How to Jailbreak iOS 12

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Last Updated: February 2, 2026

This wikiHow shows how to jailbreak your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS 12. The process varies depending on the iOS version and device model. Jailbreaking your iOS device allows you to install tweaks as well as sideloading apps downloaded outside App Store. Make sure to back up your device before jailbreaking as something can go wrong during jailbreaking.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Chimera (iOS 12.0-12.5.8)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Chimera jailbreak is supported on A11 and earlier devices running iOS 12.0 to 12.5.8, as well as A12(X) devices running iOS 12.0 to 12.1.2.^{[1]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About on your device.^{[2]
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- Chimera jailbreak is not supported on A12(X) devices running iOS 12.1.3 to 12.4.1. Use unc0ver jailbreak instead.
- A11 and earlier devices include:
  - iPhone 5S
  - iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
  - iPhone 6S and 6S Plus
  - iPhone SE (1st generation)
  - iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
  - iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
  - iPhone X
  - iPad (5th and 6th generations)
  - iPad mini 2, 3 and 4
  - iPad Air 1 and 2
  - iPad Pro 12.9 (1st and 2nd generations)
  - iPad Pro 10.5
  - iPad Pro 9.7
  - iPod touch (6th and 7th generations)
- A12(X) devices include:
  - iPhone XS and XS Max
  - iPhone XR
  - iPad Pro 12.9 (3rd generation)
  - iPad Pro 11 (1st generation)
2
Download and install the necessary files. Download the appropriate version of Chimera, listed below, 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).
- Chimera IPAs:
  - For iPhone 5S and 6, iPad Air 1/2 and mini 2/3/4 & iPod touch 6 running iOS 12.3.x / 12.4.1 to 12.5.8
  - For iPhone 5S and 6, iPad Air 1/2 and mini 2/3/4 & iPod touch 6 running iOS 12.0-12.2.x / 12.4, as well as later devices running any version of iOS 12
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Use USB-A to Lightning or USB-A to USB-C cable. Plug the Lightning or USB-C end into your device and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your device.^{[1]
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Open PlumeImpactor and click Settings and Sign In. Enter your Apple Account details. Drag and drop the Chimera IPA into the main PlumeImpactor window. Install the IPA by clicking Install.^{[1]
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5
Trust the developer. Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management -> [your Apple Account] on your device and tap Trust [your Apple Account] to trust the developer.^{[1]
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- It is recommended to reboot your device after doing this step.
6
Run the Chimera jailbreak. Open the Chimera app on your device and tap Jailbreak. Wait for a prompt to appear, then reboot your device, then open Chimera and tap Jailbreak again. After you perform this step, your iPhone should have Sileo installed.^{[1]
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- If your iPhone crashes unexpectedly and doesn’t have Sileo installed, place your device in ziploc bag in the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes and rerun the jailbreak again.
Open the Sileo app, search for libiosexec1 tweak and tap Modify, Upgrade, Queued and Confirm to upgrade the tweak. Search for libhooker (common), PreferenceLoader and RocketBootstrap tweak and tap Install on all. Tap Queued and Confirm to install these tweaks. Once installed, tap Restart SpringBoard to restart SpringBoard.^{[1]
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8
Rejailbreak without using app (A10[X] and earlier devices only). Chimera is a semi-untethered jailbreak, meaning, after rebooting, you normally have to use Chimera app to rejailbreak, but for A10(X) and earlier devices, there is another method that utilises the WebKit exploit called TotallyNotSpyware-v2. Open Safari on your device, 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.^{[1]
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- If the webpage crashes, close Safari in App Switcher, reopen Safari and repeat the process.
- A10(X) and earlier devices include:
  - iPhone 5S
  - iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
  - iPhone 6S and 6S Plus
  - iPhone SE (1st generation)
  - iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
  - iPad (5th and 6th generations)
  - iPad mini 2, 3 and 4
  - iPad Air 1 and 2
  - iPad Pro 12.9 (1st and 2nd generations)
  - iPad Pro 10.5
  - iPad Pro 9.7
  - iPod touch (6th and 7th generations)

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using unc0ver (iOS 12.0-12.5.5)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. unc0ver jailbreak is supported on devices running iOS 12.0-12.5.5.^{[3]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About on your device.^{[2]
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- Although this article shows iOS 12 jailbreaks, unc0ver also works for devices running iOS 11.x and iOS/iPadOS 13.0-14.3, as well as iPhone XR, XS, 11 series and SE (2nd generation) running iOS 14.6-14.8.
- unc0ver jailbreak is not supported on devices running iOS 12.5.6 or 12.5.7. Use Chimera jailbreak instead.
2
Download and install the necessary files. Download the appropriate version of unc0ver, listed below, 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).
- unc0ver IPAs:
Use USB-A to Lightning or USB-A to USB-C cable. Plug the Lightning or USB-C end into your device and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your device.^{[3]
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4
Install unc0ver. Open PlumeImpactor and click Settings and Sign In. Enter your Apple Account details. Drag and drop the unc0ver IPA into the main PlumeImpactor window. Install the IPA by clicking Install.^{[1]
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5
Trust the developer. Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management -> [your Apple Account] on your device and tap Trust [your Apple Account] to trust the developer.^{[3]
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- It is recommended to reboot your device after doing this step.
6
Run the unc0ver jailbreak. Open the unc0ver app on your device, disable the Disable Auto Updates toggle in app settings menu, after that, tap Jailbreak. When prompted, reboot your device, open unc0ver app and tap Jailbreak again.^{[3]
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- If you get the "rootFS already mounted, delete the OTA update" error, delete the OTA update by going to Settings -> General -> iPhone/iPad/iPod Storage -> System Update and tap Delete, and run unc0ver jailbreak again.^{[4]
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- After you successfully jailbreak your device, Cydia should be installed on the home screen.