iPhone recovery mode is the state a phone drops into so a computer can install a fresh copy of iOS on it. The screen turns black and shows a computer with a cable pointing at it. Entering that state erases nothing by itself, which is the part worth knowing before the screen makes you panic.
It is the right tool for a phone frozen on the Apple logo, an update that failed halfway, or a computer that will not see the device. Allow ten seconds for the force restart that often makes it unnecessary, and up to an hour if you end up reinstalling. These steps cover iOS 27, which added a recovery menu on the phone itself.
What iPhone Recovery Mode Does to the Phone
A working iPhone starts from the operating system on its own storage. In recovery mode it starts a small loader instead and waits to be handed a new copy of iOS over the cable. Your photos, messages and apps sit untouched while it waits, however long it waits.
Try the cheap fix first. Press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. A force restart takes ten seconds and clears most freezes. Only when the phone returns to the same stuck screen is recovery mode the next rung, and our guide to an iPhone that will not turn on covers the rungs below this one.
- Right for it: a frozen Apple logo, a failed update, a boot loop, a phone the computer cannot see.
- Wrong for it: a phone that is merely slow, warm or badly behaved after an update.
- Not the same as DFU, which loads none of the phone software and shows a completely black screen.
- Not a passcode bypass: a locked phone still has to be erased, with the passcode lost either way.
Start With the iOS 27 Recovery Menu
Recovery mode used to be the only option, and it always needed a computer. iOS 27 puts a menu on the phone first, and three of its five choices need no computer at all. Reach it before you go looking for a cable.
- Power the iPhone off. Force restart it first if it will not shut down.
- Unplug it from the charger or the computer.
- Hold the side button until the message Continue holding for recovery appears under the Apple logo.
- Keep holding through Loading recovery options.
- Pick an option on the Restore Your iPhone screen.
You will know it worked when the phone stops at a menu headed Restore Your iPhone rather than booting normally or showing the cable screen. The power button backs out of it and the globe button changes the language.
- Recovery Assistant tries to repair the system on its own. It needs your passcode and Wi-Fi.
- Software Update pulls a fresh iOS through a second iPhone or iPad standing nearby.
- Diagnostics Mode lets AppleCare run remote tests, which saves a trip if you are already talking to them.
- Erase All Content and Settings wipes the phone without a computer, keeping the Apple Account signed in.
- Recovery Mode is the old route, and picking it still means plugging into a Mac or PC.
Recovery Assistant is the one to try first, because it costs nothing and keeps your data. If it cannot repair the system, or the phone is older than the models iOS 27 supports, the rest of this page applies.
Set the Computer Up Before You Press Anything
Half the failed restores reported online are a cable or an app version rather than a phone. Get these four right and the rest tends to go to plan.
- A Mac running Finder, or a Windows PC with the current Apple Devices app installed.
- The cable that came with the phone, or another Apple certified one. A charge-only cable carries power and never shows the phone in Finder.
- A USB port on the computer itself. Ports on keyboards, monitors and cheap hubs drop the connection mid restore.
- A connection that will hold for an hour, since the iOS download is several gigabytes.
Update the computer first as well. An old macOS or an old copy of Apple Devices is the quiet cause behind several of the error numbers further down this page.
The Button Sequence for Your iPhone
Connect the phone to the computer first, then run the sequence for your model. The mistake that catches almost everyone is letting go when the Apple logo appears. The logo is the halfway mark, not the destination: keep holding until the computer and cable screen replaces it.
- Press and quickly release volume up.
- Press and quickly release volume down.
- Press and hold the side button until the computer and cable screen appears.
- Select the iPhone in the Finder sidebar, or in the Apple Devices app on Windows.
You will know it worked when the phone shows a computer icon above a cable and the Mac or PC offers to update or restore it. That three-button sequence covers the iPhone 8 and everything after it.
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: hold the side button and volume down together until the cable screen appears.
- iPhone 6s, the first iPhone SE and earlier: hold the Home button and the top or side button together.
- Every model: release only at the cable screen, never at the Apple logo.
Choose Update, and Keep Restore in Reserve
The computer offers two buttons and the difference between them is the whole decision. Update reinstalls iOS and leaves your apps, photos and messages in place. Restore erases the phone and installs a clean copy. Apple tells you to try the update first, and so does every repair technician who has watched somebody skip it.
- Choose Update when the alert appears.
- Leave the phone connected while the software downloads.
- Let the install finish on its own, which usually runs 10 to 20 minutes after the download.
- Repeat the button sequence and choose Restore only if the update fails or the phone still will not start.
One timing quirk trips people up. If the download runs past 15 minutes the phone leaves the cable screen on its own. That is not a failure. Let the download finish on the computer, put the phone back into recovery mode, and the restore picks up with the file already downloaded.
A restore ends at the setup screens, where a phone with Find My switched on asks for the Apple Account it was signed into. Have that password ready before you start, since the lock screen that follows a reset will not accept anything else.
What Each Restore Error Number Means
When a restore fails the computer gives a number, and Apple groups those numbers by cause. Find yours in the first column rather than searching the number on its own, because the group is what tells you whether to swap a cable or book a repair.
| Error numbers | Usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 13, 1600 to 1604, 1611, 1643 to 1650, 2000 to 2009 | The USB connection | Use an Apple certified cable and a port on the computer itself, not one on a keyboard or hub |
| 2, 4, 6, 1611 | Security software on the computer | Quit third-party security tools, then check the cable and port |
| 17, 1638, 3000 to 3200, 3194 | The computer cannot reach Apple | Confirm the computer can reach Apple software update servers and nothing is filtering them |
| 1, 3, 11, 12, 16, 20 to 56, 1002 to 1669 | Possible hardware fault | Retry once on a known good cable and network, then book a service appointment |
| 4005, 4013, 4014 | The restore was interrupted | Run the update again from the start |
| 4037 | The iPhone is still locked | Enter the passcode on the phone, then retry |
| 1671 | The software is still downloading | Wait for the download to finish before touching anything |
Work down the cheap causes before believing the expensive one. A different cable and a different port clear most of the USB group, and the hardware group only becomes a hardware diagnosis once a second computer and a second cable have failed the same way.
Leaving Recovery Mode Without a Restore
If you entered recovery mode by accident, or changed your mind before starting, getting out loses nothing.
- Click Cancel on the computer.
- Unplug the cable.
- Press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button.
- Let go at the Apple logo this time rather than holding through it.
You will know it worked when the phone boots to the lock screen as usual. If it returns to the cable screen instead, the system on the phone is damaged and a restore is the only way forward.
A phone that sticks on the Apple logo after this is often just flat. Leave it on a mains charger for an hour before trying again, because a laptop port rarely delivers enough to wake a deeply discharged battery.
Three Mistakes That Cost People Their Data
Releasing the side button at the Apple logo is the first, and it sends the phone into a normal boot that fails again. The sequence is only finished when the cable screen is on the glass.
Choosing Restore before Update is the second. Restore erases everything that is not in a backup, and a surprising number of phones that get wiped would have come back from the update alone.
Starting without knowing the Apple Account password is the third. Activation Lock asks for it at the end of every restore, and a phone that came from a marketplace seller needs that seller to remove it from their account rather than anything you can do at your end. If the buttons do not respond at all, recovery mode is not available to you and Apple service is the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does recovery mode erase an iPhone?
Entering it does not. The phone can sit on the cable screen indefinitely with everything intact. Choosing Restore on the computer erases it completely, while choosing Update reinstalls iOS and keeps your data.
Can I put an iPhone in recovery mode without a computer?
You can run the button sequence, but the phone will sit on the cable screen with nothing to talk to. The iOS 27 recovery menu is the no-computer option, and three of its five choices work on the phone alone.
What does error 4013 mean?
It means the restore was interrupted rather than refused. Apple groups 4005, 4013 and 4014 together and asks you to run the update again, usually after swapping the cable and moving to a port on the computer itself.
How long does an iPhone restore take?
Budget an hour. The download runs 15 to 30 minutes on a normal connection, the install another 10 to 20, and putting a large photo library back from a backup afterwards can take considerably longer.
