How to factory reset iPhone?

You must disable the Find My iPhone feature on your iPhone to ensure smooth factory reset process

Noah Johnson - Nov 15, 2023

A representational image shows an iPhone held in hand. — Pixabay

Factory resetting, also referred to as hard reset or master reset, is the process of wiping all the data and settings of your iPhone, and bringing it to its mint condition in terms of its performance.

There could be several reasons for anyone to be willing to erase all the data on his iPhone.

Another possible reason to do so for an iPhone is a complication when the iPhone freezes and there’s no other way than to factory reset it.

Things to check before factory resetting an iPhone

Before you get started with the factory reset process, make sure to back up your valuable data, which you can later restore using iCloud or iTunes. This ensures that you don’t wash away any important information when resetting your iPhone.

To ensure a smooth factory reset process, you must disable the Find My iPhone feature before resetting your iPhone.

Methods to factory reset your iPhone

Factory reset an iPhone with iTunes
Factory reset an iPhone with iCloud

How to factory reset iPhone with iTunes

In case you have forgotten your device password, this method would better suit you better.

Note: For this method, you need to have Apple’s iTunes on a computer.

Note: This method is only applicable if you have synced your iPhone to iTunes once before.
Here’s how you can do this.
Connect your iPhone to a computer using a USB cable and open iTunes.
On the left side of the screen, click on Summary.
Now press a button titled Restore iPhone.
A message will appear on the screen, asking you to confirm the factory reset. Tap Restore if you are ready to factory reset your iPhone.

That’s it! Now you can use your earlier backup to return all of your data, apps and files to your iPhone.

Factory reset an iPhone with iCloud

If you have the Find My iPhone enabled on your iPhone, you can use iCloud to factory reset your iPhone even if you have forgotten the device password.

Note: This method also requires that you remember your Apple ID and password.

First, if you don’t want to lose everything on your phone, make sure that you have a backup of your phone available.
Open a browser and go to icloud.com.
Now log in to iCloud with your Apple ID and password.
Then go to Find iPhone and select the iPhone you want to reset.
Press Erase iPhone under a trashcan icon.