Startup & storage
iPod red X
A red X, a red circle with an X, or www.apple.com/support on the screen? Pick what you see and your model to see what it means and what each fix costs.
What exactly happens?
- Red XAlso searched as red x fix · red circle with x · red cross · red x of death fix · red x on screen · red x on iPod · www.apple.com/support/ · has red x with circle around it · big red x · x red circle · showing red x · big red x on iPod · red x on my iPod · red cross on screen · red x circle · red x screen · showing red x on screen · red cross on iPod · www.apple.com/support/ipod error · red x error · fix red x on iPod · fix red x · shows red x · Apple support red cross · Apple com support iPod error message
- Started after a repair or part swap
- Not sure — free diagnostic
Which iPod do you have?
Most common causes, by model
The red X (a red ring with an X inside and Apple's web address under it) shows only on the 6th and 7th Gen, and it almost always means the hard drive. Apple's steps first: put it in Disk Mode and restore it.
Free checks first
- If it still shows up on a computer, copy your music off before anything else (copy the whole iPod_Control folder to keep more than the songs); if it clicks or drops off the computer while copying, stop and get it diagnosed.
- A red circle with one slash and the words "Do not disconnect" is not the red X: it is normal while the iPod is connected and busy, so eject it in iTunes or the Finder before you unplug it. The iPod Photo and iPod Video show it in red, the 3rd Gen, 4th Gen and Mini in black; the 6th and 7th Gen show an orange "Connected" or "Synchronizing" screen when simply connected (in Disk Mode, Apple says they display "Do not disconnect" too).
- Click wheel iPods (4th Gen, Photo, Video, Classic and Mini): if the computer does not see it, use Disk Mode: put the Hold switch firmly in the unlocked position, hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears, let go, then hold Center and Play/Pause until the Disk Mode screen appears.
- On the 6th and 7th Gen, if the restore keeps failing or the computer doesn't see it at all, try DFU mode: connect it, hold Menu and Center until it restarts, and keep holding until it restarts again; the screen stays blank, and in some cases the computer then recognizes it and offers a restore.
- Restore it: use Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or iTunes on an older Mac or a PC. Connect the iPod straight to the computer, find it, then choose Restore iPod. A restore erases all songs on the iPod.
- On the 3rd Gen, a disk icon with a small x after a disk scan means the scan was cancelled: it runs again the next time the iPod starts. It is not the red X.
- Hold the iPod up to your ear: unusual clicking patterns are a strong sign that the hard drive is failing.
- Check the hard drive's health in Diagnostic Mode: on a healthy drive the reallocated sectors (reallocs) and pending sectors read zero or close to it. A high number, or numbers that rise each time you check, mean the drive is failing; pending sectors are the sharper warning.
iPod Classic (A1238) red XiPod Classic 6th Gen (A1238) red XiPod Classic 7th Gen (A1238) red X
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Most likely
Failing hard drive
Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the red X usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.
Flash Mod Service (installed by iMods)
Replaces the hard drive with flash memory: silent, no moving parts
Replacement Hard Drive 160GB (Late 2009)
Flash Mod Service (installed by iMods)
Replaces the hard drive with flash memory: silent, no moving parts
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Next most likely
Hard drive cable
A red X the moment the iPod starts can point to the hard drive cable, but the cable is much less likely than the drive.
Free check first Push the cable back in first; replace it only if that does not help.
Hard Drive ZIF Ribbon Cable
More causes on this page, depending on what happens
- Hard drive cable not fully in, or a latch left openStarted after a repair or part swap
- Loose or damaged hard drive cableStarted after a repair or part swap
- A connector not seated after the repairStarted after a repair or part swap
iPod Video 5th GeniPod Video 5th Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod Video 5th Gen
iPod 4th Gen and iPod PhotoiPod 4th GeniPod Photo
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod 4th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Photo
iPod Mini 1st and 2nd GeniPod Mini 1st GeniPod Mini 2nd Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 1st GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 2nd Gen
iPod 3rd GeniPod 3rd Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod 3rd Gen
Started after a repair or part swap
The red X appeared after the iPod was opened.
Free checks first
- Red X right after a drive or flash install? That is commonly the drive cable connector's latch left open or the flash adapter installed upside down.
- A blank new drive is likely to show a folder icon or similar until it is restored, not a red X.
iPod Classic 6th and 7th GeniPod Classic 6th GeniPod Classic 7th Gen
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Most likely
Hard drive cable not fully in, or a latch left open
After the iPod has been opened, a hard drive cable that isn't pushed fully in, or a drive or cable latch left open, stops the drive from working.
Free check first Open it again, push the hard drive cable fully in and close every latch.
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Next most likely
Loose or damaged hard drive cable
A loose or damaged hard drive cable can make the drive click, drop out or show the red X. Unless the problem started after a repair, the cable itself is rarely the fault on the 6th and 7th Gen: if the hard drive isn't to blame, the logic board is just as likely as the cable.
Free check first Push the cable back in first; replace it only if that does not help.
Hard Drive ZIF Ribbon Cable
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Also possible
A connector not seated after the repair
After a battery or part swap, a connector that is not fully seated can leave the iPod dead or half-working. We can also look at it: the free diagnostic finds the issue and whether it can be fixed without new parts.
Free check first Open it again and push every connector you touched fully back in.
iPod Video 5th GeniPod Video 5th Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod Video 5th Gen
iPod 4th Gen and iPod PhotoiPod 4th GeniPod Photo
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod 4th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Photo
iPod Mini 1st and 2nd GeniPod Mini 1st GeniPod Mini 2nd Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 1st GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 2nd Gen
iPod 3rd GeniPod 3rd Gen
Not sure what is causing it on this model? Send it for a free diagnostic and we tell you what it needs before any work. Free diagnosticFree diagnostic for the iPod 3rd Gen
Not sure — free diagnostic
Mail us your iPod and we test it and send you a free repair quote. If you don't like the price, we ship it back at our expense.
Free