Hard Reset an iPhone

This article teaches you how to force restart an iPhone that is not responding as well as how to reset an iPhone to the factory settings by erasing all its data and restoring a backup in iCloud and iTunes.

Steps

Force Restart an iPhone

  1. Check if the iPhone can be shut down normally. It is only recommended to force restart an iPhone only as a last resort if the device is not responding.[1] To shut down the iPhone normally:
    • Hold down the power button until the slide to power off message appears. Drag the slider to the right.
  2. Press and hold the restart button combination. If the iPhone can't be shut down normally, simultaneously press and hold the right button combination for your iPhone:
    • iPhone 6S and earlier: Power button + home button
    • iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Power button + volume-down button
  3. Continue holding both buttons. Do so for 10 seconds until you see the startup Apple logo on your screen, then release the buttons.

Factory Reset Using iPhone

  1. Open Settings. It's a gray app with gears (⚙️) that's typically located on your home screen.
  2. Tap your Apple ID. It's the section at the top of the menu that contains your name and image if you've added one.
    • If you are not signed in, tap Sign in to (Your Device), enter your Apple ID and password, then tap Sign In.
    • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
  3. Tap iCloud. It's in the second section of the menu.
  4. Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup. It's at the bottom of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
    • Slide iCloud Backup to the "On" (green) position, if it's not already.
  5. Tap Back Up Now. It's at the bottom of the screen. Wait until the backup is complete.
    • You must be connected to a Wi-Fi network to back up your iPhone.
  6. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen. This will return you to the iCloud settings page.
  7. Tap Apple ID. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen. This will return you to to the Apple ID page.
    • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
  8. Tap Settings. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
  9. Scroll down and tap General. It's near the top of the menu, next to a gear (⚙️) icon.
  10. Scroll down and tap Reset. It's at the bottom of the menu.
  11. Tap Erase All Content and Settings. It's near the top of the menu.
  12. Enter your passcode. Enter the passcode you use to unlock your phone.
    • If prompted, enter your "Restrictions" passcode.
  13. Tap Erase iPhone. Doing so will reset all settings, as well as erase the media and data on your iPhone.
  14. Follow the on-screen prompts to set up your iPhone. Your iPhone will be in same configuration that it was when it left the factory, so you will need to set it up as if it were new.
    • During setup, you will be asked if you want to restore your phone from an iCloud backup. If you want to add all your media, data, and apps back onto your phone, agree to restore from the backup.

Factory Reset Using iTunes

  1. Back up your data (if possible). If you are able to use your iPhone, back up the data so that you can restore it after resetting the phone. You can create a backup in iTunes.
    • Connect the iPhone to your computer and open iTunes, if it doesn't launch automatically.
    • Click on your iPhone from the row of icons along the top of the window.
    • Click on "This computer" and then click on "Back Up Now." Backing up your iPhone may take a few minutes.
  2. Click on your iPhone in iTunes. It's at the top of the window.
  3. Click on "Restore iPhone" to reset it. You'll be prompted to confirm that you want to erase everything on your iPhone. The reset process will likely take around 15-20 minutes.[2]
  4. Put your iPhone in Recovery Mode, if necessary. If it doesn't appear in iTunes, your iPhone isn't responding, or you don't know the screen passcode, you may need to put it into Recovery Mode first.[3]
    • Connect the iPhone to your computer with a USB cable, and ensure iTunes is running.
    • With the iPhone connected, follow the instructions for a Force Restart ↓.
    • Follow the prompts in iTunes to restore the iPhone to its factory settings. You won't be able to perform a backup first.
  5. Load your backup. After restoring your device, you can use iTunes to load your latest backup. With the iPhone connected to the computer and selected in iTunes, click the "Restore Backup" button and select the backup you want to load.
    • If you are resetting your iPhone because you didn't know your restrictions passcode, do not restore your backup, or your passcode will be restored as well. You'll have to setup your iPhone as new and then resync your content.
    • If you're setting up the iPhone as new, you'll be asked to enter the Apple ID password for the account that was previously associated with the iPhone. If you don't have access to this information, you'll need to contact the original owner and have them release the device from their account at www.icloud.com/find.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201559
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201252
  3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201263
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