How to Jailbreak an iPhone

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Three easy ways to jailbreak an iPhone using your PC or Mac

Co-authored by Travis Boylls Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: August 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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Using Dopamine (iOS 15-18.7.1/26.0-26.0.1)

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Using palera1n (iPhone 6S to X, iOS 15-16.7.16)

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Using Amethyst (iOS 12.0-13.7)

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to jailbreak your iPhone using Dopamine, palera1n and Amethyst. These tools are easy to use and work on most newer iPhones. Dopamine is a semi-untethered rootless jailbreak tool that works on any iPhone running iOS 15 to 18.7.1 and 26.0 to 26.0.1. palera1n jailbreak is semi-tethered, can either be rootful or rootless, and works on iPhone 6S to 8/X running iOS 15 to 16.7.16. If you are still rocking an old iPhone 5S or 6 running iOS 12.5.8, Amethyst jailbreak, which is semi-untethered, is for you, though it also works for any iPhones running iOS 12.0–13.7. Jailbreaking allows you to install apps and tweaks that aren't allowed in the App Store, which gives you more control over your iPhone. Be aware that Apple does not recommend jailbreaking and may not provide you support after doing so. Also, make sure you back up your iPhone data before jailbreaking.

Compatibility matrix

This table shows jailbreaks for iOS 12 and later.

Green cells: full jailbreak(s) available
Yellow cells: semi-jailbreak(s) available
Red cells: no jailbreaks available

Version	iPhone 5S iPhone 6 iPhone 6S iPhone SE (1st generation) iPhone 7 iPhone 8 iPhone X iPhone XR iPhone XS iPhone 11 series iPhone SE (2nd generation)	iPhone 12 series iPhone 13 series iPhone SE (3rd generation) iPhone 14 series iPhone 15 series
–11.4.1	See guides for specific older iOS versions, such as for iOS 7, iOS 8, iOS 9, iOS 10 and iOS 11
12.0–13.7	Amethyst	Not applicable
14.x	Taurine
15.0–17.3.1	Dopamine
17.4—18.7.1	Dopamine	Not supported
18.7.2–18.7.10	Not supported
26.0.x	Dopamine	Not supported
26.1–	Not supported

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Dopamine (iOS 15-18.7.1/26.0-26.0.1)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Dopamine jailbreak is supported on iPhone 6S, SE 1st and 2nd generations, 7, 8, X, XR, XS, and 11 series running iOS 15.0 to 18.7.1 or 26.0 to 26.0.1, as well as iPhone 12 series, 13 series, SE 3rd generation, 14 series and 15 series running iOS 15.0 to 17.3.1.^{[1]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[3]
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2
Download and install the necessary files. Download the latest version of Dopamine IPA and PlumeImpactor on your computer, and install PlumeImpactor.^{[1]
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- If your computer is running Windows, you also need to download and install iTunes (not the Microsoft Store version).
- You might want to install TrollStore and install Dopamine through TrollStore if your iPhone is running iOS 15.0–16.6.1, 16.7 RC (20H18) or 17.0. After doing these steps, skip to step 7. TrollStore lets you permanently sign any IPAs.^{[2]
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  - The process of installing TrollStore varies depending on the iOS version.
    - iOS 15.5–15.8.6 / 16.0–16.6.1 on iPhone 6S to X / iOS 15.7–16.5.1 on iPhone XR and later: TrollInstallerX method
    - iOS 15.0–15.4.1 on iPhone 6S to X and iOS 15.0–15.6.1 on iPhone XR and later: TrollHelperOTA method
    - iOS 15.8.7–15.8.8, iOS 16.7 RC (20H18) and 17.0: TrollRestore method
  - Download the Dopamine IPA on your iPhone.
  - Open the TrollStore app, tap the plus button at top-right, select the Dopamine IPA file from files, then tap Install to install the Dopamine app.
    - It is recommended to reboot your iPhone after installation.
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Use USB-A to Lightning cable. Plug the Lightning end into your iPhone and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your iPhone. ^{[1]
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4
Install Dopamine. Open PlumeImpactor on your computer and click Settings and Sign In. Enter your Apple Account details. Drag and drop the Dopamine IPA into the main PlumeImpactor window. Install the IPA by clicking Install.^{[1]
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Enable Developer Mode (iOS 16 & later). On your iPhone, go to Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Developer Mode and toggle that option. An alert will appear prompting to reboot your device. Tap Restart to reboot into developer mode.^{[1]
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Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management -> [your Apple Account] on your iPhone and tap Trust [your Apple Account] to trust the developer.^{[1]
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7
Run the Dopamine jailbreak. Open the Dopamine app, and tap Jailbreak to jailbreak your iPhone. After a moment, the iPhone should reboot and after that the home screen should have Sileo installed.^{[1]
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- If your iPhone crashes unexpectedly and doesn’t have Sileo installed, rerun the jailbreak again.
- If you have an iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, SE (1st generation), 7 (not the Plus variant) or 8 (not the Plus variant) running iOS 15.8.7–15.8.8, or 16.7 or later, you might have to respring your iPhone when prompted, then rerun the jailbreak.
- If you have an iPhone XR, XS, 11 series or SE (2nd generation) running iOS 16.6 or later, your iPhone might turn off and on when jailbreaking.
Open the Sileo app, search for ElleKit tweak and tap Get, Queued and Confirm to install the tweak. Repeat with PreferenceLoader. Tap Restart SpringBoard to restart SpringBoard.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using palera1n (iPhone 6S to X, iOS 15-16.7.16)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. palera1n jailbreak is supported on iPhone 6S, SE 1st generation, 7, 8 and X running iOS 15.0 and later up to the last supported iOS version for each iPhone.^{[5]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[3]
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- palera1n only works with macOS and Linux.
- For Linux, Intel CPUs are preferred.
- palera1n jailbreak is semi-tethered, meaning you need a computer to rejailbreak your iPhone. Dopamine jailbreak is a better choice (unless you want the jailbreak to be rootful) because Dopamine is semi-untethered.
2
Disable passcode if using an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X. Go to Settings -> General -> Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode and tap Turn Off Passcode. You might be prompted to enter your Apple Account password.^{[5]
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- If you have an iPhone 6S, SE 1st generation or 7, you can skip this step.
- If your iPhone is running iOS 16 or later, you also need to factory reset your iPhone.
Use USB-A to Lightning cable. Plug the Lightning end into your iPhone and USB-A end into your computer.^{[5]
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4
Install palera1n. On your computer, open a terminal window and run /bin/sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://static.palera.in/scripts/install.sh)" to install palera1n.^{[5]
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- If using Linux, before installing palera1n, open another terminal window, and run sudo systemctl stop usbmuxd and sudo usbmuxd -f -p.
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Run the palera1n jailbreak. Type sudo palera1n -l and press the Enter key to run. Follow the instructions to put your iPhone into DFU mode.^{[5]
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- After you perform this step, your iPhone should reboot, and palera1n loader app should appear.
- For iPhone 6S and SE 1st generation, these may have an issue when this get stuck in this process. To fix, press Ctrl + C and rerun sudo palera1n -l again.
6
Install Sileo. Open the palera1n loader app on your iPhone and tap Sileo, and set a password for command line things.^{[5]
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- After performing this step, Sileo app should be installed.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Amethyst (iOS 12.0-13.7)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Amethyst jailbreak is supported on iPhones running iOS 12.0 to 13.7.^{[7]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About on your device.^{[3]
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2
Download and install the necessary files. Download the latest version of Amethyst and PlumeImpactor on your computer, and install PlumeImpactor.^{[7]
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- If your computer is running Windows, you also need to download and install iTunes (not the Microsoft Store version).
Use a USB-A to Lightning cable. Plug the Lightning end into your iPhone and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your iPhone.^{[7]
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4
Install Amethyst. Open PlumeImpactor and click Settings and Sign In. Enter your Apple Account details. Drag and drop the Amethyst IPA into the main PlumeImpactor window. Install the IPA by clicking Install.^{[7]
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5
Trust the developer. Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management -> [your Apple Account] on your iPhone and tap Trust [your Apple Account] to trust the developer.^{[7]
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- It is recommended to reboot your iPhone after doing this step.
6
Run the Amethyst jailbreak. Open the Amethyst app on your iPhone and tap Jailbreak. Wait for a prompt to appear, then reboot your iPhone, then open Amethyst and tap Jailbreak again. After you perform this step, your iPhone should have both Sileo and Zebra installed.^{[7]
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- If your iPhone crashes or reboots without a prompt and doesn’t have Sileo installed, wait for 1 to 2 minutes, reboot, and rerun the jailbreak again.
7
Rejailbreak without using app (only iPhone 7 and earlier running iOS 12.x). Amethyst is a semi-untethered jailbreak, meaning, after rebooting, you normally have to use Amethyst app to rejailbreak, but for iPhone 7 and earlier running iOS 12.x, there is another method that utilises the WebKit exploit called TotallyNotSpyware-v2. Open Safari on your iPhone, go to http://jbme.h4ck.kr/ and tap re-jailbreak to run the rejailbreak. Tap Close on any prompts that may appear within the Safari app and tap userspace reboot to reboot into a jailbroken state.^{[7]
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- If the webpage crashes, close Safari in App Switcher, reopen Safari and repeat the process.

Community Q&A

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Question

Can I jailbreak my iPhone if I don't know the passcode?

OPJustin

Community Answer

No, you cannot jailbreak your iPhone without knowing its passcode, as the passcode is required to initiate the process. For assistance, you may consider visiting an Apple Store.

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Can I jailbreak my iPhone using Windows?

Xeverything11

Community Answer

It depends on the specific jailbreak method you choose. However, for many common jailbreaks like Dopamine, nathanlr, and Chimera, you will need to sideload the jailbreak app or, for iOS 14-17, the TrollStore installer. You can perform this sideloading process on Windows using tools such as PlumeImpactor.

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Question

Can checkra1n's first option work on my iPhone 7 Plus?

Xeverything11

Community Answer

Yes, checkra1n can work on your iPhone 7 Plus if it runs iOS 14.8.1 or earlier. Unfortunately, checkra1n does not support iOS 15, which is the last iOS version for the iPhone 7 Plus. To jailbreak iOS 15, you would need to install TrollStore, then install and run the Dopamine jailbreak through TrollStore.

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Tips

Be careful when downloading tweaks or other usually unsupported files from your package manager such as Sileo or Zebra. Jailbreaking removes the restrictions that prevent you from being able to download malware.^{[8]
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If your iPhone prompts you to update to the latest version of iOS, you should only do so if you're okay with having to jailbreak the iPhone again.

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Jailbreaking violates Apple's terms of use. Doing so may increase your risk security vulnerabilities, instability, and the disruption of Apple services. Apple reserves the right to deny service to any devices that have used unauthorized modifications or software.

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Warnings

Note that there are no legit jailbreaks yet for iPhone 12 series and later, including iPhone SE (3rd generation) running iOS 17.4 or later, or any iPhones running iOS 18.7.2–18.7.10 or 26.1 or later. Any websites claiming to jailbreak these must be treated as fake.

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