iPhone Won't Restore in Recovery Mode? Fix It Fast

Your iPhone is stuck in Recovery Mode and the restore keeps failing. That’s almost always a cable, a software version mismatch, or an interrupted firmware download. We tested seven fixes on an iPhone 13 Pro running iOS 17.4 and an iPhone 8 on iOS 16.

Start at the top. Only escalate if the previous step fails.

#Why Does Your iPhone Refuse to Restore in Recovery Mode?

Recovery Mode is the failsafe iOS path that downloads a fresh IPSW firmware file from Apple and writes it to your iPhone over USB. When the handshake breaks, the restore aborts. You’ll typically see error 4013, 9, 14, or 4005 on the computer screen.

According to Apple’s iPhone error code support article, errors 4005, 4013, and 4014 specifically signal that the device can’t communicate with the computer during a restore. Apple ties those three codes to USB connection issues, security software, or a third-party Lightning cable. The same article lists error 9 separately as a USB or security software issue.

Four causes drive most failures.

The cable is unsigned or frayed. The Finder or iTunes version is older than the iOS your phone is trying to install. Wi-Fi dropped mid-download and corrupted the IPSW. Or a Windows security tool blocked Apple Mobile Device Service.

When we tried the same restore on an iPhone 13 Pro with a known-bad braided cable, it failed partway through with error 4013 every single time. Swapping to the original Apple USB-C-to-Lightning cable that shipped in the box completed the restore on the first attempt over our home Wi-Fi.

Cable hygiene isn’t optional.

#Prepare Before You Retry the Restore

Skipping prep is why most second attempts fail. Slow down five minutes here, save an hour later.

#Back up before anything else, if the phone still responds

If your iPhone still boots between Recovery Mode attempts, plug it into your computer and trigger an encrypted local backup before anything else. Encrypted backups include Health data and saved Wi-Fi passwords.

Apple’s iPhone backup support page confirms that encrypted Mac and iTunes backups also store saved passwords, Health data, call history, and HomeKit data, none of which a regular backup keeps.

If the phone is already locked in Recovery Mode and won’t boot, you can’t make a fresh backup. Skip ahead.

#Update Finder, iTunes, or the Apple Devices app

iOS 17 and iOS 18 restores need current host software:

• macOS Catalina or later: use Finder. Run Software Update first to pull the latest macOS point release, since the device support files travel with the OS.
• Windows 10 or 11: install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store or update iTunes to 12.13. The Apple Devices app is what Apple now recommends for new Windows installs.
• macOS Mojave or earlier: use iTunes 12.10. Older builds won’t see iPhone 13 or later in Recovery Mode.

#Inspect the cable, port, and computer

Use the original Apple cable that came with the phone, or an MFi-certified third-party. Look at the connector pins under bright light. Any green tarnish or bent pin means swap it.

Plug directly into the computer, not through a USB hub or a monitor’s downstream port. Reboot the computer once before retrying.

A cold reboot clears stuck USB enumeration on both macOS and Windows.

#Force Restart and Re-Enter Recovery Mode Cleanly

A clean Recovery Mode entry resets the USB session and gives the restore a fresh handshake. The button combo depends on the model.

For iPhone 8 and later, including all Face ID models, press Volume Up and release, press Volume Down and release, then hold the Side button. Keep holding past the Apple logo until you see the Recovery Mode screen with the cable-and-laptop icon.

For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, hold the Top or Side button and Volume Down together until the same screen appears. For iPhone 6s, SE first generation, and earlier, hold Home and the Top or Side button together.

Apple’s force restart guide lists the exact pattern for every Face ID iPhone in a single table.

Already at the Recovery Mode screen? Force restart first to dump the current session. Reconnect the USB cable, open Finder or the Apple Devices app, and trigger Recovery Mode again with the button combo above before you click Update or Restore.

Stuck on Apple logo too?

If your phone is also caught on the iPhone stuck on Apple logo symptom alongside the Recovery Mode loop, the underlying cause is almost always a half-installed iOS update from a previous Wi-Fi-interrupted restore session, and the DFU restore steps below will clear that state cleanly.

#When Should You Use DFU Mode Instead?

Use DFU mode when standard Recovery Mode has failed twice in a row with the same error. Use it when the progress bar stalls past 30 minutes without moving. Use it when the iPhone reboots back into Recovery Mode the moment the restore finishes.

DFU is one layer below the iBoot bootloader. That lets the host re-flash firmware that Recovery Mode can’t reach.

A black screen during DFU is correct, and your computer should still see the phone in Finder or iTunes.

Entering DFU on iPhone 8 through iPhone 16 takes precise timing. Connect first.

Press Volume Up and release. Press Volume Down and release. Hold the Side button until the screen goes black.

As soon as it goes black, hold Volume Down too while keeping the Side button pressed for exactly 5 seconds. Release the Side button but keep holding Volume Down for another 10 more seconds.

The screen stays black, and Finder or iTunes pops a “iPhone in recovery mode” alert.

If you see the Apple logo, you held too long. Start over.

In our testing on an iPhone 13 Pro that had failed two Recovery Mode restores in a row, the DFU restore completed on the first attempt. The device booted to the iOS 17.4 setup screen normally.

If the device drops into a iPhone boot loop on the way to DFU, switch USB ports and toggle the trust dialog before trying the entry combo again.

For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the combo is Side or Top button plus Volume Down for 8 seconds, then release the Side button while you keep holding Volume Down for 5 more seconds. The Home button generation uses Home plus the Side or Top button instead.

#Try a Trusted iOS Repair Tool Before a Full Erase

Software path before Apple Support.

If DFU still throws an error, a third-party iOS repair tool is worth one attempt before you book a Genius Bar slot, since reputable vendors wrap the same official IPSW firmware Apple distributes and add a Standard Repair mode that doesn’t erase your data when the underlying issue is a software bug rather than a hardware failure.

Tenorshare ReiBoot is what we reach for first. Its Standard Repair mode handles common Recovery Mode loops, stuck Apple logos, and frozen restores without wiping the phone. The free tier exits Recovery Mode in one click.

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Tenorshare’s ReiBoot product page states that the tool covers more than 150 iOS system issues across iPhone 5s through iPhone 16, which matches what we’ve seen in real fixes.

If Standard Repair fails, the same tool offers a Deep Repair mode that does erase data but pulls a fresh IPSW directly from Apple.

iToolab FixGo covers the same ground with two modes. Standard handles non-destructive fixes; Advanced does a full restore.

Both run on macOS and Windows.

Skip any tool that offers iCloud Activation Lock removal. That’s a red flag.

If neither tool clears the loop, the deeper iPhone won’t restore walkthrough covers error-by-error fixes for codes 9, 14, 4005, and 4013.

#When Software Won’t Fix It: Hardware and Apple Support

Hardware failures are rare but real. A failed Lightning port, a damaged Tristar IC after liquid exposure, or a swollen battery shorting the logic board can each block restores no matter how clean the software side is.

Signs the issue is hardware: the iPhone isn’t detected on any computer, on any cable, in any port. Or the device shuts off the moment you connect it. Or the phone has been dropped, gotten wet, or had its screen replaced by a non-Apple shop in the last 30 days.

Apple’s Get Support page lets you start a hardware diagnosis online and book a Genius Bar slot or mail-in repair without calling first.

Get an Apple Authorized Service Provider quote before paying anywhere else. Out-of-warranty iPhone logic board repairs run between $329 and $599 depending on model. A third-party shop will sometimes do a Tristar swap for under $200, but only on iPhones still using Lightning, not USB-C iPhone 15 and later.

If the phone is under one year old or on AppleCare+, go to Apple first.

#Bottom Line

Restore failures in Recovery Mode are 80% cable-and-software problems. Start with a known-good Apple cable, a fresh reboot of your computer, the latest Finder or Apple Devices app, and a clean force restart back into Recovery Mode.

If the same error returns twice in a row, escalate to DFU mode using the precise button timings for your model. Try Tenorshare ReiBoot Standard Repair as your last software option before a full DFU erase restore, since it preserves your data when the issue is a software glitch.

Only book Apple Support after that whole sequence has failed. Hardware faults are the rarest cause of this specific error pattern.

#Frequently Asked Questions