Quick Fixes if your iPhone won’t Restore in Recovery Mode

Imagine trying to fix an issue in your iPhone or restore it to an earlier version to recover a lost file through the trusty recovery mode. But, instead, it gets stuck and won’t restore in recovery mode!

There are several ways to fix this issue, like force restarting your iPhone, etc. However, if the issue is more technical and merely restarting your phone doesn’t work, you resort to fixing it via other methods. This involves connecting your iPhone to a computer and letting Finder or iTunes resolve the issue or using the DFU mode or third-party apps to fix it.

In this article, we will go over several tried, tested, and easy ways to recover an iPhone stuck in recovery mode.

What Happens When Recovery Mode Doesn’t Work to Restore?

Your iPhone screen goes black! And, you get an iTunes or computer symbol asking you to connect your device to it. In some cases, you might experience an unresponsive black screen with the Apple logo. In any case, this is an indication that your iPhone is stuck in recovery mode!

If you ever come across a situation where your iPhone won’t restore in recovery mode, or your iPhone 12/11 is stuck in recovery mode, it could be due to an error occurring during the system update, mainly because of a corrupted file or power loss.

How to Fix iPhone Won’t Restore and Stuck in Recovery Mode

Method 1: Force Restart Your iPhone

If you want to get out of recovery mode, one way is to force restart your iPhone. Here’s how to do it for iPhone X and later versions:

Step 1. Disconnect all the cables connected to your iPhone.

Step 2. Now press and release the volume up button and then the volume down button.

Step 3. Now long-press the power button till your iPhone restarts.

Method 2: Restore Your iPhone Using iTunes or Finder

Another way to restore your iPhone is via computer. When your iPhone is stuck in recovery mode, it prompts you to connect it to a computer. If you’re using a Windows computer, you can fix your iPhone through iTunes, and if you have a macOS, the Finder can do this job effectively.

Here are the steps on how to go about it using both systems.

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer using a lightning cable.
2. In macOS, open “Finder,” and from the sidebar, select your iPhone. In Windows, open iTunes and select your iPhone from the top-left corner.
3. Now select “Restore iPhone” and click “Restore and Update” to confirm.
4. This will erase all the content from your iPhone and update iOS to the latest version.

The process will be complete in about 30 minutes, after which your iPhone will restart. If you have a backup of your iPhone, follow the prompts on the screen to recover it. However, if you fail to recover your iPhone with the above methods, it means that the problem lies in the firmware and is more technical than we imagined! This calls for some alternative methods to restore it!

How to Restore iPhone Using Alternative Ways

1. Restore iPhone with DFU Mode

DFU mode is somewhat like the recovery mode, except that it reinstalls your iPhone’s firmware, keeping it unresponsive during the process. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to restore your iPhone with DFU mode.

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer using a lightning cable.
2. Open iTunes if you’re using Windows, or open Finder if you have macOS.
3. Press and release the volume up button and then the volume down button.
4. Now long press the power button till the screen goes black.
5. As soon as the screen goes black, press and hold the volume down button simultaneously with the power button.
6. After 5 seconds, release the power button but keep holding the volume down button.
7. Your iPhone will appear on your computer if you successfully enter the DFU mode while its screen remains unresponsive. However, if you see something on your iPhone’s screen, you will have to repeat the whole process one more time.
8. Once in DFU mode, your computer will install the relevant software, after which you will have to follow several prompts to restore your iPhone successfully.

However, there’s still one option remaining to restore your iPhone without losing any data!

2. Restore iPhone with AnyFix

AnyFix – iOS System Recovery is a tool that fixes more than 130 issues related to iOS devices and gets them working again with just a few clicks. Using AnyFix to restore your iPhone is a quick, easy, and safe option as it usually fixes your device without erasing any information. Besides, you can exit recovery mode with it. Amazing right?

By following the steps below, you can bring your iPhone back from the dead in no time!

Step 1. Download AnyFix from the website for free, and launch it on your computer.

Step 2. From the interface, select “System Repair.”

Step 3. Next, connect your iPhone to the computer using a lightning cable. Select “50+ iPhone Problems” and click on “Start Now” to begin the process.

Step 4. You will be given 3 repair options: Standard Repair, Advanced Repair, and Ultimate Repair. Select “Standard Repair” for now.

Step 5. This will take you to the recovery mode, where you will be asked to download or add firmware. Click on “Download.”

Step 6. Once the firmware is downloaded, it’s time to begin fixing your iPhone. Click on “Fix Now.” It will take a few minutes before your iPhone will be fixed, after which it will restart, and you will see the following prompt on your computer.

Most of the time, AnyFix successfully restores your iPhone, even iPhone 11 and 12 stuck in recovery mode.

To exit recovery mode on your iPhone:

Also, go to the homepage of AnyFix > Choose Enter/Exit Recovery Mode > If your iPhone is stuck in recovery mode now, Exit Recovery Mode is available, simply tap on it and click the Exit button > After exiting the recovery mode successfully, the Exited successfully interface will be displayed.

However, there is always a possibility of some issue with the hardware. We would recommend visiting your nearest Apple Store to get your iPhone thoroughly examined in such a case.

The Bottom Line

When your iPhone won’t restore in recovery mode, you experience an unresponsive black screen with an iTunes, computer, or Apple logo and can’t stop wondering if you will successfully recover your iPhone or not. However, it has become relatively easy to fix this issue with so many solutions out there.

Apart from force restarting your iPhone or letting iTunes or Finder fix the issue, you can also rely on iOS system recovery tools like AnyFix to help restore your device.