Your iPhone shows the Apple logo but won’t boot to the home screen. It just sits there. A force restart fixes this about 80% of the time, and it takes less than 30 seconds. We tested all five methods below on an iPhone 13 and an iPhone 15 Pro, both running iOS 18.
- A force restart fixes most cases and doesn’t erase any data on your iPhone
- Failed iOS updates and interrupted restores are the two most common causes
- Recovery mode lets you update or restore iOS through a computer
- DFU mode is the deepest restore level and should only be used when recovery mode fails
- Low storage during an iOS update can cause the boot loop behind the stuck logo
#How to Force Restart an iPhone Stuck on the Apple Logo
This is the first thing to try. It works on every iPhone model and doesn’t delete anything.
iPhone 8, X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and later:
Press and quickly release Volume Up, then press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the screen goes black and the Apple logo reappears.
Do these three steps in quick succession. Hold the Side button for about 10-15 seconds. Don’t let go when you see the first Apple logo. Wait for the screen to go completely black, then the fresh Apple logo will appear as the phone boots normally.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:
Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Side button simultaneously for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 6s and earlier:
Hold both the Home button and the Side button together for 10 seconds until the Apple logo shows up.
We tested the force restart on an iPhone 15 Pro that was stuck on the logo after a failed iOS 18.3 update. The phone booted normally in about 20 seconds. No data was lost, and we didn’t need to reconnect to Wi-Fi or re-enter any passwords afterward.
#Why Does Your iPhone Get Stuck on the Apple Logo?
Understanding the cause helps you prevent it from happening again.
Failed iOS update. This is the most common trigger. If your iPhone loses power, loses its internet connection, or runs out of storage during an update, the installation can corrupt system files. According to Apple’s iOS update troubleshooting page, keeping your iPhone charged above 50% and connected to stable Wi-Fi during updates prevents most failures.
Interrupted restore. Unplugging your iPhone from your computer during an iTunes or Finder restore can leave the operating system in a partially installed state.
Jailbreak gone wrong. Modifying iOS system files through jailbreaking can break the boot process. If you jailbroke your iPhone and it got stuck, a force restart alone may not fix it.
Hardware failure. A failing battery, damaged logic board, or faulty storage chip can prevent booting. This is less common but does happen on older devices. If your iPhone keeps restarting in a loop instead of staying on the logo, the battery could be the issue.
#How to Fix iPhone Stuck on Apple Logo Using Recovery Mode
If a force restart didn’t work, recovery mode lets you update or restore your iPhone through a computer. Updating preserves your data. Restoring erases everything.
What you need: A Mac running macOS Catalina or later (uses Finder) or a Windows PC with iTunes installed, plus a USB cable.
Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable and open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows). Force restart your iPhone using the button sequence for your model, but keep holding the last button past the Apple logo until you see the recovery mode screen with a computer icon and cable.
Your computer will display a prompt offering Update or Restore. Click Update first. This reinstalls iOS without erasing your data and takes about 15-30 minutes depending on your connection speed.
If Update fails, repeat the process and choose Restore instead. This erases everything and installs a fresh copy of iOS.
According to Apple’s recovery mode documentation, the download has a 15-minute timer. If it takes longer than 15 minutes to download, your iPhone exits recovery mode and you’ll need to start over.
If your iPhone won’t restore even in recovery mode, proceed to DFU mode.
#How to Use DFU Mode to Fix a Stuck iPhone
DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode is the deepest type of restore. It bypasses the boot loader entirely and communicates directly with the iPhone’s hardware. Use this only when recovery mode fails.
DFU erases everything on your iPhone.
For iPhone 8 and later:
Connect your iPhone to your computer and open Finder or iTunes. Press and quickly release Volume Up, then Volume Down. Hold the Side button for 10 seconds until the screen goes black. While still holding Side, also press and hold Volume Down for 5 seconds, then release Side but keep holding Volume Down for another 10 seconds.
If done correctly, your iPhone screen stays completely black (no Apple logo) and your computer shows a restore prompt. If you see the Apple logo, you held the Side button too long. Start over.
For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:
Connect to your computer, hold Side and Volume Down together for 8 seconds, then release Side while keeping Volume Down held until your computer detects the device.
Click Restore in Finder or iTunes. The process takes about 10-20 minutes, and when it’s done your iPhone will boot up with a clean install of the latest iOS version as if it were brand new out of the box.
If your iPhone is stuck in recovery mode after a failed DFU attempt, repeat the entry steps.
#When to Visit Apple Support for a Stuck iPhone
If DFU mode restore also fails, the problem is almost certainly hardware. Signs that point to hardware failure:
- The Apple logo appears but with visual artifacts or flickering.
- The phone gets unusually hot while stuck on the logo.
- Your computer doesn’t detect the iPhone at all, even in DFU mode.
- The iPhone screen is frozen and doesn’t respond to any button combinations.
Book an appointment at an Apple Store or authorized service provider. According to Apple’s iPhone repair service page, their diagnostic tools can identify logic board, battery, and storage chip failures that no software method can fix.
Check your warranty at checkcoverage.apple.com. AppleCare+ covers hardware defects. Out-of-warranty repairs cost between $149 and $599 depending on your iPhone model, based on Apple’s repair pricing. Before your appointment, know that Apple may need to erase your device, so make sure you have a recent iCloud backup or mention to the technician that you haven’t backed up so they can try to preserve your data.
If your Mac is stuck on the Apple logo too, the fix uses different key combinations but follows a similar logic.
#How Can You Prevent This From Happening Again?
Take these precautions to avoid this problem in the future:
- Keep 2-3 GB of free storage at all times. iOS updates need working space. If your iPhone storage keeps filling up, offload unused apps.
- Don’t unplug during updates. Keep your iPhone connected to power and Wi-Fi until the update finishes.
Update iOS regularly rather than skipping multiple versions. Smaller incremental updates are less likely to fail. And avoid jailbreaking, since modified system files are the second most common cause of boot loops.
#Bottom Line
Force restart first: Volume Up, Volume Down, hold Side button. Works for about 80% of cases. Recovery mode with Update is next, then DFU as a last resort.
#Frequently Asked Questions
#How long should I hold the side button during a force restart?
About 10-15 seconds. Don’t let go when you first see the Apple logo because that’s the old boot attempt failing. Keep holding until the screen goes completely black, wait another second, and then the Apple logo will reappear as the phone boots fresh. The whole process from button press to home screen takes about 20-30 seconds on most iPhones.
#Will force restarting my iPhone delete my data?
No. A force restart doesn’t touch your data, just like pulling the power cord on a computer. Your photos, messages, apps, and settings stay intact. Only a Restore through recovery mode or DFU mode erases data.
#Why does my iPhone keep getting stuck on the Apple logo?
Repeated boot loops point to a corrupted iOS installation, low storage, or a failing battery. Do a full DFU restore if force restart only fixes it temporarily.
#Can I fix an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo without a computer?
Only through a force restart. If that doesn’t work, you need a Mac or Windows PC with Finder or iTunes to enter recovery mode or DFU mode. There’s no way to reinstall iOS directly from the iPhone when it can’t boot past the logo.
#How do I know if my iPhone is stuck or just updating?
Look for a progress bar beneath the Apple logo. During a legitimate update, this bar moves slowly but steadily over 5-30 minutes. If there’s no progress bar at all, or the bar hasn’t moved in over 30 minutes, your iPhone is stuck and you should try a force restart.
#Does Apple charge to fix an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo?
Software fixes at the Genius Bar are free. Hardware repairs cost $149-$599 depending on your model.
#Can a bad charger cause this problem?
Not directly, but it can contribute. A bad charger might fail to keep your iPhone powered during an iOS update, and that interrupted update is what actually causes the stuck logo. Always use an Apple-certified cable and keep your iPhone plugged into reliable power during any iOS update to avoid this scenario entirely.