How to Fix an iPhone Stuck in a Boot Loop (2026)

Your iPhone shows the Apple logo, starts to boot, then dies and restarts. Over and over. If you’ve been watching that cycle for ten minutes, fingers crossed it’ll sort itself out, these are the steps that actually work.

Most boot loops come from a software problem: a failed iOS update, corrupted system files, low storage that blocked an update from finishing, overheating, or a bad app conflict. Hardware can cause it too, but software fixes are faster to try first.

Fix 1: Force Restart

A force restart doesn’t touch your data. It clears temporary software states with a hard reboot, and it’s the right first move.

iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), and all newer models:

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, then release.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus:

1. Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down at the same time.
2. Hold until the Apple logo appears, then release.

iPhone 6s and earlier:

1. Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.
2. Hold until the Apple logo appears, then release.

If the iPhone boots normally, you’re done. If it loops again within a few minutes, move to Recovery Mode.

Fix 2: Recovery Mode, Try Update First

Recovery Mode lets your Mac or PC reinstall iOS, and the first option to try is Update, which reloads iOS without erasing your data.

You’ll need a Lightning cable or USB-C cable (whichever connects your iPhone to your computer) and one of the following:

• On Mac (macOS Catalina 10.15 or later): Open Finder.
• On Windows: Open the Apple Devices app. Install it from the Microsoft Store if you don’t have it yet.

Macs running macOS Mojave 10.14 or older use iTunes instead, that’s the rare exception, not the current standard.

Entering Recovery Mode

iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), and newer:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
2. Press and quickly release Volume Up.
3. Press and quickly release Volume Down.
4. Press and hold the Side button, keep holding past the Apple logo until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
2. Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down together until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

iPhone 6s and earlier:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
2. Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button together until the “Connect to computer” screen appears.

Choosing Update on the computer

Once your Mac or PC detects the iPhone in Recovery Mode, you’ll see a prompt with two options: Update and Restore iPhone.

Choose Update. It reinstalls iOS without wiping your data. Keep your iPhone connected throughout, disconnecting mid-process makes things worse.

If it finishes and your iPhone boots normally, you’re done.

Fix 3: Restore Your iPhone (Erases Data)

If the Update attempt fails, or the boot loop starts again afterward, go back into Recovery Mode and this time choose Restore iPhone.

Restore erases everything on your iPhone and installs the latest iOS. If you had an iCloud backup or a backup stored on your Mac or Windows PC before this started, you can recover your data during setup afterward. Without a backup, that data is gone, so pause here if you’re not sure.

Keep the iPhone connected until the process finishes. It typically takes 15–20 minutes.

Fix 4: DFU Mode (When Recovery Mode Fails)

DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode goes one level deeper. It rewrites the iPhone’s firmware from scratch, bypassing the normal bootloader. Try this if both Update and Restore in Recovery Mode didn’t hold.

The key sign that DFU mode is working correctly: the iPhone screen stays completely black. No Apple logo, no cable icon. If any screen appears, you’ve landed in Recovery Mode instead, try the sequence again.

iPhone 8 and later:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer with Finder or the Apple Devices app open.
2. Press and quickly release Volume Up.
3. Press and quickly release Volume Down.
4. Press and hold the Side button until the screen goes black (about 3 seconds).
5. With the Side button still held, press and hold Volume Down too.
6. After about 5 seconds, release Side button but keep holding Volume Down.
7. Release Volume Down after another 5 seconds. The screen should remain black.

If your computer detects it, Finder or Apple Devices will prompt you to restore. The timing in steps 4–7 is finicky, it sometimes takes a couple of attempts to get right.

After a successful DFU restore, the boot loop should finally be gone.

When It’s a Hardware Problem

A boot loop that survives a DFU restore is almost certainly hardware. The battery is the most common culprit. A degraded or physically damaged battery can cause continuous restart behavior because the phone can’t hold stable power through the boot sequence. A logic board fault is less common but possible.

At that point, book a Genius Bar appointment or contact Apple Support at support.apple.com. If your iPhone is under AppleCare+ coverage, a battery replacement or repair may cost far less than you’d expect.

Third-party iOS repair tools like iMyFone Fixppo occasionally resolve software states that Recovery Mode doesn’t catch. Apple’s own workflow covers the same ground for free, so treat them as an optional extra rather than a first step, and go in knowing they’re not Apple-endorsed.

Once your iPhone is working again, get a backup in place before the next major iOS update. Pairing an external SSD with your Mac for local backups, alongside iCloud, means you won’t be starting from scratch if this ever happens again.