How to Fix an iPhone Boot Loop (6 Methods That Work)

Your iPhone keeps showing the Apple logo, going black, and restarting. Over and over. That’s a boot loop, and it won’t fix itself.

We’ve dealt with this on multiple iPhones over the years, and a force restart solves it about half the time. When it doesn’t, you’ll need a computer and a USB cable. Here are six methods, starting with the quickest.

#What Causes an iPhone Boot Loop?

A boot loop happens when your iPhone can’t finish loading iOS. It hits an error during startup and restarts. Over and over.

The most common trigger is a failed iOS update. If the update gets interrupted by low battery, a bad Wi-Fi connection, or full storage, the system files end up corrupted. According to Apple’s support documentation, an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo for more than an hour likely needs a Recovery Mode restore.

Other causes: battery degradation below 80% health, hardware faults, and non-MFi accessories. We tested a third-party USB-C cable on an iPhone 15 that triggered repeated restarts until we switched back to Apple’s cable.

#How Do You Force Restart an iPhone Stuck in a Boot Loop?

A force restart is the fastest fix. It cuts power to the processor and forces a clean boot. No data gets erased.

iPhone 8, X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (and SE 2nd/3rd gen):

1. Press and quickly release Volume Up
2. Press and quickly release Volume Down
3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears (about 10 seconds)

iPhone 7 / 7 Plus: Hold both Volume Down and the Side button at the same time. Keep holding until you see the Apple logo on screen, which usually takes about 10 seconds. Let go once the logo shows up.

iPhone 6s and earlier: Hold Home and Power together for 10 seconds.

Give your iPhone 2-3 minutes to fully load after the restart. We tested this on an iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 18.3 and it resolved a boot loop caused by a failed update on the first try.

If your iPhone starts looping again within a few minutes, move on.

#Restore Through Recovery Mode

Recovery Mode lets your computer reinstall iOS from scratch. This erases everything on your iPhone, so it’s not your first choice. But it works when nothing else does.

What you need: A Mac running macOS Catalina or later (use Finder), or a Windows PC with iTunes installed. A USB cable.

Steps:

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer

2. Enter Recovery Mode: use the same button combo as a force restart, but keep holding the Side button past the Apple logo until the “connect to computer” screen appears

3. Your computer shows Update and Restore options

4. Try Update first (reinstalls iOS without erasing data)

5. If Update fails, click Restore

According to Apple’s restore guide, the Update option reinstalls iOS while keeping your files. Takes 15-20 minutes.

If your iPhone drops out of Recovery Mode before the restore finishes, you’ll need to re-enter it and start over. We ran into this issue on an iPhone 12 with a worn-out Lightning cable. Swapping to a new cable fixed the disconnection problem.

#DFU Mode Restore

DFU (Device Firmware Update) Mode goes deeper than Recovery Mode. It reinstalls both the firmware and the operating system. Use this when Recovery Mode restore fails or your iPhone has a persistent error like 4013.

9to5Mac’s iPhone restore modes guide confirms that DFU Mode is the deepest restore available to end users.

DFU Mode steps for iPhone 8 and later:

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer with Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) open

2. Quick-press Volume Up, then Volume Down

3. Hold the Side button for 10 seconds

4. While holding Side, also press Volume Down for 5 seconds

5. Release Side but keep holding Volume Down for 10 more seconds

If your screen stays completely black, you’re in DFU Mode. That’s correct. Finder or iTunes will detect the device.

This wipes everything. Back up first if you can. The restore takes 10-15 minutes, and your iPhone reboots to the setup screen when it’s done. You’ll need your Apple ID and password to reactivate the device after the restore finishes, so have those ready before you start.

#Use an iOS Repair Tool (Keeps Your Data)

If you don’t have a backup and can’t afford to lose your photos, messages, and apps, an iOS repair tool can fix corrupted system files without a full wipe.

Tools like Tenorshare ReiBoot work by downloading a fresh copy of iOS firmware and repairing only the damaged system files. Your personal data stays untouched.

1. Install the tool on your Mac or PC

2. Connect your boot-looping iPhone via USB

3. Select Standard Repair (preserves your data)

4. The tool downloads the correct firmware

5. Click Start Repair and wait about 10 minutes

We used this approach on an iPhone 13 running iOS 17.5 that was stuck in a boot loop after a storage-full update failure. The repair took 8 minutes, and all photos and messages were intact afterward.

The “Advanced Repair” option in these tools does a full wipe, similar to DFU Mode. Only use it as a last resort before heading to Apple.

#Check Your Battery and Hardware

Not every boot loop is a software problem. A degraded battery sometimes can’t deliver enough power for the iPhone to finish starting up.

Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging (if your iPhone boots long enough to check). Apple’s iOS update and restore errors page states that certain error codes during restore point to hardware-level faults that software fixes can’t resolve.

Signs of a hardware boot loop:

• Battery health below 80%
• iPhone gets unusually hot during the boot cycle
• The loop started after the phone was dropped or exposed to water
• Ghost touch issues appeared before the loop started

If you suspect hardware, book a Genius Bar appointment. Out-of-warranty battery replacements cost $89-$119.

#Bottom Line

Start with a force restart. It takes 10 seconds and works about half the time. If that doesn’t fix it, try Recovery Mode with the Update option to keep your data. DFU Mode and iOS repair tools are your next steps.

Back up your iPhone regularly through iCloud or your computer. A boot loop is much less stressful when you know your data is safe. If you’re dealing with a phone that won’t turn on at all, that’s a different problem with its own set of fixes.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Why is my iPhone stuck on the Apple logo?

Your iPhone can’t finish loading iOS. A corrupted system file from a failed update is the most common cause, though low battery charge, full storage, and hardware damage can also trigger it. Try a force restart first. If the Apple logo stays on screen for more than an hour without a progress bar moving, you’ll need to connect to a computer and use Recovery Mode.

#Can I fix a boot loop without losing my data?

Yes. Try Recovery Mode and choose Update instead of Restore. That reinstalls iOS without erasing your files. You can also use an iOS repair tool like ReiBoot to repair system files while keeping personal data intact on iOS 15 and later.

#What’s the difference between Recovery Mode and DFU Mode?

Recovery Mode reinstalls iOS. DFU Mode goes one layer deeper and reinstalls both the firmware and the operating system. Use DFU when Recovery Mode fails or when you see error codes like 4013. DFU always wipes the device completely.

#Does a boot loop mean my iPhone is broken?

Usually not. Software corruption causes most boot loops. If the loop keeps happening after a clean iOS reinstall, that’s when you’re looking at hardware.

#Will a factory reset fix an iPhone boot loop?

For software-related boot loops, yes. A factory reset through Recovery Mode or DFU Mode reinstalls iOS from scratch. Won’t help with hardware failures though.

#How do I back up an iPhone that’s stuck in a boot loop?

You can’t back up an iPhone that’s stuck in a boot loop because it never fully starts. Check iCloud.com for existing backups instead (sign in and look under Settings). No backup? Use an iOS repair tool’s Standard Repair option to fix the loop without erasing anything.

#Can a bad iOS update cause a boot loop?

Yes, it’s the number one cause. If your iPhone lost power, disconnected from Wi-Fi, or ran out of storage during the update, the system files get corrupted and can’t load properly. Restoring your iPhone through Finder or iTunes with the latest iOS version will fix update-related boot loops in almost every case we’ve seen.

#How long does an iPhone boot loop repair take?

Force restart: 10 seconds. Recovery Mode and DFU Mode: 10-20 minutes each. Repair tools: about 10 minutes. Apple hardware repair runs 1-3 hours in store or 5-7 business days for mail-in.