[Complete Guide] How to Erase and Reset iPhone

Want to erase and restore iPhone? This guide will tell you how to factory reset iPhone and restore iPhone data from backup.

Lena

By Lena / Updated on December 25, 2023

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Can iPhone data be recovered after erase?

“I'm going to sell my old iPhone 14 second-hand, and I'm going to erase all the data before that. But just in case I keep it as a backup, is there a way for me to recover the erased data?” – Question from Apple Support

Why do you want to reset your iPhone to factory settings? You may need to erase your iPhone before selling or giving it to others, or restoring your iPhone from a backup to fix iOS errors. A factory reset means that all the data from your iPhone will be completely erased without leaving any traces.

However, you may be like the friend who asked the question, thinking that you want to recover the erased data. You're in luck, this article gives you the answer.

Preparation: Backup iPhone data before resetting 

To make sure that you still have a chance to recover your iPhone data after a factory reset, the only way is to back up your iPhone in advance. We recommend you use a free iPhone backup tool - FoneTool. This powerful tool can back up unlimited iPhone data and allow you to restore copies of your data anytime, anywhere, it's convenient!

Start Backup

Part 1. How to Erase iPhone to Factory Settings

Once you have backed up your iPhone, you will have no worries. No matter what reason you want to wipe iPhone clean, you can find the right way in this part. You can erase your iPhone on device directly or let iPhone data eraser deeply wipe iPhone. 

Way 1. Erase and reset iPhone directly

iPhone offers the option to erase and reset your iPhone, which is also the easiest way to get your iPhone to factory reset. 

Step 1. Go to Settings > Tap General > Tap Reset > Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Erase All Content and Settings iOS 15

Step 2. If asked, enter your passcode or Apple ID passcode.

Step 3. Depending on your device, it may take a few minutes to complete the process.

When the process is done, your iPhone will go to the Hello screen. It is worth mentioning that although Apple claims that this method can erase all data, there are still many industry insiders who say that some of your private data may still be leaked. You can check out the next method to delete everything on iPhone.

Way 2. Completely Wipe iPhone Clean with FoneTool [Free]

FoneTool's data erasing feature can help you erase all iPhone data permanently to protect personal privacy.

🌟Its main features:

Easy and Fast - 1-click to erase all content and settings on device.

Erase Completely - Deeply scan and erase all deleted and existing data.

No Possibility of Recovery - Wipe data multiple times ensuring 100% unrecoverable.

Professional R&D team - The R&D team with 10+ years of experience provides solid technical support.

Step 1. Launch the FoneTool and click Toolbox > Data Eraser.

Data Eraser

Step 2. Under the Erase all data option to Click Get Started.

Erase all data

TipIf you want to erase only part of your iPhone data, you can go to Erase private data to delete iPhone photos, contacts, etc.

Step 3. Tick the option "I have understood the consequence of erasing data, and I am sure to erase data" and there will be two options available. To guarantee that the data will not be restored, you can select the Deeply erase data to prevent recovery option.

Erase Options

Step 4. Click Start Erase > A warning message will appear and click Yes to confirm.

Begin Erase

⚠️ Note: If the Find My iPhone function is enabled on your iPhone, you may need to enter your Apple ID and passcode to erase the iPhone smoothly.

Part 2. How to Erase and Restore iPhone without Passcode

Usually, when you want to erase the iPhone, it asks you to enter the iPhone password. However, you have forgotten the iPhone passcode. Fortunately, two ways can help you wipe and restore iPhone without passcode.

Way 1. Erase iPhone without Passcode via iTunes

iTunes can put a locked iPhone into recovery mode so that you can reset your iPhone even without a passcode.

Step 1. Firstly put your iPhone in Recovery Mode, press and hold the side button and one volume button until the power off slider appears, drag the slider to turn off your iPhone.

Step 2. Then connect your iPhone to the computer, long press the side button of your iPhone until you see the recovery mode screen.

Step 3. Download the latest version of iTunes on your computer and launch it. Connect your iPhone to the computer with iTunes enabled via a USB cable.

Step 3. A pop window will appear on iTunes and you should click Restore to reset your iPhone.

Itunes Recovery Mode Iphone

Way 2. Erase and Restore iPhone without Passcode via iCloud

iCloud can also help you reset your iPhone without a passcode, as long as you enable "Fine My iPhone" on your device. Please continue to learn Xi how to erase iPhone without password with iCloud.

Step 1. Visit iCloud.com on computer or another device > Log in with your iCloud account and passcode.

Step 2. Choose Find My iPhone > Click All Devices > Find your iPhone from the list of devices.

Step 3. Choose your iPhone > Click Ease iPhone and it will start resetting your iPhone to factory settings.

Erase iPhone without Passcode via iCloud

Part 3. How to Restore iPhone from Backup

When something goes wrong, you may need to restore your iPhone to get make it work normally again. If you have backed up your iPhone before, then you can choose to wipe and restore iPhone from backup.

Way 1. Restore iPhone from Backup with FoneTool

If you've backed up your iPhone with FoneTool as described above, congratulations, the tool makes it easy to restore your data from a backup to any iPhone.

Step  1. Connect the iPhone you are receiving data to the computer and launch FoneTool.

Step 2. Go to Backup History, select the backup you need and click the Restore icon to restore your iPhone data.

Click Restore

Way 2. Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup

If you're used to automatically backing up your data to iCloud, then you can follow the steps below to restore data from iCloud Backup after erasing iPhone.

Step 1. Launch your iPhone and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your iPhone.

Step 2.  When you reach the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup > Sign in with your Apple ID and passcode > Select the backup you want to restore.

Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup

⚠️ Note: Please keep the connection between your phone and Wi-Fi during the whole process. It may take a few minutes to an hour to complete.

Way 3. Erase and Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

Backing up iPhone with iTunes is also the preferred way for most Apple users, this method only provides a full iPhone backup, so you can only restore all data to iPhone at once.

Step 1. Make sure you have installed the latest version of iTunes.

Step 2. Run iTunes and plug in your iPhone.

Step 3. Click the Device icon > Go to Summary > Click Restore Backup... > Choose the right backup and click Restore.

Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

Conclusion

That’s all for how to erase and restore iPhone. Overall, FoneTool, a comprehensive iPhone data manager, can meet all your needs. In addition, before erasing or restoring your iPhone, you'd better use FoneTool to backup and protect iPhone data regularly. You can also transfer your iPhone data flexibly.

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