iPhone 11 Touch Screen Not Working? Here's The Real Fix!

David Lynch

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Your iPhone 11 touch screen isn't responding and you're not sure why.

Nothing happens any time you touch your iPhone's display.

In this article, I'll explain what to do when your iPhone 11 touch screen is not working!

Is It Just One App?

Ask yourself: Is your iPhone 11 touch screen completely unresponsive, or does it just stop working when you use a specific app? If your iPhone 11 screen stops working when you use a specific app, there might just be a problem with that app, not your whole iPhone. Below, we'll show you how to troubleshoot a potential app problem by showing you how to close and delete apps on your iPhone 11.

How To Fix An iPhone 11 Touch Screen That's Not Working

6 Steps Total
1.

Hard Reset Your iPhone 11

A hard reset can temporarily fix minor software glitches and crashes.

How Do I Hard Reset My iPhone 11?

  1. Press and release the volume up button.
  2. Press and release the volume down button.
  3. Press and hold the side button. Keep holding until the Apple logo appears on the display.
View More
2.

Close Every App On Your iPhone 11

Closing the apps on your iPhone 11 can sometimes fix app crashes and minor software problems.

How Do I Close Every App On My iPhone 11?

  1. Swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to the center of the screen to open the app switcher.
  2. Swipe your apps up and off the top of the screen to close them.
View More
3.

Delete The App That's Not Working

Poorly coded apps can sometimes cause problems with on your iPhone. If your iPhone crashes or becomes unresponsive any time you open a specific app, try deleting the app and reinstalling it.

How Do I Delete The App That's Not Working?

  1. Press and hold on the app icon you would like to delete.
  2. Tap Remove App.
  3. Tap Delete App.
  4. Go back to the App Store and search for the app.
  5. Tap the icon to the right of the app to reinstall it.
  6. If the app continues to cause problems, your best bet is to delete it for good and find an alternative.
View More
4.

Back Up Your iPhone

It's important to back up your iPhone before doing any major restores (such as a DFU restore). If something goes wrong while you're trying to fix your iPhone, having a back up means you won't lose any of your data (such as contacts, photos, apps, and more). Restoring from a back up is a lot more convenient than having to go and reenter all the information that was saved on your iPhone.

How Do I Back Up My iPhone?

There are a few different ways to back up your iPhone:

Backup Your iPhone Using iCloud

  1. If you have a WiFi connection, you can back up your iPhone using iCloud.
  2. Open the Settings app.
  3. Tap on Your Name at the top of the screen.
  4. Tap iCloud.
  5. Scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup.
  6. Make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on. You'll know the switch is on when the switch is green.
  7. Tap Back Up Now.
  8. A status bar will appear to tell you how much time is remaining.

Backup Your iPhone Using iTunes

  1. Plug the Lightning connector on your Lightning cable (charging cable) into the Lightning port on your iPhone.
  2. Plug the other end of your Lightning cable into a USB port on your computer.
  3. Open iTunes on your computer.
  4. Click on the iPhone icon in the upper left hand corner of iTunes.
  5. Click the circle next to "iCloud" or "This computer" to select whether you want to backup your iPhone to iCloud or your computer.
  6. Click Back Up Now to backup your iPhone.
  7. When the backup is complete, you'll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.

Backup Your iPhone Using Finder (Macs Running Catalina 10.15 or newer)

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a charging cable.
  2. Open Finder.
  3. Click on your iPhone under Locations.
  4. Click the circle next to Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
  5. Click Back Up Now.
  6. When the backup is complete, you'll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.
View More
5.

DFU Restore Your iPhone

A DFU restore has the potential to fix software problems by completely erasing the code which may be causing your problem. The code is rewritten as if your iPhone is brand new, so the software problem may get solved.

Think of it like a house that has cracks in the foundation. Rather than try and fix the cracks, we are building an entirely new foundation.

If you can, back up your iPhone before completing a DFU restore. Any time you do a restore, it erases everything from your iPhone. However, after the restore is completed, you restore all your backed up data back onto your iPhone.

How Do I DFU Restore My iPhone?

How To DFU Restore An iPhone SE, 6s, Or Older

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the Home button and the power button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the Home button.
  5. Let go of the power button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. Your iPhone’s display will be completely black if you’ve successfully entered DFU mode. If it’s not, try again from the beginning.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 7 Or 7 Plus

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the power and volume down button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the volume down button.
  5. Release the volume down button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. You'll know your iPhone is in DFU mode if the display is completely black.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 8 Or Newer

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a charging cable.
  2. Open iTunes (PCs and Macs running macOS 10.14 or older) or Finder (Macs running macOS 10.15 or newer).
  3. Quickly press and release the volume up button.
  4. Quickly press and release the volume down button.
  5. Press and hold the side button until the screen goes black.
  6. When the screen goes black, press and hold the volume down button while continuing to press and hold the side button.
  7. Hold both buttons for five seconds.
  8. After five seconds, release the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button.
  9. Keep holding the volume down button until your iPhone appears in Finder or iTunes.
  10. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.
View More
6.

Repair Your iPhone With Apple

Apple repairs iPhones at the Genius Bar in Apple Stores and through their online mail-in repair service. Apple repairs are high-quality, but out-of-warranty repairs can be much more expensive than third-party solutions. If you're looking to save some money you're not covered by Apple's warranty, you may want to check out our other recommendations.

How Do I Repair My iPhone With Apple?

How To Repair Your iPhone With Apple's Mail-In Service

  1. Visit Apple's support website to begin the online mail-in repair process.
  2. Alternatively, call 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753) to set up a repair.

How To Repair Your iPhone At The Genius Bar Inside Your Local Apple Store

  1. Visit Apple's website to make a Genius Bar appointment before you go into the store. Apple Stores are extremely busy, and if you don't have an appointment, you may have to wait for hours or end up being turned away. (Editor's note: I'm a former Apple tech and we're not exaggerating — please, do yourself a favor and make an appointment first!)
  2. When you arrive, go to the Genius Bar to check in for your appointment.
  3. Genius Bar appointments always include free diagnosis. If you're under warranty, many repairs can be done on the spot, but it all depends upon which parts are in stock. If you're not under warranty, the Genius will give you a quote for the cost of a repair.
View More

Touch Screen: Working Again!

You've fixed the problem with your iPhone 11 and its touch screen is responding again.

Make sure to share this article on social media to teach your family and friends what to do when their iPhone 11 touch screen is not working!

Having any other questions? Leave them below!

AUTHOR

David Lynch

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
22 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Whatareyoutalkingabout
Whatareyoutalkingabout
10 months ago

“Fix your unresponsive screen using this method that requires you to use the screen”. Sir??

Manuela Rothe
Manuela Rothe
10 months ago

All those steps you talked about won’t work. I started as you said, hold volume up butten, then volume down and the side button. Apple logo appears but the touch screen is still frozen. Cant slide or choose anyting. I can’t do anything with my fone.
What should I do now?

Jasmine
Jasmine
1 year ago

Hi, the first solution worked for me. All you got to do is

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Press and hold the side button (meaning the power button only)
  4. When the Apple logo appears, release the side button.
Anonymous
Anonymous
1 year ago

How do you do any of those things if your screen doesn’t do jackcrap?

Mary
Mary
1 year ago

This was so dumb- Literally every single “solution” except the hard reset requires you to utilize the touch screen to complete… but the problem is an UNRESPONSIVE touch screen…. uhhhhh

Steve
Steve
1 year ago

Notta. Volume up…release, volume down…release hold the side button until the Apple icon appears. If it is supposed to appear outside of 1 full minute than I didn’t hold it long enough, otherwise it is not appearing.

Jim
Jim
1 year ago

How do you Swipe up (step 2) if the screen is unresponsive?

Joe
Joe
1 year ago

Your hard reset is considered a soft reset. iPhone hard reset is restoring factory settings

anonymous
anonymous
2 years ago

I have an Iphone 11 with a screen that won’t turn on, the buttons all work but the screen remains black, I have tried without success with the DFU restore, any other solutions? The phone isn’t responding to the charger either.

Not Steve Jobs
Not Steve Jobs
2 years ago

Thank you!

u dont have to know
u dont have to know
2 years ago

Thank you David for helping out a sista.

Nicholas
Nicholas
3 years ago

most of you “Solutions” require the screen to be working…

Liam Shotwell
3 years ago
Reply to  Nicholas

A DFU Restore may be right up your alley for this one! For iPhone 11 it only requires a connection to your computer, the volume buttons, and the power button.

Ryan Trimble
Ryan Trimble
2 years ago
Reply to  Liam Shotwell

Then it says, “Unlock iPhone to Use USB Accessories”. LOL, I can’t win.

Alex
Alex
1 year ago
Reply to  Ryan Trimble

RIGHT??!!!

michael charbonnier
michael charbonnier
3 years ago

Hi, I cant get my screen to work on my iphone11. nothing has happened as far as i am aware but for some reason the buttons work on the sides of the phone but the screen doesn’t.

Blanch
Blanch
3 years ago

Same problem, did you ever get an answer?

jack
jack
3 years ago
Reply to  Blanch

HI, this has happened a couple of times and I did restart and then it worked but my screen has became unresponsive to my touch again. i reset the phone but after it came back on, it was still unresponsive.

Liam Shotwell
3 years ago
Reply to  jack

If the steps in the article above aren’t working, it might be worth checking out your repair options.

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

Same here

Abhinaba Ray
Abhinaba Ray
2 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Was there any solution to this doomed issue?