iPhone 7 Won’t Turn On? Here’s How to Fix It

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If your iPhone 7 is stuck on a black screen and refuses to power up, don’t panic. Whether it’s a simple software crash or something more serious, there are several ways to get your phone working again. Here’s a step-by-step guide to troubleshoot the issue.

Force Restart Your iPhone 7

A force restart is the quickest fix for software crashes that can make your iPhone appear dead.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Side (Power) button at the same time.
  2. Keep holding both buttons for at least 10 seconds—don’t let go until the Apple logo appears.
  3. Once the logo shows up, release the buttons and let your iPhone boot up.

If this works, the problem was likely a temporary glitch.

Plug It In and Let It Charge

A fully drained battery can make your iPhone completely unresponsive—even to a force restart.

Try this:

  1. Use a working Lightning cable and plug your iPhone into a wall charger, not a computer.
  2. Let it charge for at least 15–30 minutes.
  3. If the battery icon or Apple logo doesn’t appear after a while, try a different cable, adapter, or outlet.
  4. Also, check the charging port for dust or debris and clean it gently with a toothpick or dry brush.

Force Restart While Charging

If charging alone doesn’t wake it up, try combining charging with a hard reset.

While the iPhone is still plugged in:

  1. Press and hold the Volume Down and Side buttons.
  2. Keep holding for about 10–20 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

This can force the phone to reboot even if the battery is critically low.

Put It in Recovery Mode

If it still won’t turn on, Recovery Mode might help fix deeper software problems without requiring a working display.

Here’s how:

  1. Plug your iPhone into a computer using a Lightning cable.
  2. Open Finder (on macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes (on macOS Mojave or Windows).
  3. While connected, press and hold the Volume Down and Side buttons.
  4. Keep holding until you see the Recovery Mode screen (a cable pointing to a computer).
  5. On your computer, choose Update (this keeps your data) or Restore (this wipes your phone).

If your iPhone exits Recovery Mode too quickly, try again and be sure to keep holding the buttons.

Check for Physical or Water Damage

If none of the above works, your iPhone might have hardware damage.

  • Inspect for cracks, dents, or water exposure.
  • If your iPhone was dropped or got wet, internal components like the logic board may be damaged.

At this point, software fixes likely won’t help—you’ll need professional repair.

Contact Apple Support

If your iPhone 7 still won’t turn on:

  • Book a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store.
  • Or use Apple’s mail-in repair service through Apple Support.

Technicians can run diagnostics and determine if parts need replacing.

13 thoughts on “iPhone 7 Won’t Turn On? Here’s How to Fix It”

  2. Holy crap you are a life saver. The Volume down and Power button trick worked instantly. Just saved me a heartattack the day before vacation

  4. It took me a while to find out that the restart sequence is different now in the iPhone 7. But my friend’s case, we tried to power it on and charged it up to 15 minutes, and nothing……It ended up being a lemon cause when we took it to the Apple store even THEY couldn’t power it on. We ended up getting a new phone for free. So I’m assuming that was a bad one

  5. I need to find you and kiss you! I swear! I dropped my phone from literally possibly 2 ft. It has a life proof case on it, The phone has been in the case literally since it came out of the box, I didn’t even touch the phone, I had the salesperson put the case on. I picked up my phone and it didn’t turn on, I couldn’t get it to do anything. Tried rebooting it using the home key and power key. Nothing, I freaked, everything is on my phone and I have 3 different schools who call me for 9 different kids! I can’t not have a phone. I thought surely lifeproof has a similar policy to otterbox where if your phone breaks while in the case they will replace your phone, nope. (not even sure if thats a real policy with otterbox) Then go to check my insurance either I spend $150 to get a refurbished one or $200 to get a brand new one…….AHH i’m not even finished paying it off yet! Then I found you in hopes that there was something else that could be done and sure enough it worked!! Thank you thank you thank you! Now my farm animals won’t starve!

  9. Thank you so much! I dropped my iPhone 7 on a hard tile floor, and nothing appeared to be broken, so I tried turning it on, but it wouldn’t! I looked up how to turn on an iPhone 7 that won’t turn on, and found this. Once again, thank you!

  11. I tried many suggestions on many website, including apple support without success. This article got me going in 30 seconds!!

  12. Never dropped it or drowned it just stopped working with a full battery ~ Yes the soft boot did the trick – thank you

  13. I was so worried when my iphone just gave up on me.Was about to take a appointment at apple care and stopped to your article while finding the fix.Soft reset worked like a charm in just 10 seconds.Oh i can’t thank you enough, you saved my time and dollars.Thank you !!

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