Steps to Put Your iPhone Into Recovery Mode

There’s nothing more frustrating than an iPhone that’s totally unresponsive. If your device somehow refuses to boot up, gets stuck in a boot loop, or gets stalled when you’re updating the software, don’t be dismayed. You can still reinstall the software on your Apple device if you put it into recovery mode.

You can use the latest iTunes version to restore your iPhone if you’re on an older macOS version or a Windows computer. If you’re using macOS Catalina, use Finder to restore your iPhone. Turn off your iPhone before connecting it to your computer’s lightning cable.

It’s important to note that the next few steps involved in putting your iPhone into recovery mode largely depend on the model you have in your hand.

How to Put Your iPhone Into Recovery Mode

iPhone 8 and Newer

If you’re using an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, XR, XS Max, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, follow these steps:

Press the Volume Up button and quickly release it.
Next, press the Volume Down button before quickly releasing it.

Press and hold the Power button on the side.
Wait until you see the iPhone recovery-mode screen.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

While both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 models have a force-sensitive and static home button, there are different sets of steps involved when you’re trying to put both models into recovery mode.

First, be sure to simultaneously press and hold the Power button and Volume Down buttons.
Wait for the recovery-mode screen to appear.

iPhone 6 and Older

You’ll notice that older iPhone models that include the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, and iPhone 5S have a physical home button that’s not the same as the newer models. For this reason, a different combination of button presses is required to put these older devices into recovery mode.