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How to Put an iPhone in Recovery Mode and Try an Update First

Connect your iPhone to a Mac or PC, use the button sequence for its model, and choose Update first if offered. Restore erases the phone’s data.
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To put an iPhone in Recovery Mode, connect it to a Mac or Windows PC, then use the button sequence for its model until the “Connect to computer” screen appears. At the computer, choose Update first if offered: Restore reinstalls iOS but erases the phone’s data.

Before you start: connect the iPhone to a computer

  1. On a Mac, make sure macOS is up to date. On a Windows PC, install the latest Apple Devices app.
  2. Connect the iPhone to the computer with a USB cable, then open Finder on the Mac or Apple Devices on the PC.
  3. Keep the iPhone connected while you enter Recovery Mode. Identify its model family first so you use the correct button sequence.

Apple calls the target screen the “Connect to computer” screen. Follow the steps below for your iPhone, holding the buttons until that screen appears. Apple’s recovery-mode instructions cover these steps and the options that appear afterward.

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Use the button sequence for your iPhone

iPhone 8 or later, including iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

  1. Quickly press and release Volume Up.
  2. Quickly press and release Volume Down.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus

  1. Press and hold the Top or Side button and Volume Down at the same time.
  2. Keep holding until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

iPhone 6s or earlier, including iPhone SE (1st generation)

  1. Press and hold the Home button and the Top or Side button at the same time.
  2. Keep holding until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

Choose Update or Restore on the computer

Once the iPhone appears in Finder or Apple Devices, follow the on-screen prompts. If you have not already tried updating, select Update first. It attempts to reinstall or update iOS without choosing the option that erases the device. If Update does not resolve the problem, you may be offered Restore.

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Restore reinstalls iOS and erases all your data. Do not choose it unless you understand that data on the iPhone will be erased.

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Option What it does Data impact
Update Attempts to update or reinstall iOS. Apple recommends trying this first if you have not already tried updating.
Restore Reinstalls iOS. Erases all data on the iPhone.

If Recovery Mode fails or the iPhone is not detected

The phone leaves the recovery screen during a download

If the software download takes more than 15 minutes, the iPhone may leave the “Connect to computer” screen. Let the download finish, then repeat the button sequence for your model and continue in Finder or Apple Devices.

The computer does not recognize the iPhone or reports a connection error

  • Try the cable supplied with the iPhone or another Apple-certified cable.
  • Try another USB port on the computer.
  • Check the cable, port, and computer for connection problems. If you need a different cable, make sure it supports data and is compatible with both your iPhone and computer.

Apple’s iOS update and restore error guidance recommends checking the cable and connection when errors prevent the computer from communicating with the device.

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The computer cannot contact Apple’s update server

Check that the computer is connected to the internet, then retry. Apple recommends using a network connection rather than a personal hotspot for software downloads. Its guidance for update-server connection errors applies when iTunes or Apple Devices cannot contact the software update server.

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A button is broken or Recovery Mode cannot complete

Contact Apple or an Apple Authorised Service Provider if a broken or stuck button prevents you from entering Recovery Mode, or if the iPhone cannot be updated or restored in Recovery Mode. Apple lists these as situations that may require service; see its recovery and restore guidance.

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If the iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo during a restore or migration

This advice is for a specific case: the iPhone is restoring from a backup or migrating from another device, and the progress bar has not moved for at least one hour. Apple says to connect the iPhone to a computer, enter Recovery Mode, and choose Update first. Choosing Restore erases the device. See Apple’s instructions for an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo.

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