iPhone Error 4013: How to Fix It Without Losing Your Data

You plug your iPhone into a computer to update or restore it, and Finder or iTunes stops with: “The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (4013).” Sometimes the phone is now stuck on the Apple logo or in recovery mode, and suddenly the photos on it feel very far away.

Error 4013 is fixable more often than it looks. But before you click anything, there’s one decision that matters more than all the others.

The one choice that protects your data: Update, not Restore

When an iPhone is in recovery mode, your computer offers two options:

• Update — reinstalls iOS without erasing your data.
• Restore — erases the iPhone completely and installs a fresh copy of iOS.

If you don’t have a current backup in iCloud or on a computer, always choose Update. A Restore permanently wipes the phone, and because every modern iPhone is encrypted with keys tied to that device, data erased by a restore cannot be recovered by anyone afterward.

If Update fails repeatedly with 4013 and you have no backup, stop — don’t fall back to Restore “just to get the phone working.” Getting the phone working again isn’t worth losing what’s on it.

What causes error 4013

Apple describes 4013 (and its sibling 4014) as a problem communicating with the device during an update or restore. In practice, that’s one of:

• A faulty Lightning or USB-C cable, or a flaky USB port or hub.
• Outdated software on the computer (macOS, or iTunes/the Apple Devices app on Windows).
• Security or USB software interfering with the connection.
• A hardware fault inside the iPhone — often on the logic board — that drops the connection partway through.

Fixes to try, in order

1. Update the computer. Install the latest macOS, or the latest iTunes / Apple Devices app on Windows.
2. Connect directly. Use an Apple or MFi-certified cable, plugged straight into the computer — no hub, dock, or keyboard port.
3. Try a different computer. This rules out a driver or port problem on yours.
4. Force restart into recovery mode and try Update again:
   • Press and quickly release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the recovery-mode screen appears.
5. Retry once or twice, not dozens of times. If it still fails, the cause is likely hardware.

When it’s a hardware problem

If 4013 persists across cables and computers, something on the phone’s logic board is usually interrupting the connection — sometimes after a drop or liquid exposure, sometimes from a failing component. At that point:

• Apple’s standard fix is usually a replacement device — which means your data doesn’t come with it.
• Recovering the data means repairing the original phone enough to boot it once, then extracting everything. Because iPhone data is encrypted and tied to that specific device, there’s no shortcut of reading the memory chip elsewhere — the original board has to work, and you’ll need your passcode.

The bottom line

Error 4013 is usually a cable, port, or software issue, so start there. But the moment your phone is in recovery mode, remember: Update keeps your data; Restore erases it. Without a backup, never choose Restore.

If your iPhone is stuck on 4013 and holds photos you can’t lose, our iPhone recovery service does the board-level work to bring it up and extract your data — one flat price, and nothing to pay unless we succeed. Seeing a different hang? Read iPhone stuck on “Verifying Update”.