If your iPhone hasn’t been performing up to the mark as of late, it’s probably time for a factory reset. Resetting clears everything from your iPhone including temporary files, cache, and unused apps that over time can clog up storage and impair performance. Also, if you decide to sell your iPhone, you’ll want to factory reset it to clear all your personal information. On that note, in this article, we will guide you on how to factory reset your iPhone along with taking a backup.
How to back up your iPhone data
If you’ve already backed up your iPhone data, proceed to read how to factory reset iPhone. If not, you may want to back up your precious data which includes call history, chat messages, app data and media files of the year. It also allows you to filter out unnecessary files and apps that you may no longer need. That said, here are some ways to back up your iPhone.
via iCloud
Storing data on iCloud is simple and straightforward as it is all done automatically. However, make sure you have enough space on it as backups can take up a lot of space.
The steps to back up via iCloud are:
- First, while you’re at it, go to the Photos app and delete all unnecessary images and videos
- Now open the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone
- Tap on the top banner with your name and profile picture
- Select ‘iCloud Backup’ on the next screen
- Turn on the ‘Back Up This iPhone’ button if it isn’t already
- Now press ‘Back up now’ option at the bottom
via itunes
With iTunes, you can back up locally to your computer. It is an easy process but for this you need to go through a few steps:
- First, install and set up iTunes on your laptop or Mac, if you haven’t already
- Once this is done, connect the iPhone to your computer using a USB-C to Lightning or USB-A to Lightning cable
- Now open iTunes on computer and allow the application to sync your iPhone
- Then, click on the ‘Devices’ button at the top left of the iTunes window
- Click on ‘Back Up Now’ and the data should start backing up
- To view backups stored on your computer, tap Edit > Preferences, then click Devices
After resetting your iPhone, you can use a backup stored on iTunes to restore data.
via finder
Finder is a feature used to search and locate files and contents stored on your Mac. Available on macOS Cataline and above, it can also be used to back up your iPhone’s data. This way.
- First, connect iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable
- Now open Finder on Mac
- Select your iPhone from the left menu
- Under the ‘General’ tab, select ‘Back up all data on your iPhone/iPad to this Mac’
- You also have the option of creating encrypted backups. So select the option accordingly
- Tap on the ‘Back Up Now’ button to start the backup process
how to factory reset an iphone
Since your data is now backed up, let’s move on to how to factory reset your iPhone to either make it perform better or sell it to someone else. Check the steps given below.
- Go to Settings and select ‘General’
- Scroll down a bit and tap on ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’
- From here, tap on ‘Erase all content and settings’
- Select ‘Continue’
- Now enter your lock screen passcode
- It will ask you to take iCloud backup. If you haven’t taken a backup then go ahead with it
- Tap on ‘Erase’ or similar option to start the resetting process
- Now, wait for the iPhone to erase all the data. The process may take several minutes to complete completely
Upon restarting, your iPhone will boot into the setup screen, through which you can proceed and restore data saved in iCloud.
how to reset iphone without password using itunes
If you’ve forgotten your iPhone’s passcode, you can reset it by going into recovery mode. This method also requires iTunes to be installed on your computer. The steps to factory reset iPhone without password are:
- Shut down your iPhone by pressing and holding the Power and Volume Down buttons.
- Drag the slider to turn off iPhone
- Now press the power button and immediately connect the iPhone to the computer
- Keep holding the button until you see the Recovery Mode screen on your iPhone, then let go.
- Now open iTunes on the computer and go to the ‘Location’ section
- Here you will find your iPhone. Tap on it and then select ‘Restore’
- This will initiate the reset process while installing the latest firmware update. The whole process may take several minutes
- Once the iPhone boots up, disconnect it from the computer and set it up as a fresh device
questions to ask
1) How to reset network settings on iPhone?
If you are facing trouble with WiFi connection, resetting network settings on your iPhone can prove to be helpful for better internet connectivity. Here’s how you can reset network settings:
- Open Settings and tap on ‘General’
- Now choose ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’
- Tap on ‘Reset’ and finally ‘Reset network settings’
2) Does factory reset delete everything on iPhone?
Yes, a factory reset deletes everything on your iPhone including apps, games, photos, videos, settings, etc. This reverts the phone to its original state as it was after booting up for the first time.
