How to force restart iPhone 14, recovery mode, and DFU

The iPhone 14 range is here and with that it comes in handy to know how to access the utility modes in case you run into any problems. Read on how to force restart iPhone 14, use recovery mode and perform DFU and when to use these different options.

If you’re seeing unexpected behavior from your iPhone, a simple restart is enough in many cases. Simply turn your device off and on again (press and hold the side button and a volume button > slide to turn off or Settings > General > Shut down > slide to turn off).

However, if you can’t, here are your next steps…

How to force restart iPhone 14 using recovery mode or DFU

Note: The following steps also work for iPhone 8 and later, including iPhone SE Gen 2

Force restart iPhone 14 and 14 Pro

This is the best option when your iPhone touch screen is not working and/or you cannot turn it off/on normally to fix frozen or unresponsive device:

1. Short press the volume up button
2. Briefly press the volume down button
3. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo, then release
4. Your iPhone should restart shortly

Recovery mode for iPhone 14 and 14 Pro

Use recovery mode if a forced restart doesn’t work, or if you see a blue or red screen while your iPhone restarts, or if it freezes during startup:

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a Lightning cable
   • Choose trust on your iPhone screen to allow the connection to your computer, then open Finder in macOS Catalina and later or iTunes for PCs/macOS Mojave and earlier
2. Short press the volume up button
3. Briefly press the volume down button
4. Press and hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen (computer and cable icon).
5. Select your iPhone in the left sidebar of the Finder window
6. Now you can update or restore your iPhone
   • Pick To update Your computer will attempt to reinstall iOS without erasing your data by selecting restore erases your iPhone and installs a fresh copy of iOS

DFU for iPhone 14 and 14 Pro

In rare cases where recovery mode doesn’t work, entering device firmware upgrade mode (DFU) may be the next step. This is usually done by an Apple Genius/Technician, but you can do it from home.

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a Lightning cable
   • Choose trust on your iPhone screen to allow the connection to your computer, then open Finder in macOS Catalina and later or iTunes for PCs/macOS Mojave and earlier
2. Short press the volume up button
3. Briefly press the volume down button
4. Press and hold the side button for 10 seconds
5. While still holding the side button, press and hold the volume down button for 5 seconds
6. Release the side button and keep holding the volume down button for another 10 seconds
7. No computer icon appears when entering DFU mode. If you’ve accessed it properly, your iPhone screen should remain black. If the Apple logo appears, you did not perform the operation correctly
8. Follow the instructions on your computer to complete the device firmware update
9. You can exit DFU mode by force rebooting

other situations

• If you can’t force restart or enter Recovery or DFU mode because you have broken buttons, stuck in Activation Lock, or can’t charge your iPhone, contact Apple Support

Read more about iOS 16 and iPhone 14:

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