iTunes provides a useful way to recover your device when you switch to a new iPhone, encounter iOS system problems, or need to erase and reinstall iOS. Based on your specific needs, you can perform a full backup restore, recover only specific items from your iTunes backup, or repair a problematic iPhone via recovery mode. This article will share in detail how to restore an iPhone from iTunes.

Part 1: Preparations Before Restoring iPhone from iTunes

Before restoring your iPhone from iTunes, you should first check the following preparations to avoid unnecessary issues:

• Install the latest official version of iTunes on Windows computers. For macOS Catalina and later versions, use Finder directly to perform all the same operations.
• Use an original or MFi-certified cable to ensure a stable connection.
• Ensure a stable computer network and sufficient disk space. Do not disconnect from the network or put the computer to sleep or shut it down during the process.
• Temporarily disable the computer's firewall and antivirus software to prevent interference with device recognition and firmware verification processes.
• Make sure you have a backup available that contains your target data.
• Make sure your iPhone has enough battery.
• Remember the Apple ID account and password associated with the device. If you have enabled Find My, it will trigger the iCloud activation lock.

Part 2: How to Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

After making full preparations, you can start restoring your iPhone from an iTunes backup. Do remember that the whole process will overwrite the existing device data with the backup. Back up your current iPhone data if necessary.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable. Open iTunes, and tap Trust This Computer if a prompt pops up.

Step 2. Click the iPhone button in the upper-left corner of iTunes.

Step 3. Scroll down to the Backups section and click Restore Backup.

Step 4. Select the target backup file. For encrypted iTunes backups, enter the password you originally set.

Step 5. Wait for the device to automatically sync and restart. Do not disconnect the cable until the restore progress completes.

Part 3: How to Restore iPhone from iTunes Selectively

As mentioned above, when you restore an iPhone from an iTunes backup, iTunes will replace the current data on your iPhone with the previous backup data. This means you cannot choose specific files to restore, and any existing data may be overwritten by the backup version. However, in some cases, you may only want to recover a specific deleted photo, note, or message, instead of restoring the entire backup. At this time, you may need tools like Apeaksoft iPhone Data Recovery to help you selectively restore iPhone from iTunes backup.

Step 1. Free download this iPhone data recovery software for free by clicking the download button above.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to your computer and choose Recover from iTunes Backup File from the left panel.

Step 3. You will see all available iTunes backups you've made here. Choose the right one and click Start. Then, this tool will read your iTunes backup.

Step 4. Choose the target data type from the left bar, and you will see the detailed data on the right. You can preview them. The deleted ones are marked in red.

Step 5. Select the files by checking them. Then, click Recover.

Step 6. Choose a saving path on your computer. All the recovered files will be saved there.

Part 4: How to Restore iPhone with iTunes (Recovery Mode)

In the previous section, we explained how to restore an iPhone from an iTunes backup to recover your data. However, if your iPhone has serious system problems, shows the iPhone Disabled message, fails to power on, or the computer cannot detect the device, restoring from a backup may not be possible. In this case, you can use iTunes to restore your iPhone to factory settings. This method erases the device and reinstalls iOS, helping fix various software-related issues.

Step 1. Keep the device connected to the computer. Then, put your iPhone into recovery mode.

iPhone 8 and later models

Quickly press the Volume Up and Down keys, then hold the Side button until the Connect to iTunes screen appears.

iPhone 7/7 Plus

Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously.

iPhone 6s and earlier models

Press and hold the Home button and the Power button simultaneously.

Step 2. Once successfully in recovery mode, iTunes will automatically pop up a window indicating that there is a problem with the iPhone.

Step 3. Select Restore, and iTunes will automatically download the firmware and reinstall the latest compatible iOS version on your iPhone.

Step 4. After the process completes, your iPhone will restart automatically and enter the setup screen.

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