Sep 24, 2019 Here is how to install or restore to a custom or unsigned IPSW in iPhone 7, 8, X and iPhone 11 with or without using iTunes. Installing any IPSW Without Using iTunes If you don’t want to use iTunes or iTunes fails to install your preferred IPSW, you will have to use third-party software to get the job done. An IPSW file can easily be downloaded on your computer and later can be used to install the corresponding firmware (iOS 13/12.1 included) on your iPhone. Let's now discover the recommended tool to effectively install an IPSW file on iPhone without iTunes.

IPSW file is a file format used in iTunes to install iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and HomePod firmware. The data in the IPSW files is encrypted and can be installed using the Apple iTunes software. When we encounter problems on iOS, one of the best ways to solve them is to restore IPSW on your iDevices.

However, under certain circumstances, restoring IPSW could be a problem for some users because they either don’t know how to do it or don’t have the right equipment. Well, you can stop looking for guides, as we are going to tell you how to restore IPSW with or without iTunes/Finder in this article.

1. Why You Need to Restore IPSW

Although iOS is an excellent operating system, problems do strike sometimes, such as iPhone won’t update, error 4013/4014, iPhone stuck on the update screen, etc. Upon running into such problems, one of the most effective ways is to restore IPSW. In a word, restoring IPSW firmware will get your Apple devices back on running.

But many users may find it difficult to restore it. Why? Reasons for that vary. Some may not know how to use the encrypted IPSW. Some don’t have the right version of the IPSW, which offers different versions to iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV. Other users may be suffering from their iTunes not working, and usually, you have to use iTunes/Finder to restore IPSW. To help users in different situations, we are going to tell you how to restore IPSW firmware with or without iTunes.

2. How to Restore IPSW

In the first part, we will talk about 3 different methods to restore iPhone firmware. Don't hesitate to check them one by one.

Method 1: How to Restore IPSW Without iTunes

To restore IPSW without iTunes, you will need the help of TunesKit iOS System Recovery, a powerful system repair tool available on both Windows and macOS. Aside from helping you restore IPSW without iTunes, it can also solve almost all the system problems in your iOS without hurting the data. It will restore the IPSW firmware on almost all models of Apple portable devices as well as Apple TV. Even dead or disabled Apple devices can be rescued by this program.

Although with such all-round features, TunesKit iOS System Recovery remains to be user-friendly. To restore IPSW, all you need to do is to click several buttons and the work will be finished in several minutes. Even users who have never gotten in touch with similar tools can complete the restoring process easily without iTunes.

In the next part, you simply need to follow the step-to-step guide to complete the restoring process.

Step 1: Download and install TunesKit iOS System Recovery and launch it. Then, connect your Apple device with your computer. It is recommended to put your iDevice into the recovery mode with one-click, because the IPSW can only be restored in the recovery mode. Simply press the 'Enter Recovery Mode' button. And when your device has entered the recovery mode, press the 'Start' button.

Step 2: In this window, two modes will be presented for you to choose from. Choose the 'Standard Mode' box so that your iPhone restore IPSW won’t cause any data loss (The 'Advanced Mode' will tackle complex issues by erasing all the data). Then press the 'Next' button to continue.

Step 3: The program will scan your device and display some device model of it on the screen. You should make sure that all is right and correct the wrong options. Press the “Download” button to start downloading the IPSW firmware that matches your device model.

Step 4: Once the IPSW firmware is downloaded, push the 'Repair' button to unzip the file and restore it on your iPhone. By the time the restoring process completes a few minutes later, disconnect the device and see if the IPSW has been restored successfully.

Method 2: Finder/iTunes Restore IPSW Tutorial

Usually, iPhone users need to use iTunes on PC or Finder on Mac to restore IPSW. If your iTunes or Finder can work properly, you might as well resort to them. Plus, please make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed. Next, you just need to follow the guide below.

Step 1. Connect your Apple device to the computer and select it.

Step 2. On Mac, hold the “Option” key and then press the “Update” button.
On Windows PC, hold down the “SHIFT” key and press the “Update” button.

Step 3. Select the IPSW file you downloaded on your computer and press the “Choose” button. The restoring process will begin and you should wait until it finishes, which would take longer than updating iOS on your phone.

3. FAQ

1. Where can I download IPSW?

IPSW files for different Apple devices can be downloaded from websites like IPSW.me or OSXDaily.

2. Why should I choose IPSW?

Compared with the common updates over the air, IPSW consists of the complete update files, usually 10 times as large as OTA files, and therefore guarantees a better success rate.
In some rare cases, users want to use IPSW because it is necessary to create custom configured firmware for future restores. The customized IPSW is often created by third-party applications like PwnageTool or sn0wbreeze. This is almost exclusive to those who jailbreak or unlock the iPhone, and normal IPSW by Apple should be enough for common users.

4. Conclusion

This article has provided the best methods to restore IPSW as well as answers to the most frequently asked questions. There is a tutorial for users who can properly use iTunes or Finder. And a more user-friendly method is provided that doesn’t require those two tools and can fix most iOS problems. We sincerely hope that our guide will help you restore the IPSW and have a better understanding of it.

Brian Davis has covered tech and entertainment for over 10 years. He loves technology in all its forms.

Welcome to iJailbreak’s Downloads Section. Here you will find download links to popular jailbreaking software tools such as TaiG, PPJailbreak, Evasi0n, Pangu, Absinthe, JailbreakMe.com, RedSn0w, Sn0wBreeze, GreenPois0n and many more! We will also be including download links to important utilities like Chronic-Dev Crash Reporter, iFaith, TinyUmbrella and F0recast.

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iOS

Download the latest iOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

iPhone

Download the latest iPhone iOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

iPad

Download the latest iPad iPadOS / iOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

iPod Touch / iPod Shuffle / iPod / Updater / Software

Download the latest iPod iOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

Apple TV

Download the latest Apple TV iOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

Apple Watch

Download the latest Apple Watch WatchOS ipsw firmware: Mac OS X | Windows

iTunes

iTunes (latest version): Mac OS X | Windows

Safari

Safari (latest version): Mac OS X | Windows

Semi-Restore

Semi-Restore is a tool that was developed by CoolStar that allows you to re-restore an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad back to the current iOS firmware version it is currently running without the need to have saved SHSH Blobs or APTickets. It supports all firmware versions from iOS 5.0 to 6.1.2 and is available for Windows, Mac OS X and soon Linux.

Download SemiRestore: https://semi-restore.com/

checkra1n

Itunes Ipsw Location

Download checkra1n: https://checkra.in

unc0ver For iOS 13

Download unc0ver: https://github.com/pwn20wndstuff/Undecimus/releases/

Chimera For iOS 12

Download Chimera: https://chimera.sh

Electra For iOS 11

Download Electra: https://github.com/coolstar/electra-ipas/

Yalu For iOS 10

Download Yalu: https://yalu.qwertyoruiop.com/

LiberiOS

LiberiOS 11.0.3 | LiberiOS 11.0.1 | LiberiOS

25 PP Jailbreak Tool

PP 8.4 Jailbreak: Mac OS X | Windows
25 PP Jailbreak: Mac OS X

TaiG

TaiG v1.1.0: Mac OS X |TaiG v1.0.0: Mac OS X
TaiG v2.4.3: Windows | TaiG v2.4.2: Windows

Pangu9 For iOS 9

How To Install Ipsw Without Itunes Free

Download Pangu: http://en.pangu.io

Pangu8 For iOS 8

Download Pangu: http://en.pangu.io

Pangu For iOS 7

Download Pangu: http://en.pangu.io

Evasi0n (Evasi0n7)

Evasi0n7 v1.0.8: Windows | Mac OS X
Evasi0n7 v1.0.7: Windows | Mac OS X

Evasi0n

Evasi0n v1.5.3: Windows | Mac OS X | Linux

P0sixpwn

P0sixpwn v1.0.7: Windows | Mac OS X

Absinthe

Absinthe is a new jailbreaking software that was released by the Dream Team to jailbreak the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Untethered running the iOS 5.0/iOS 5.0.1 firmware.

Absinthe 2.0.4: Windows | Mac OS X | Linux

CLI (Cinject 0.5.4): Windows | Mac OS X

Ac1dSn0w

Ac1dSn0w is a new jailbreaking tool by the PwnDevTeam. The Ac1dSn0w jailbreaking tool is just like the RedSn0w jailbreaking tool but includes some new features such as exiting recovery mode. You can download the latest version of Ac1dSn0w below.

Ac1dSn0w Beta 2 (iOS 5/iOS 5.0.1): Mac OS X

PwnageTool

PwnageTool is a MAC OS X only jailbreaking tool that jailbreaks your iOS device by creating a custom IPSW (Apple’s Firmware File); once this IPSW is created you must restore it to your iDevice through iTunes.

PwnageTool 5.1.1 (iOS 5.1.1): Mac OS X

Sn0wBreeze

Sn0wBreeze is actually the Windows alternative to the PwnageTool. It functions and operates the exact same way as the PwnageTool – Sn0wBreeze jailbreaks your iOS device by creating a custom IPSW (Apple’s Firmware File); once this IPSW is created you must restore it to your iDevice through iTunes.

Download Sn0wBreeze: https://github.com/iH8sn0w

RedSn0w

RedSn0w (originally named QuickPwn) was re-released during the times of the 2.x.x firmware generation, as one of the first jailbreaking tools to jailbreak the iPod Touch 2G. Maintained and created by the Dev-Team, RedSn0w has become one of the most used jailbreaking tools to jailbreak the iOS firmware.

RedSn0w 0.9.15b3: Windows (Run in Administrator mode) | Mac OS X

RedSn0w CLI 0.4.3: Windows

GreenPois0n

GreenPois0n jailbreaking tool was first released on October 12th, 2010 and it was one of the first jailbreaking tools to jailbreak the iOS 4.1 firmware. GreenPois0n is a one click jailbreaking tool; meaning that all you need to do to jailbreak your iDevice is click a button.

GreenPois0n RC6.1: Windows | Mac OS X

Seas0nPass

Seas0nPass is an Apple TV 2G specific jailbreak tool created by the FireCore development team.

Seas0nPass: Windows | Mac OS X

RageBreak

RageBreak: Windows | Mac OS X

Nito Installer

Download Nito Installer v1.0: Windows | Mac OS X

JailbreakMe

JailbreakMe is a userland jailbreak. Meaning that all you need to do to jailbreak your iDevice is visit JailbreakMe.com and just like that your iDevice will be Jailbroken. This jailbreak works on all iDevices running up to the iOS 4.3.3 firmware.

JailbreakMe 3.0: JailbreakMe

Spirit

Spirit: Windows | Mac OS X | Linux

LimeRa1n

Download LimeRa1n: http://limera1n.com/

BlackRa1n

BlackRa1n: Windows | Mac OS X

Siri Files

Download h1siri-1.0.1.deb Cydia tweak (click here for more information)

Download Siri GUI Files

TinyUmbrella

TinyUmbrella is an SHSH saving tool that allows you to downgrade your iDevice’s firmware version to a lower version than you are currently running. This can often times be helpful in case you accidentally update to a firmware version that cannot be jailbroken; as by default Apple does not allow downgrading.

Install Ipsw Without Itunes Iphone 11

TinyUmbrella BETA:

Mac OS X [OSX App Only] | Mac OS X [OSX Installer]
Windows [WIN x86 Installer] | Windows [WIN x64 Installer] |Windows [WIN x86 zip] | Windows [WIN x64 zip]

TinyUmbrella 7.04.00: Windows | Mac OS X

TinyUmbrella Fix Recovery: Windows | Mac OS X

Chronic-Dev Crash Reporter

Chronic Dev have just released a new tool called the Chronic-Dev Crash Reporter that a will send crash reports to Chronic Dev’s private servers. This will help Chronic Dev develop an untethered iOS 5.0 Jailbreak the the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and other iOS devices.

Chronic-Dev Crash Reporter Final: Mac OS X | Windows

DingleBerry

DingleBerry 3.1.0: Windows | Linux
DingleBerry 3.0.2: Mac OS X

iFaith

iFaith is an SHSH saving tool that dumps SHSH blobs directly on to your iDevice. Dumping your SHSH blobs allows you to downgrade your iDevice’s firmware version to a lower version than you are currently running. This can often times be helpful in case you accidentally update to a firmware version that cannot be jailbroken; as by default Apple does not allow downgrading.

iFaith v1.5.9: Windows

RecBoot

RecBoot is an application that easily kicks your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad out of Recovery Mode and also puts your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into Recovery Mode.

RecBoot v2.2: Mac OS X
RecBoot v1.3: Windows | Linux
RecBoot Source Code

iOSOpenDev

iOSOpenDev 1.0.1 (05-Feb-2012): Mac OS X

StifleStand

StifleStand v1.0: Windows | Mac OS X

iREB

iREB7: Windows
iREB r6 (For iOS 3.x.x to 6.x.x): Windows
iREB r5 (For iOS 3.x.x to 5.x.x): Windows

iDetector

iDetector v1.0.1 (For iPhone 3GS): Windows

TinyCFW

TinyCFW: Windows | Mac OS X

F0recast

F0recast is a handy tool that will tell you information about your iDevice. For example: whether or not it can be jailbroken/unlocked.

F0recast 1.4.1: Windows | Mac OS X

CyberDuck

CyberDuck Download

Pirni-Derv

Pirni-Derv as a .zip and .tar File: Windows | Mac OS X

WireShark

How To Install Ipsw Without Itunes

Download WireShark

Winscp

Download Winscp

BootLoaders

BootLoaders (BL 3.9 and BL 4.6)

Iphone Install Ipsw Without Itunes

WhiteD00r

WhiteD00r 6: iPhone 2G Normal 6 | iPhone 2G Unlocker 6

WhiteD00r 6: iPhone 3G Normal 6 | iPhone 3G Unlocker 6

WhiteD00r 6: iPod Touch 1G WD6

WhiteD00r 6: iPod Touch 2G WD6 (MB Model only)

ipswDownloader

ipswDownloader allows you to easily download firmware files for your iDevice from an easy to use GUI (graphical user interface). Additionally the tool tells you whether or not the firmware you are downloading can be jailbroken or Unlocked.

ipswDownloader 0.5: Windows | Mac OS X (32 bit) | Mac OS X (64 bit)

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