A factory reset erases the personal information, apps, accounts, and settings on an iPhone and returns it to the setup screen. It is appropriate when you are selling or giving away the phone, starting over after serious software problems, or intentionally preparing the device for a clean setup.
Because this process removes your data, make sure anything important is backed up before you begin.
How to Factory Reset an iPhone From Settings
- Open Settings. Start from the iPhone’s Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone. It is near the bottom of the General screen.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- Review what will be removed. The iPhone shows the accounts, data, and services affected by the erase.
- Tap Continue.
- Choose what to do with your eSIM if asked. If you are keeping the phone and plan to use the same cellular service, keeping the eSIM may be more convenient. If you erase it, your carrier may need to reactivate the plan.
- Enter your iPhone passcode.
- Enter your Apple Account password if requested. This can be required to turn off Find My and Activation Lock as part of the erase.
- Confirm the erase and wait. Do not interrupt the iPhone while it is wiping the device. When it finishes, the Hello screen appears.
What a Factory Reset Deletes
A factory reset removes your apps, photos and videos stored only on the device, messages, accounts, downloaded files, settings, and other local data. Information already synchronized to services such as iCloud may still exist in those services, but you should never assume everything is backed up without checking first.
If You Are Selling or Giving Away the iPhone
Verify that your important information exists on your replacement device or in a backup before erasing the old phone. If an Apple Watch is paired with the iPhone, unpairing it first is also a good idea. Completing the normal erase process removes your personal information and prepares the iPhone for another owner.
Factory Reset vs. Restart
A restart simply turns the iPhone off and back on. A force restart is a troubleshooting procedure for an unresponsive device. Neither one deletes your data. A factory reset is different because it intentionally erases the iPhone.
If You Cannot Access Settings
If the iPhone is disabled, you forgot the passcode, or Settings cannot be used, the normal erase procedure may not be available. In that situation, use Apple’s passcode-reset or recovery-mode procedure instead. Those methods can also erase the device, but they are specifically designed for an iPhone you cannot unlock normally.