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Does not enter dfu mode. What is DFU mode on iPad for and what functions does it perform?

Typically, Apple devices have much fewer problems with software than gadgets from other manufacturers. But nevertheless, it also happens that the update occurred with an error or the Jailbreak was unsuccessful. When the device stops booting, does not respond to connection to the computer, and questions begin about what happened and what to do about it, it’s time to figure out why your iPad needs DFU mode.

What are the features of the mode

If the described troubles occur with your iDevice, it means there is a system failure. And you will need not just a recovery mode, which in iOS is called Recovery Mode, but DFU (Device Firmware Update) - a special emergency mode for updating the firmware, in which you can bring your device back to life after all previous attempts have failed absolutely no results.

It should be understood that DFU operates at the hardware level and is only needed in the following cases:

  • tablet or phone does not turn on;
  • it is not possible to restore operation using basic methods;
  • The device is not charging.

If you decide to put your iPad into DFU mode, remember that applying this method to the gadget will lead to the complete loss of all data.

How to get into DFU mode

The procedure for putting an iPad or iPhone into DFU mode is not that tricky, but it’s not the easiest either:

  1. First you need to decide on the “Home” and “Power” buttons. In life, you don’t always need to know this, but now it’s important. So: the first button is the one in front. And the second is on the top (starting from the iPad 6 - on the side).
  2. Connect your device to your computer using a USB cable and launch iTunes.
  3. Press both buttons simultaneously and hold for 10 seconds.
  4. While continuing to hold the Home button, release the power button of your iPad/iPhone. And you need to hold down “Home” until a message appears on the computer screen stating that a connected device has been detected in recovery mode; this will happen in about another 10 seconds.

During all these operations, the screen of your gadget will not react in any way, because it works without loading the iOS shell. Many, trying to somehow bring their iDevice back to life for the first time, get confused at this stage. But you shouldn’t worry and expect feedback from the tablet. Just do everything confidently according to the instructions and everything will work out.

If you see any image on the display - the Apple logo or the iTunes logo, to which the USB cable leads, then you were unable to enter DFU mode.

iPad/iPhone recovery

If you see the required inscription, it means that everything has worked out for you with how to enter DFU mode on the iPad and you can begin restoring the gadget to a working state. For this purpose, iTunes has a special button - “restore iPhone/iPad”. Click on it and be prepared to wait: sometimes the procedure lasts about three hours. Your task at this time is not to fuss and prevent the USB cable from being disconnected. After restoring the firmware, you can restore your gadget to any of the available backups.

When you need to reflash your phone or update iOS to the latest version, DFU mode becomes simply necessary. Also, in any emergency situation you cannot do without this mode. If you decide to deal with the situation yourself, but do not know how to enter this state of the device, this article will answer all your questions.

How to enter iPhone into dfu mode - the difference between DFU and Recovery Mode

Many iPhone users have encountered the recovery mode (in the English interface “Recovery Mode”), but they did not understand how it differs from the mentioned DFU. The first leaves your device in working condition: you see the picture on the screen, the phone responds to touch. The second option involves working with the phone without directly logging into the shell. In other words, the device does not respond to any touches or button presses, and its screen remains black and blank.

Algorithm for entering iPhone into DFU mode

So, you will need your phone, a personal computer and a USB cord through which you will connect the device.

Connect your iPhone to your laptop or computer via cable, and be sure to turn it off.

  • wait a couple of seconds from the moment the device is turned off,
  • now simultaneously hold down the Home button, which is located in the center of the phone at the very bottom, and the Power button at the end,
  • count exactly ten seconds to yourself,
  • release your finger from the end of the phone, from the Power button,
  • continue to hold down the Home key,
  • after a couple of seconds, your computer will recognize the iPhone in DFU mode,


  • if nothing happens on the screen, simply repeat the algorithm again. It is also possible that you simply held the buttons down for too long or not enough. Hold both buttons again and count to ten; if this does not work, just look at the second hand of the clock.


How to Enter iPhone into DFU Mode Without Pressing Buttons

If you know for sure that one of the Home or Power buttons is broken or the algorithm described above does not work. Then try following the instructions in this article below:

  • download the “DFU” utility, that’s what it’s called,
  • save it to your computer on drive C,
  • connect iPhone via cable,
  • make sure that the iTunes application is definitely disabled even in the background,
  • call the command line by pressing Win + R or on laptops Fn + Win + R,


  • Type the following phrase into the command line “C:/DFU/DFU iBSS.m68ap.RELEASE.dfu” without quotes and press Enter.


Your Apple phone is now in DFU mode without buttons.

There is also a second utility called “redsn0w”, it modifies the firmware directly. Download it and install it. Then go to the following parameters: “Extras – Even more – DFU IPSW” and wait for several minutes until the program itself creates a new firmware file.

Now you can launch iTunes and flash your phone by selecting the created file. The utility's function is that it adds an algorithm to the IOS firmware file that automatically puts the iPhone into DFU mode before installing the update. After this, the problem of your phone entering DFU mode will no longer bother you.

Working with any mobile device is associated with the potential occurrence of various glitches 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, perhaps, 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.

iPhone restoration is a standard operation to return an Apple smartphone to a working state after various failures. Unsuccessful firmware, incorrectly executed jailbreak, incorrect iOS update - if you know how to restore an iPhone, you can fix almost any problems that arise during the operation of this device.

Recovery procedure

To restore your iPhone, you need to enter Recovery Mode. It's easy to do:

When the iPhone is ready for the rollback and error correction procedure, click the “Restore” button.

iTunes will independently find the current firmware version and install it on the smartphone, returning it to the state in which it was immediately after purchase.

Working in DFU mode

If iPhone recovery does not work in Recovery Mode, then you need to enter the device into DFU mode. This mode is used when there are software errors - for example, when the iPhone does not turn on. DFU mode works at the hardware level, so it helps to reset all settings even in the most difficult cases. To enter DFU mode:

  1. Connect your device to your computer.
  2. Press and hold Power and Home for 10 seconds.
  3. After counting to 10, release Power while continuing to hold the Home button.

It's difficult to enter DFU mode the first time because nothing changes on the screen. If the recovery mode detects itself as an iTunes icon, then the phone does not seem to turn on in DFU. Therefore, you need to look at the computer screen where iTunes is running. As soon as the iPhone enters DFU mode, a notification will appear in iTunes informing you that the program has detected the device in recovery mode, and you need to reset all settings and content to continue working with your smartphone.

If you need to install another firmware, hold down Shift and click “Restore”. An explorer will appear through which you need to specify the path to the previously downloaded firmware.

Recovery without a computer

If the computer is not at hand, it does not turn on, or you cannot connect your iPhone to it, then try resetting all settings through the device settings. As a result of this operation, you will get a clean smartphone without settings and user information, so be sure to make a backup before resetting. If the smartphone turns on normally:

It is not necessary to delete user files. If the iPhone turns on, then you can eliminate problems with its operation by simply resetting the settings. In this case, the user’s personal data will remain intact.

Recovery after reset

If you need to restore your iPhone after resetting all settings and deleting content, you won’t be able to do this without a backup copy. The presence of a backup file with information stored in the device’s memory is the main point that needs to be checked before performing a reset. After restoring the iPhone to its factory state, all personal data of the user is erased from it.

Creating a backup before resetting:


After the reset, the iPhone will be like new: no content or settings will remain on it. To get all the information back, you need to connect the device to your computer and restore from the backup via iTunes. Choose the most recent backup, as it stores the most current information.

You can also restore all settings after a reset via iCloud, provided that you stored backups on the cloud. In this case, when setting up your iPhone, you need to select the “Restore a copy from iCloud” option and specify a suitable backup.

Problems during recovery

If after a normal recovery the phone does not turn on, then it makes sense to put it in DFU mode and try restoring it through iTunes again. This time you should not trust iTunes: download the official firmware and select it in the Explorer window by holding Shift and clicking on the “Restore” button .

Sometimes the TinyUmbrella utility helps solve the problem that the smartphone does not turn on after resetting the settings via iTunes. This program has an “Exit Recovery” button. If the iPhone does not turn on after recovery, you need to select it in the TinyUmbrella window and click “Exit Recovery”.