following button while immediately connecting your iPhone to the computer.

• iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and later, including iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation): Press and hold the side button.
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button.
• iPhone SE (1st generation), and iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold the home button.

The recovery mode screen will now appear on your iPhone.

2. Enter Recovery Mode When Your iPhone Can Turn On

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to a PC/Mac. You might see a pop-up that says, ‘Trust This Computer’, enter your passcode and confirm the same.

Meanwhile, open iTunes on Windows or Finder on Mac and ensure your iPhone is detected.

See Also

How to put your iPhone in recovery mode when all else failsiPhone Recovery Mode & How to Put iPhone in Recovery ModeHow to put your iPhone or iPad into recovery modeiPhone 11 and 11 Pro: How to Hard Reset, Enter DFU, Recovery Mode

Step 2: Now, enter the recovery mode on your iPhone:

• iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold the side button and the Home button. Release them once you see the recovery mode screen.
• iPhone 7 Series: Press and hold the side button and the volume down button until you see the recovery mode screen.
• iPhone 8 and newer:
  • Press the volume up button and quickly release it.
  • Press the volume down button and quickly release it.
  • Press and hold the power button. You will first see the power off menu, you will see the Apple logo, and lastly, you will see the recovery mode screen. Ensure to hold the power button throughout the process.

Note: Don’t stop pressing the key combinations until you see the recovery mode screen on your iPhone.

There you go; your iPhone has now entered recovery mode; you can perform the necessary actions. Next, let us look at how to get out of the recovery mode.

How to Get iPhone Out of Recovery Mode

To get your iPhone out of recovery mode, press and hold the power button and shut down your iPhone. Once it turns off, press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo on your screen, indicating that your iPhone is ready to boot up.

However, if you are running into problems while using recovery mode on your iPhone, look at the next section of this article.

What to Do if iPhone Won’t Go Into Recovery Mode

Here are some ways to troubleshoot your iPhone if it isn’t booting to recovery mode.

1. Check if Your PC/Mac Is Detecting Your iPhone

Ensure that you have successfully connected your iPhone to your PC/Mac. Ensure you have connected your iPhone to a functional port on your computer. Further, also make sure you are using an MFi-certified lightning cable that hasn’t been damaged.

2. Update Your iPhone

If several users face problems with the recovery mode on iPhone, Apple will undoubtedly take note of it and release a new iOS update. Therefore, ensure that you update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and select General.

Step 2: Tap on Software Update. Tap on ‘Download and Install’ to update your iPhone.

3. Reset iPhone

A few misconfigurations on your iPhone may prevent it from booting to the recovery mode. Therefore, you can reset your iPhone to see if it fixes the problem.

Note: Resetting will revert all system-related settings and erase any saved Wi-Fi networks. Expect to spend some time reconfiguring your device afterward. You will not lose any of your data, however.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on General.

Step 2: Select ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’.

Step 3: Tap on Reset.

Step 4: Tap on ‘Reset All Settings’ to return all configurations to their default state. This will most probably fix this issue.

4. Check if Buttons Are Damaged

Ensure that the volume and power keys are not damaged on your iPhone. You can only access the recovery mode on your iPhone if all the buttons are functional while you press and hold them.

5. Contact Apple Customer Support

If nothing works, go to the experts. Apple customer support will help you fix the issue you are facing on your iPhone. Further, they might also help you with a problem you were trying to fix using recovery mode on your iPhone in the first place.

FAQs on iOS Recovery Mode

Revive Your iPhone

We hope the above methods help you access the recovery screen on your iPhone. Ensure you do not disconnect your iPhone while you complete the update or the restore process using recovery mode.