How To Put iPhone 12 In Recovery Mode And DFU Mode

The iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, as well as all the other previous models, can be put in Recovery Mode and DFU Mode. This troubleshooting method is useful when your device stops booting, the iPhone’s touch screen becomes unresponsive and in various other cases and bugs that require you to update or restore your smartphone when no other fix seems to work.

Recovery Mode vs DFU Mode

The two iPhone troubleshooting options are similar. Recovery Mode allows you to either Restore or Update your iPhone, while the DFU Mode requires you to update your device.

DFU Mode, is the abbreviation of Device Firmware Update mode and is mainly used when you want to downgrade the iOS version of your iPhone, or rebooting a jailbroken device.

One last difference between Recovery and DFU Mode is that the first one is invoking the iBoot process while DFU allows your iPhone to connect to iTunes or Finder and bypass the bootloader.

How To Put iPhone 12 In Recovery Mode

The procedure is the same for all iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models. To perform this iPhone fix you need a Mac or Windows computer. Before you start, make sure the iTunes on your PC / Mac is updated to the latest version.
Fact: If your Mac is running macOS Catalina or later you don’t need iTunes, because you will use the Finder tool instead.

• 1. Connect iPhone 12 (Pro) To Computer

Use the lightning to USB cable to plug your iPhone to the available Windows or macOS machine.
Tip: If your doing it for the first time, you have to tap on Trust to confirm that want the two devices to connect.
Fix: iPhone not connecting, or intermittently connecting and disconnecting from Mac? Here is the fix.

• 2. Force Restart iPhone 12 (Pro)

Next, you have to hard reboot your iPhone.
How To: Quickly click & release Volume Up, followed by Volume Down and press & hold the Side Button. The Apple logo will be displayed on the screen. Don’t release the Side Button. Continue to hold until a Lightning cable and a MacBook is displayed on the screen.

• 3. Restore Or Update iPhone 12 (Pro)


As soon as your iPhone enters Recovery Mode a popup is displayed in iTunes or Finder asking you if you want to Update or Restore iPhone…
Fact: The prompt also informs you that if you click Update your device will be updated without erasing the content. Clicking Restore will erase your iPhone to factory settings.

How To Exit iPhone 12 Recover Mode

If you reconsider and want to exit Recovery mode, just press & hold the Side Button for a few seconds until the Recovery screen is replaced by a black screen. The iPhone will disappear from iTunes or Finder and will reboot.
Tip: Don’t forget to disconnect the Lightning cable!

How To Put iPhone 12 In DFU Mode

If Recovery Mode doesn’t help you can bring your iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max in DFU Mode. For this too you need a Windows or macOS machine:

• 1. Connect iPhone 12 (Pro) To Computer

Similarly to the Recovery Mode, you have to first plug your iPhone into the USB-port of your computer.

• 2. iPhone 12 DFU Mode Combo

Next, you have to force restart your iPhone and add some DFU Mode specific button combinations as listed below:
– Quickly click & release Volume Up, followed by Volume Down and press & hold the Side button (about 10 seconds) until a black screen is displayed on your iPhone 12.
-> Press & hold the Volume Down button (for 5 seconds), while you continue to hold the Side Button.
-> Release the Side Button and continue to hold Volume Down for 10 more seconds!
Tip: The iPhone 12 screen has to remain black, without an Apple logo if you’re successfully executing the DFU Mode combo.

• 3. DFU Mode Confirmation


The paired computer will confirm when the iPhone 12 enters DFU Mode. A popup stating ‘Your Mac has detected an iPhone in recovery mode, you must restore this iPhone before it can be used’ is the confirmation.
Click OK and follow the on-screen prompts.
Fact: Although the prompt states ‘recovery mode’, your iPhone is in DFU mode because you’re only getting the Restore option without, the Update feature that’s available in Recover Mode.

• How To Exit iPhone 12 DFU Mode

To exit DFU Mode on iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models you have to use the classic force restart combo:
Click Volume Up -> Click Volume Down -> Press & hold the Side button until the Apple logo is displayed on the screen.

Have you managed to bring your iPhone 12 in Recovery or DFU Mode? Did it help? What bug have you attempted to fix? Use the comments section and let us know.

Related: iPhone 12 Pro microphone not working? Here is how to fix it!