How to enter iPad into DFU recovery mode. Step-by-step recovery of iPhone does not enter dfu mode

DFU Mode or DFU Mode is an abbreviation for Device Firmware Update, which translated into the great and mighty means - the device firmware update mode. Many novice iPhone and iPad users confuse DFU mode with Recovery Mode. The difference between them is that in the recovery mod there is a picture on the phone screen with an image of a cable and the iTunes logo. In DFU mode, the device generally looks dead - the screen does not light up and does not respond to buttons.
From the name it is clear that DFU mode on iPhone and iPad is used to flash the device or restore the firmware in the event of a failure.

In general, by default, iTunes is responsible for updating the firmware of Apple devices. But in the case when it cannot update or flash the device, or it does not start or load at all, you have to resort to DFU mode.

How to put iPhone and iPad into DFU mode

There are two ways to enter DFU mode. They can be used for any mobile device from Apple - iPhone 4,5,6 or iPad and iPad mini. Let's look at both options.

Method 1.

Simultaneously press the iPhone's Power button and the Home button:

Keep them pressed for 10 seconds. After this time, release only the power button. We continue to hold the “Home” button until the mobile device goes into DFU Mode.

Method 2.

We connect our iPhone or iPad using a cable to a computer or laptop, preferably not through a USB hub but directly to the motherboard port. We launch the iTunes program, and then completely turn off the device. Make sure it's actually turned off.
Now you need to press the “Home” button and at the same time the “Power” button. We count down 10 seconds, after which we release the power button and continue to hold down the “Home” button. After about another 10-15 seconds, iTunes should signal that a new device has been detected. Now you can release the Home button.
The device screen will be black - don’t be alarmed, this is normal.
Now you can reflash the device.

How to exit DFU mode

In order to take your iPhone or iPad out of DFU mode, you need to press two buttons again - Home And Power and hold until the device turns off. After that it will turn on again and boot normally.

Video instruction - How to enter DFU mode:

Articles and Lifehacks

If you used a mobile phone of another brand before purchasing an Apple product, then you may not know what dfu mode is on an iPhone.

DFU (Device Firmware Update) is a special mode designed for iPhones, which is software for making changes to the device. This mode can be found in other brands, only it is called flash mode there.

To, for example, update the firmware or restore it on an iPhone, you must switch the gadget to dfu mode. This function is also used when you need to restore or save valuable information.

How to enable dfu

It's actually easy to do, you just need to follow the instructions:
  1. Connect your device to your computer and turn it off.
  2. Open Apple iTunes.
  3. Hold down the HOME and POWER buttons simultaneously to boot the phone.
  4. The Apple logo that appears indicates that dfu mode is not yet enabled, so press and hold the HOME and POWER buttons again, after ten seconds, release POWER, but continue to press HOME.
  5. Hold the key until the iTunes window pops up on your computer, indicating that the iPhone has been detected in Recovery Mode. Click OK.
  6. Once the phone is entered into the desired mode, an icon similar to the USB icon will become visible on the black screen, representing the hard drive.

How to turn on dfu without the POWER button


Sometimes it happens that the power key does not work or gets stuck, and logging into dfu is vital. Then do the following:
  1. Download the DFU.zip file to your computer and extract it to a folder in this path: C: /DFU/.
  2. Connect your gadget to your computer, but do not log into iTunes.
  3. Now go to the Start menu on your computer and in the “Run” line enter these values: C: /DFU/ DFU iBSS.m68ap.RELEASE.dfu.
  4. After a white screen appears on your iPhone, you can start changing the firmware.

DFU mode is a special mode provided by iOS device developers and intended for updating or restoring the firmware of an iOS device. This mode differs from Recovery Mode in that the device is completely turned off, while the device does not respond to pressing the control buttons, and the display does not load any images, even frozen ones. DFU mode starts without accessing the phone's operating system and is used in cases where the phone does not charge, does not respond to connection to a PC, does not turn on when pressing buttons, or if a system error appears when restoring or updating the system via iTunes. If you are a novice user, it may be better to contact specialists or an Apple service center in your city if the above problems occur. If you can easily deal with many of the malfunctions of your device on your own, then try the methods for entering DFU mode on iPhone that we proposed in this article.

How to put iPhone/iPad into DFU mode

Method 1. How to enter DFU mode on iPhone using device buttons

You can put your iPhone into DFU mode using the buttons located on the device's body. For iPhone models up to version 6 inclusive, the operation algorithm is slightly different from entering the recovery mode of later versions (with the touch Home button). First, let's look at the instructions for launching recovery mode on iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, 4S, iPhone 5, 5S, iPhone SE iPhone 6, 6S, Plus models.

Step 3: Press and hold the Power and Home buttons at the same time for 10 seconds.

Step 4: Release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed for 10 seconds. A message should appear on your computer screen in iTunes indicating that your device is in recovery mode. The display of the phone itself will remain black.

Step 5: In iTunes, select the "Restore iPhone" option to reset your phone to factory settings. After this, all personal data will be erased, and the latest version of the system will be installed on the iPhone.

Step 6: To exit recovery mode, press and hold the Power and Home buttons at the same time for 10 seconds, after which the device will turn off. The next time you turn on (by pressing the power button), the device will boot into normal mode.

In order to launch recovery mode on iPhone 7, 7 Plus models, you must perform the following steps.

Step 1. Connect the device to your PC using a USB cable.

Step 2: Launch iTunes on your PC. Attention: the latest version of the program must be installed on your PC.

Step 3: Hold down the "Power" and "Volume Down" buttons for a few seconds. Release the Power key but continue to hold the Volume Down key.

Step 4: If the screen remains black, your iPhone 7 should now be in DFU mode.


iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XR/XS/XS Max:

1. Connect your iPhone X or iPhone 8 to your Mac or PC and open iTunes.

2. Press and hold the "Power" button for 3 seconds. Press and hold the Volume Down button while holding down the Power button.

3. Release the On/Off button but hold down the Volume Down button for about 5 seconds. If the screen remains black, your iPhone should now be in DFU mode.


Method 2. How to get an iPhone out of DFU mode using ReiBoot if the iPhone is stuck in DFU mode

Now that you have learned about Recovery Mode and DFU Mode for iPhone, it will be easier for you to use them wisely. But what if your iPhone is stuck in DFU mode? Who will get you out of this mess? Using a great tool like , you can easily fix iPhone stuck in DFU mode. The "Repair Operating System" feature of this software can easily ensure that your iPhone returns to normal without any glitches. You don't need to worry about any data loss at all.

Let's check out the detailed guide on Tenorshare ReiBoot to fix iPhone stuck in DFU mode.

Step 1. Download the program and install it on your PC. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC using a USB cable. Launch the program.


Step 2. Click on “Start” to fix system problems.


Step 3. Check your device model information displayed on the PC screen and select “Download” to download the appropriate firmware package. Once the firmware package is downloaded, click "Fix Now".


In this article, our goal was to inform you about DFU and its aspects. We hope that with this goal we can achieve success. We have also introduced ReiBoot which is such a tool that fixes DFU mode issues along with other issues related to your iPhone. You can easily return your iPhone to normal.

Enter iPhone X into DFU mode

Here we look at standard methods for flashing an iPhone, as well as flashing via Recovery Mode and DFU. Save the instructions to your bookmarks. It will be useful to update or revive the device.

Automatic update by air

For what: For a standard transition to a new version of iOS.

How: Go to Settings - General - Software Update. Wait for the information to be updated, check out the new features, download and install the software using the appropriate button.

Automatic update via iTunes

For what: To upgrade to a new version of iOS if you can’t download the software from your iPhone.

How: Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB. Go to the device management section, click the button Update and wait for the operation to complete.

Manually updating iPhone via iTunes

For what: To upgrade to a new version of iOS using a downloaded firmware file if you cannot update your device using standard means.

How: Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB. Go to the device management section. Option-click for Mac or Shift-click for Windows Update. Select the downloaded firmware file and wait for the operation to complete.

Flashing smartphone firmware via Recovery Mode

For what: To get a completely clean iOS if the operating system is not working properly.

How: Turn off your smartphone. Hold down the Volume Down key for 7 or Home key for other iPhones and connect the device to the computer.

iTunes will automatically detect that there is some problem with your iPhone and offer to update or restore it.

Flashing iPhone using DFU mode

For what: To revive an iOS device when Recovery Mode does not help - the iPhone does not turn on and does not respond to other manipulations.

How: Connect your iPhone to your computer, and turn it off if it's on.

Press and hold the Power button for three seconds. Without releasing it, press the Volume Down button for 7 and Home for other devices and hold for ten seconds. Release the Power button, but continue to hold the second button for another five seconds.

iTunes will notify you that your iPhone is connected. Now it is in recovery mode via DFU and you can do this by pressing the corresponding button.

If the Apple or iTunes logo lights up on the screen, you have put your smartphone in Recovery Mode. You did something wrong, so try again from the beginning.

P.S. Thanks to our friends from re:Store

Find out even more tips from our group at

DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode differs from the usual recovery mode in that it bypasses the operating system and reflashes it directly. As a result of flashing in DFU mode, you will get the latest version of iOS installed on your iDevice.

This is the most reliable method to reflash and can be recommended to anyone who experiences errors in iTunes during a normal recovery. Often similar errors occur on those iPads that have undergone the Jailbreak procedure, but the user still wants to reflash the iPad (traces of jailbreak, in this case, as with a normal recovery, will disappear).

Flashing via DFU mode is possible on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch of any model. Below I will write about the iPad, but on the iPhone and iPod Touch everything is done in the same way. Before flashing in DFU mode, I recommend charging the device for at least 15-20 minutes, just in case. So that during flashing it does not happen that the device turns off due to an uncharged battery.

How to login DFU mode on iPad(DFU Mode iPad)

1. Close iTunes on your computer.

2. Connect your iPad to your computer.

3. Turn off the iPad completely by holding the Power button for a long time and moving the “Turn off” slider

4. Press the Home and Power buttons for exactly 10 seconds.

5. Release the Power button, but continue to hold Home until the computer displays the new USB device (approximately 10-15 seconds). This may not happen - in this case, hold the Home button for 20-30 seconds just in case.

6. iPad screen in DFU Mode will be black, don't expect it to turn on.

8. Now there are two options:

a) To flash the firmware, hold down the Shift button (in OS X - “option”) and click on Restore iPad/iPod/iPhone (Restore). In the file selection window, specify the firmware file that you want to use (it, of course, must have been downloaded before). The current firmware file can be downloaded from here.

b) You can simply click the “Restore iPad” button. In this case, iTunes will simply tell you:

And after clicking the “Restore and Update” button, it will download the latest firmware and begin restoring it.

Option A is preferable to B, since you will have firmware on your computer in case of any errors. In option B, the firmware will be downloaded again each time.

That's it - iPad firmware in DFU mode has begun. In option B, it will start when iTunes downloads the firmware (depending on the speed of your Internet connection). You can track your download progress in the upper right corner of iTunes - there is a button there that opens a submenu with downloads.

An apple will appear on the screen of your iOS device, the device will reboot several times and eventually, after about 10 minutes, you will see the welcome window of the iOS operating system. You can proceed to setting up the system.

Popular questions and answers on the topic “flashing iPad in DFU mode”:

Question: Which flashing method is better?

Question: How to get iPad out of DFU mode?

Answer: hold down the Home and Power buttons and hold them until signs of life appear on the iPad. But it happens that the device does not want to exit DFU mode. In this case, there is only one thing left to do - flash it via DFU according to the instructions above. In this case, you will receive a full-fledged working device with the latest firmware.

Question: What to do if DFU mode does not turn on?

Answer: As I wrote above, the DFU mode does not show itself on the screen. That is, if the screen is black, and iTunes sees the device and wants to restore it, this means that you have already enabled DFU mode.

Question: Is it possible to put an iPad into DFU mode without working buttons (for example, the Home button is broken)?

Answer: No, DFU mode will not be available. Repair the buttons in the service, and then restore them. In any case, DFU is a last resort. Most likely, you will be able to flash the firmware using a regular restore in iTunes.

If you have any questions or problems arise, feel free to write them in the comments.



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