How to exit dfu mode iphone 4s. Step-by-step iPhone recovery

Working with any mobile device is associated with the potential occurrence of various failures and errors. For example, you may install a problematic application or program that will crash in the future. No one is immune from this.

In this case, it can be very difficult to get the device to work normally. In some situations, you even have to turn to specialists at service centers for help and pay extra for their work.

If you have an iPhone, then no need to worry. Apple has made sure to make life easier for its customers. It developed a special DFU mode. iPhone 4th, 5th and 6th generations support it. Read more about it in the article.

What it is?

Let's start with deciphering the name. DFU is, as you understand, an abbreviation for Device Firmware Update, which translates as “device firmware update.” It becomes clear: using this mode, you can perform a so-called update - make the firmware updated, thus correcting all previously encountered problems and errors.

You can update via DFU mode (iPhone 5S, like any other model from this manufacturer, also supports it) using a USB cable connected to a PC with iTunes installed. At the same time, you will not see any symbols on the screen of the mobile device itself during DFU mode - the iPhone will simply show a black “lifeless” screen.

Why is this?

For what purposes did Apple implement this mode? Let's imagine that you suddenly experienced a software crash due to the installation of a third-party application. You can't control your device using the screen because it doesn't respond (or doesn't respond correctly) to touch, isn't customizable enough, and simply doesn't work the way you want it to. What to do in this case?

You need to connect to your computer and update the shell completely to get rid of the error on your iPhone. DFU mode allows you to do just that. It disables graphics and actually runs at a basic, software level. The user does not see any signs of life on his phone, but the device does not load an “external” operating system (along with which an error may appear). In this way, a connection is made between the phone and the computer while the DFU mode is enabled on the first one. iPhone 4 (and not only this model) can be restored at the software level.

How to enter DFU mode?

Once you understand why this mode is needed, let’s move on to the instructions for activating it. So, putting your iPhone into DFU mode is quite simple. To do this, you will need to hold down the phone keys in a certain sequence. First (lasting 2 seconds) you need to press the button that returns to the home screen of the device (the so-called Home key), and together with it the button with which we unlock our phone every day (Power). After this period of time has passed, release the screen unlock button and continue to hold the home screen key. As a result, you will see your iPhone screen go blank. DFU mode has apparently been successfully activated.

Software Update

When the smartphone is in this state, you need to connect it to the computer, go to iTunes and just wait until the PC recognizes the phone. There is nothing complicated about this. Soon after connecting, you will see an icon of your iPhone. DFU mode does not affect this in any way, so you don’t have to worry about how the device will behave.

Your further actions should be aimed at updating the firmware. This is quite simple to do: go to the panel displaying the status of your device and select the “Update” button. This will reinstall the operating system on your iPhone. The DFU mode will be removed only after this process is completed.

An alternative action is the recovery procedure. You can activate it with the corresponding button here on the status bar. With its help, the firmware will not only be updated to a newer version, but all personal information of the user will also be erased from the phone. The iPhone will thus be launched with factory settings.

If iTunes finds a more recent version of the operating system, the program will offer to install it. Upon completion of the procedure, we proceed to the last stage of work - exiting the update mode and restoring normal operation of the device.

Quitting DFU

As far as you remember, we entered DFU mode (you have an iPhone 5S, 4 or 6 - it doesn’t matter) by pressing the combination of the Power and Home keys. So, the exit from it is carried out in exactly the same way.

First, you need to hold down both buttons for 10 seconds. During this time, the smartphone will not react in any way, so do not be alarmed - this is normal. Secondly, immediately after the action described in the first step, briefly press the Power key. After a few seconds, you will be able to see the Apple icon on the device screen, after which the phone will start in normal mode.

Remember DFU

In general, I would like to give this advice for the future: do not forget about the DFU mode. As soon as your device signals another error at the software level or the iPhone stops responding to commands, feel free to launch this mode. In certain situations, this may be the only correct solution to the problem.

DFU mode is an option where you can turn on your iPhone in a configuration that allows it to interact with iTunes, but won't load its operating system or bootloader (this is what really differentiates it from recovery mode). We can say that entering it means updating the device's firmware.

What is DFU mode usually used for?

The main reason why people need to switch to DFU mode on their mobiles is because they need to change the firmware on the device. This can happen for various reasons: the need to return the iPhone and its operating system to its previous state, or to use those required for jailbreaking or SIM unlocking. For example, if you installed a new version of iPhone OS, and then decided that the previous one is preferable for you, you need to reset the new installation using DFU mode.

How to enter DFU mode on iPhone?

Connect your iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes. Turn off your smartphone (hold the power button on the top of your mobile). Press and hold the Power or Sleep button at the same time as the Home button for exactly 10 seconds, and then release the former. Continue holding Home until iTunes displays a message indicating that your iPhone in recovery mode has been detected.

When you enter DFU mode, the iPhone screen will be completely black.

Even though the screen goes dark, it doesn't mean the device can't sync with iTunes or another service (for jailbreaking, etc.).

Remember that if you see the iTunes logo, recovery prompt, or any message on your iPhone screen, you are not in DFU mode. Instead, you started the standard recovery mode. Again, DFU mode is determined only by its complete presence on the device. If anything else occurs, repeat the above steps until you enter the specified mode successfully.

Exiting DFU mode on mobile

The easiest way to exit DFU mode is to hold Home and Sleep/Power on while connected to iTunes. After that, simply press the power button and this should restart your device as usual.

Why are users interested in how to put their gadget into DFU mode?

The most common reason for using DFU mode is to jailbreak the device. Today, it is not uncommon for users to buy a new iPhone and find a way to free the device from the restrictions of use outside one network or abroad. This is often because people are looking for the cheapest way to purchase an iPhone and are not interested in signing a long-term contract with any specific carrier. Naturally, most device users do not want to overpay for roaming or immediately pay the full cost of the iPhone to the seller. In other words, there may be many reasons, but they all boil down to one thing - the desire to save money and get maximum returns at minimal costs.

It should be noted that the above instructions work not only in relation to the iPhone. Similarly, any Apple device can be entered into this mode, since the factory settings are identical.

Owners of iPhone and iPad often encounter a problem during the process of flashing the iPhone and updating to the new iOS system, this problem –iPhone stuck in DFU mode. Especially after jailbreaking, the iPhone slows down more easily in this mode. In this case, how can I get my iPhone, iPad or iPod touch out of DFU mode and fix it? We provide several methods.

How to exit DFU mode using Tenorshare ReiBoot One click

Supports getting out of any hangs with one click, such as stuck on apple logo after updating to new iOS system, stuck on black screen, stuck on blue screen of death, or stuck during startup, jailbreak, etc. Also supports all devices, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

First, download and install Tenorshare ReiBoot on your computer. Then run it. Connect your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to your computer using a USB cable. And then Tenorshare ReiBoot will recognize your device, click “Enter Recovery Mode”, then your device is already out of DFU mode.


After that, click “Exit Recovery Mode”, wait a little and the device will reboot safely. Do not disconnect the device during this process.


One click this program can solve the hang, in addition, if the iphone is stuck in recovery mode (recovery mode), in itunes mode, in update mode, in shutdown, in mode headphones,Tenorshare ReiBoot always allows the device to recover from a freeze.

Other Ways to Solve iPhone Stuck in DFU Mode

Now, if you put your iPhone into DFU mode, you can get your phone out of it using a normal reboot - holding down the Home + Power buttons for 10 seconds. The phone will reboot and work in normal mode. If after connecting the cable and holding Home + Power for 10 seconds, the phone cannot start, then press the Power button and it will turn on.

How to recognize DFU mode?

DFU in an iPhone or iPad can only be recognized when the device is connected to a computer and only using a USB cable. It is the computer that will notify the user about the device firmware update mode. iTunes recognizes "Device Firmware Update" mode as recovery mode.


What is DFU mode? How is it different from recovery mode?

DFU mode (Device Firmware Update) is a device firmware update mode. It is an emergency mode and is recognized by iTunes when connecting the device to a computer as a recovery mode. In this case, the iPhone works without loading the system shell, so pictures and the device are not visible on the iPhone screen does not respond to key presses and does not turn on the display.

Different from recovery mode ( Recovery Mode) because in this mode the device does not show visible signs of life (the control button does not work, there is no image on the display). In some cases, this mode helps to correct a minor software glitch and allows you to reboot in normal mode.

Recently, the Android and iOS operating systems are rapidly gaining popularity among many users, providing a rich selection of various options and pre-installed applications, available programs in Google Play and Apple Store services. But, as a rule, there are also people who like to experiment, try different modes, firmware, delve into the phone’s system files, install various tweaks and much more. In most cases, for beginners, the iPhone simply stops working and does not turn on.

If you are one of those people who cannot bring their device back to life using standard methods, without spending additional money on service specialists, we recommend reading this material. In it we will tell you about the DFU mode and how to use its functions to bring your gadget back to life.

DFU mode in Apple devices

In general, what is DFU mode, you ask? It stands for Device Firmware Update. In short, this is a separate mode of the phone that allows you to “roll back” or restore the device to the normal, stable firmware of the iOS operating system. And if the user is unable to restore functionality using standard methods, then DFU mode is one of the last resort methods.

Only you must understand that DFU will completely delete all data from your device. Here you have to choose - either the performance of the phone, or the safety of the data, which, unfortunately, you may never view!

  • If your smartphone does not turn on in the standard way.
  • It is impossible to restore the firmware.
  • The phone stops charging and the problem is not with the charger or battery.

The first way to put your iPhone into dfu mode

Before you begin, carefully read these instructions and follow all steps clearly step by step, as described in the material.

And so, to put your iPhone into this mode, you will need to follow these steps:

Video tutorial:

The second way to start an iPhone in DFU mode

If for some reason you are unable to enter this mode using the method described above, read this subsection. We have posted a simplified version especially for you. And so, you need:

  1. Connect the device to the charger and hold it for at least 5 minutes with the power connected.
  2. Disconnect the smartphone from the charger and connect it to a personal computer using a USB cable.
  3. Press the POWER key on your iPhone and count to 3 seconds.
  4. Without releasing the POWER key, press HOME and count up to 10 seconds.
  5. As soon as you count to 10 seconds, release POWER and hold HOME.
  6. As soon as the device enters DFU mode, an additional tab will appear on the iTunes program screen for restoring the firmware.

As you can see, the recovery principle is not complicated, but the accuracy of the step-by-step algorithms and time calculation are important here. We recommend that you time the seconds on another phone or a stopwatch, for example, built into Windows programs.

Using this method, you can roll back all changes at any time and restore the functionality of the iOS operating system. But to prevent such situations from arising, be sure to create backup copies of your iPhone, saving them in the iCloud cloud service or on a personal computer, removable media, using the iTunes program.

How do I know if my iPhone is in this mode?

Another relevant and related question that users often ask on the Internet is how to find out that my iPhone is in DFU mode? In fact, you won’t be able to tell by its appearance on the screen, because the device simply won’t turn on (black screen and that’s it).

But, you can connect the device to a computer with iTunes installed. If you have DFU mode activated, the system will automatically display a notification window in this format.

We take the device out of this mode

And so, let’s say that you have switched to this mode, but you are not going to restore your phone to the old firmware. What to do in this case?

Do not try to simply disconnect the device from the computer! You must exit DFU mode first.

This is done like this:

  1. Disconnect the iPhone from the computer and simultaneously hold down the POWER and HOME keys.
  2. Hold them like this for about 10 seconds.

The device will automatically reboot and turn on.

If you have any other questions about restoring an iPhone, leave your comments below the material.

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 the iOS device, the device will reboot several times and eventually, after 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.