iPhone Stuck on the Apple Logo? Here Is How to Fix It

When you power on an iPhone, it loads iOS in stages, and the Apple logo is the screen it shows while the system is starting up. If it gets stuck there, something interrupted that startup: a system file was missing or corrupted, an update did not finish writing, or storage was so full there was no room to complete a step. The phone keeps trying, fails, and either freezes on the logo or restarts and tries again, which is the dreaded boot loop.

The key thing to understand is that your personal data (photos, messages, contacts, app data) lives in a separate area of storage from the system files that are failing to load. So a stuck logo does not, by itself, delete anything. Your job is to get the phone booting again without wiping that data area. That is why the order below matters: we try the gentle, data-safe fixes first and only reach for the erase-everything option at the very end.

One quick check before you start: make sure the phone has charge. Plug it into a wall charger (not a laptop USB port, which is slower) with a cable and adapter you trust, and leave it for 30 minutes. A critically low phone can show odd startup behavior, and you do not want it dying mid-fix.

A force restart cuts the power and reboots the phone from scratch. It does not erase any data, it is the single most effective fix for a stuck logo, and it works on the vast majority of cases. The exact buttons depend on your model, so use the right one. If you are not sure which iPhone you have, the version with a Home button is an iPhone 8 generation device or older; everything with Face ID uses the first method.

iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd gen), and every Face ID iPhone (X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and their variants)

1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
3. Press and hold the Side button (the power button on the right). Keep holding even though the logo is already showing.
4. After about 10 to 20 seconds the screen goes black, then the Apple logo appears again. Let go once you see it reappear.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

1. Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Side button at the same time.
2. Keep holding both until the screen goes black and the Apple logo reappears, then release.

iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st gen), and older

1. Press and hold the Home button and the Side (or Top) button at the same time.
2. Hold until the screen goes black and the Apple logo reappears, then release.

The most common mistake is letting go too soon. These combinations can take a full 15 to 20 seconds, and nothing visible happens for most of that time. Hold steady. Apple documents these exact steps on its official support site if you want to confirm the sequence for your model.

If the phone boots normally after this, you are done. Genuinely. Many stuck-logo cases are a one-time hiccup, and a force restart is all they ever need.

Knowing the cause helps you pick the right next step and avoid a repeat. The usual reasons an iPhone gets stuck on the logo:

• An update that did not finish. If the phone lost power, lost Wi-Fi, or was unplugged partway through installing iOS, the system files can be left half-written. This is the single most common cause, and it is exactly what the Finder "Update" repair below is designed to fix.
• Storage that was completely full. iOS needs free space to unpack and install updates and to do routine startup tasks. A phone running with almost no free storage can fail to boot after an update. If this sounds familiar, our guide on iPhone storage staying full after you delete things is worth a read once you are back up.
• A bad app or a failed app update. Less common now, but a corrupted app or a jailbreak tweak can interfere with startup.
• An interrupted restore or transfer. Stopping a backup restore or a phone-to-phone transfer midway can leave the system in a confused state.
• A hardware fault. Liquid damage, a failed storage chip, or a logic-board problem can all cause a loop. This is the least likely cause and the one to suspect only after the software fixes fail, covered at the end.

The good news is that the first four causes are all software, and software is fixable, usually without losing anything.

If a force restart did not work, do not jump straight to a restore. A few quick checks rule out the easy stuff and set you up for the recovery steps.

• Charge for at least 30 minutes on a wall adapter. A boot loop drains a battery fast, and a near-empty phone can fail to complete startup.
• Try a different cable and a different power source. A frayed or cheap cable can drop the connection at the worst moment. Use an Apple cable or a well-known certified one.
• Have a computer ready. The next two steps need either a Mac, or a Windows PC. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later you use the Finder. On an older Mac, or on Windows, you use the Apple Devices app or iTunes. Make sure the computer's software is up to date first, because an old version may not recognize a phone running newer iOS. You can get the Windows app from the Microsoft Store or directly from Apple.

With a computer and a good cable ready, you can move to recovery mode, which is the data-safe repair.

Recovery mode is a special state where your iPhone connects to a computer so the computer can repair or reinstall iOS. The screen will show a computer-and-cable image. The important part: recovery mode gives you a choice, and one of the two choices keeps your data.

How to enter recovery mode

1. Connect the iPhone to your computer with a cable.
2. Open Finder (Mac, Catalina or later) or the Apple Devices app / iTunes (older Mac or Windows).
3. Now perform the same button sequence as a force restart for your model, but keep holding the final button past the Apple logo until you see the recovery-mode screen (the cable-pointing-to-a-laptop image), then release.
   • Face ID models, iPhone 8, SE 2nd/3rd gen: Volume Up (quick press), Volume Down (quick press), then hold the Side button until the recovery screen appears.
   • iPhone 7: hold Volume Down and the Side button until the recovery screen appears.
   • iPhone 6s and older: hold Home and the Side/Top button until the recovery screen appears.

Choose Update, not Restore

A box pops up on the computer offering two buttons: Update and Restore.

• Update reinstalls iOS and tries to repair the system files while keeping all your data. This is the data-safe option. Always click Update first.
• Restore erases the phone completely and installs a fresh copy of iOS. Do not click this yet.

Click Update. The computer downloads the current iOS for your model and reinstalls it without touching your photos, messages, or apps. The download can take a while on a slow connection. If it takes longer than 15 minutes, the phone may drop out of recovery mode and the download stops; if that happens, let the download finish, then redo the recovery-mode button sequence and choose Update again. Often a single successful Update is all it takes, and you keep everything.

If recovery mode does not appear, or the Update fails repeatedly, the next tool is DFU mode (Device Firmware Update). DFU is a deeper restore state than recovery mode: it can reload the phone's firmware even when the normal startup software is too broken for recovery mode to work. Think of recovery mode as repairing the operating system, and DFU as reloading everything beneath it.

Two honest warnings before you use it:

• DFU mode almost always pairs with a full Restore, which erases all data on the phone. There is no data-safe DFU option. Treat this as a last-resort software fix.
• The button timing is fussy and differs slightly by model, so be prepared to try a couple of times. If you let go a moment too early or too late, you land in recovery mode instead and have to start over.

General sequence for Face ID models and the iPhone 8 generation: with the phone connected to the computer, press Volume Up and release, press Volume Down and release, then press and hold the Side button for about 5 seconds, then (while still holding Side) also hold Volume Down for about 5 seconds, then release the Side button but keep holding Volume Down for another 5 seconds. A correct DFU screen is completely black, with no Apple logo and no cable image, while the computer says it detects an iPhone in recovery mode. Because the timing varies by model and changes across iPhone generations, look up the exact seconds for your specific model on Apple Support before you start.

Once in DFU, the computer will offer to Restore. This wipes and rebuilds the phone, which clears almost any software fault. You will set the phone up fresh afterward and can bring your data back from a backup, covered next.

A Restore (from recovery mode or DFU) erases the phone and installs a clean copy of iOS. It is the most reliable software fix because it removes whatever was broken, but it is also the step that costs you data if you have no backup. Here is how to handle it sensibly.

If you have a backup

This is the easy case. After the Restore finishes, the phone reboots to the setup screen. Follow the prompts and, when offered, choose to restore from your iCloud backup or from a backup on your computer. Your apps, photos, messages, and settings come back. If you regularly back up to iCloud (Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup) or to your computer, a Restore costs you little more than time. Our guide on moving everything to a new iPhone covers the same backup-and-restore tools if you want the full walkthrough.

If you do not have a backup

Be honest with yourself here. A Restore will erase data that is not backed up, and there is no built-in way to recover it afterward. If the data is important and you have no backup, stop before restoring and take the phone to an Apple Store or an authorized provider first. They cannot magic data off a wiped phone either, but they may be able to coax the current phone into booting once (via the data-safe Update or other tools) so you can back it up before any erase. Third-party recovery software makes big promises, but it generally cannot read a modern, encrypted iPhone that will not boot, so do not pay for it expecting miracles.

The lasting lesson: turn on iCloud Backup now, while your phone is healthy, so the next time this happens a Restore is a non-event.

If you have force restarted, run a recovery-mode Update, and even tried a DFU Restore, and the phone still hangs on the logo or loops, the problem is probably no longer software. Signs that point to hardware:

• The phone was dropped or got wet shortly before the loop started.
• A Restore in recovery mode or DFU fails partway with an error code every time, often a number like 4013 or 4014, which commonly indicates a connection or component problem.
• The phone gets unusually hot, or the screen shows artifacts or flickering during the logo.
• It will not stay in recovery or DFU mode no matter how carefully you time the buttons.

Common hardware causes are a failed storage chip, a damaged display or cable connection, liquid corrosion, or a logic-board fault. These are not home-fixable for most people. Your move is to contact Apple Support or book a visit at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If the phone is under warranty or covered by AppleCare+, a hardware failure like this may be repaired at no or low cost; check your coverage first. You can start the process and check coverage on Apple Support. Before you hand it over, mention whether you have a recent backup, because the repair or replacement may erase the device.