How To Do A Hard Reset On An Iphone 6s

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This wikiHow teaches you how to force an unresponsive iPhone to restart. Hard-resetting your iPhone requires pressing a certain key combination that varies by model. If forcing the iPhone to restart doesn't work, you'll also learn how to repair the operating system by connecting your iPhone to a computer.

1
Press and release the Volume Up button. It's in the left side of the phone, close to the top-most edge.
- This method will work on the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, and iPhone SE (2nd Generation).^[1]
2

Press and release the Volume Down button. It's on the left side of the phone below the Volume Up button.
3

Press and hold the side button. It's on the right side of the phone. Continue holding the button until the Apple logo appears.
4
Release your finger once the Apple logo appears. This should force-restart your unresponsive iPhone.
- If your iPhone still won't restart, try charging it for an hour and then trying again.^[2] If you still can't restart your iPhone, see Fixing an iPhone that Won't Force-Restart.

1

Press and hold the Volume Down button and Sleep/Wake button. The Volume Down button is on the left side of the iPhone, and the Sleep/Wake button is on the top-most edge. Continue holding these buttons down until the Apple logo appears.
2
Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. If the reset was successful, your iPhone will restart normally.
- If your iPhone still won't restart, try charging it for an hour and then trying again. If you still can't restart your iPhone, see Fixing an iPhone that Won't Force-Restart.

1

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button. The Sleep/Wake button is on the top-most edge of the iPhone, while the Home button is the large round button at the bottom-center part of the screen. Continue holding the buttons down until you see the Apple logo.
2
Release the buttons when the Apple logo appears. Your iPhone should restart normally if the reset was successful.
- If your iPhone still won't restart, try charging it for an hour and then trying again. If you still can't restart your iPhone, see Fixing an iPhone that Won't Force-Restart.

1

Connect your iPhone to a computer. If your iPhone gets hung up on the Apple logo or a solid-color screen when forcing it to restart, you can try using your PC or Mac to repair it without losing data. Start by connecting the iPhone to the computer using its charging cable.
2

Open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (PC). If you're using Mac Catalina or later, click the two-toned face on the Dock to launch Finder. If you have Windows or an earlier version of macOS, open iTunes from the Start menu or Applications folder.
3

Locate your iPhone. If you're using Finder, click your iPhone's name in the left panel under "Locations." If you're using iTunes, click the button with an iPhone icon near the top-left corner of the app (to the right of the drop-down menu).^[3]
4
Put your iPhone into recovery mode. The steps to do this vary by model:
- Models with Face ID: Press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the button on the top edge until your iPhone restarts in recovery mode.
- iPhone 8 or Later: Press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the button on the right side until the iPhone boots into recovery mode.
- iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold the top button (or right-side button on some models) and the Volume Down buttons at the same time. Lift your fingers when the phone boots into recovery mode.
- iPhones with Home buttons, iPhone 6, and earlier: Press and hold the Home button and the top (or right-side) buttons at the same time. Lift your fingers when the recovery mode screen appears.
5
Click the Update button on your computer. This button is on the pop-up message that appeared in Finder or iTunes when the iPhone went into recovery mode. Choosing this option attempts to repair iOS without deleting your data.
- If this process fixes the iPhone, it will restart as normal.
- If it takes longer than 15 minutes to download the update, the iPhone will exit recovery mode automatically. In this case, repeat Step 4 to get back into recovery mode and then try again.
- If updating the iPhone was successful but you still can't use it, you may have success with a factory reset. Just repeat this method and select Restore instead of Update. This will erase all of the data on your iPhone, so do this as a last result.
6

Contact Apple Support if your iPhone still won't restart. Apple recommends contacting their support team if you continue to experience any of these issues: The screen remains black or another solid color, the screen comes on but the iPhone won't respond to your touch, or the iPhone remains stuck on the Apple logo.^[4] To reach out for support, visit https://getsupport.apple.com, select your model, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Add New Question

Question

If my iPhone is disabled, is there any way to get it working without losing my data?

If you've recently backed up your iPhone, you'll be able to restore that backup after resetting your device, which will save your data. If you haven't backed up your iPhone before, then there is no way to restore functionality and save your data. Everything will be wiped from the iPhone when you reset it.
Question

I forgot my Restrictions passcode, how can I reset my phone?

If you've forgotten your Restrictions passcode, you'll need to restore your iPhone using iTunes. If you don't have access to iTunes, you can sign into the iCloud website and select "Find My iPhone." Select your device and choose "Erase" to reset it.
Question

I can't remember my iPhone's passcode, how can I factory reset it?

If you can't remember your passcode to access the Settings, you'll need to put your iPhone into Recovery mode and connect it to your computer. You can then use iTunes to reset the iPhone. See How to Put an iPhone into Recovery Mode for detailed instructions. Note that you'll still need the Apple ID password after restoring the device.
Question

How can I bypass the activation lock after resetting the iPhone?

The only ways to bypass this lock are to have the original owner log in with their Apple ID, or to have the original owner visit the Find My iPhone website and remove the device from their account. You cannot bypass the activation lock through any other means.
Question

How do I put an iPhone into recovery mode?

Open iTunes, and connect the iPhone to your Mac. Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. As soon as the screen goes black, release the Sleep/Wake button. Continue holding the home button until iTunes pops up a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.
Question

What do I do if my iPhone 5 won't connect to my WiFi?

Restart your iPhone, or turn off the WiFi on your phone, then wait for about 5 minutes. After that, turn it back on. If no devices in your house connect to WiFi, restart your router.
Question

What can I do if my phone's screen says "Disabled?"

If your iPhone has been disabled from too many passcode attempts, you won't be able to access the Settings app to reset the iPhone. Instead, you'll need to either connect it to a computer and use iTunes to reset it, or log into the iCloud website and use Find my iPhone to erase the device. If you've never synced the iPhone to your computer and never used iCloud, you'll need to put the iPhone into Recovery mode and then connect it to your computer. See
Question

How long does an iPhone update normally take?

Adam Michael Sobers

Community Answer

Usually from about 5m - 1h, although if it takes less or more don't panic as this is probably normal.
Question

How do I fix lines running through my screen?

This could be a problem with the screen. Consider visiting a nearby Apple Store or contacting Apple Support for assistance.
Question

Can I reset my iPhone without iTunes?

If you are able to access your iPhone's Settings app and don't have a Restrictions passcode set, you can reset your iPhone directly from the Settings menu. You can also reset your iPhone from the Find My iPhone website, as long as you were logged into your iCloud account on your iPhone.

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Article SummaryX

If you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or iPhone X, press the volume-up button, then volume-down, then the Power button. If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, press and hold the Power and volume-down buttons for 10 seconds. If you have an iPhone 6S or earlier, press and hold the Power and Home buttons for 10 seconds.

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