A factory reset takes your iPhone back to the way it was the day it came out of the box. Everything goes — photos, apps, messages, settings, passwords — so the order of operations matters more than the taps themselves. Get the backup right and the rest is easy. Skip it, and nothing you do afterward can bring your data back. Here’s how to factory reset iPhone the safe way, in the right order.

Back up first: the step you can’t skip

Before you touch any reset button, save your data somewhere it will survive the wipe. You have two ways to do it, and either one works fine.

The easiest route is iCloud. Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then iCloud, then iCloud Backup. Turn it on if it isn’t already, then tap Back Up Now. Stay on Wi-Fi while it runs — most people see it finish in 10 to 30 minutes. Check the timestamp when it’s done so you know the backup is fresh, not three months old.

If you don’t have enough iCloud storage (you only get 5 GB free), plug the phone into a computer instead. On a Mac, back it up through Finder; on a Windows PC, use iTunes or the Apple Devices app. Choose an encrypted backup if you can — it’s the only way to carry over your saved passwords and health data.

Clearing the iPhone’s cache is a lighter fix when the phone is just sluggish, but nothing short of a real backup protects you from a full erase.

Sign out of iCloud and turn off Find My iPhone

With your backup confirmed, the next move is signing out of your Apple ID. This also switches off Find My iPhone, which is important: Apple’s Activation Lock ties the phone to your account, and a reset phone that’s still locked to you can’t be set up by anyone else — including a buyer or the friend you’re handing it to.

Go to Settings, tap your name at the top, scroll down, and tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password when asked and confirm. That one action signs you out of iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime, and turns off Find My.

Hands holding an iPhone with a finger near the screen during the factory reset process
Tapping through the erase steps takes seconds — the backup is the part that matters.

Erase all content and settings

This is the actual reset. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, then tap Erase All Content and Settings.

It may offer to update your iCloud backup one last time — take it. Then enter your passcode and Apple ID password when asked, and confirm the erase.

What happens next: the wait

The screen goes black, the Apple logo appears, and a progress bar starts moving. From here you don’t need to do anything. The phone is wiping its storage and reinstalling a fresh copy of iOS.

Most phones finish in 5 to 15 minutes. Don’t touch the power button while it’s working. When it’s done, you’ll see the “Hello” welcome screen — the same one you saw on day one. From there you can restore your backup or set the phone up as new and sell it with a clear conscience.

Last resort: restoring a phone that won’t boot

If your phone won’t boot — stuck on the Apple logo, frozen, or completely unresponsive — the reset menu isn’t available, and that’s when you bring in a computer.

Connect the phone to a Mac or PC, then put it into recovery mode (support.apple.com lists the button sequence for your model). Finder or iTunes will detect the phone and offer Restore, which downloads a fresh copy of iOS and wipes the device. Only try DFU mode if recovery mode fails — it’s rarely needed, and at that point the phone usually needs a repair shop anyway.

This computer method is strictly a rescue operation. If your phone opens Settings normally, use the on-device steps above instead.

FAQ

Does a factory reset delete everything permanently?
Yes. Photos, apps, messages, contacts, and settings are wiped from the phone’s storage. The only way to get anything back is by restoring a backup you made beforehand.

Do I need to remove my SIM card before resetting?
A physical SIM card isn’t affected by the reset, but removing it is smart if you’re selling or giving the phone away. For an eSIM, iOS gives you the option to erase the cellular plan during the reset — choose yes if someone else will use the phone.

Will a factory reset fix a slow or glitchy iPhone?
Often, yes — especially if the problem comes from years of accumulated settings or old app data. For milder slowness, a lighter cleanup sometimes does the job instead.

How long does a factory reset take?
The erase itself usually takes 5 to 15 minutes. The full process, backup included, runs more like 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much data you have and your Wi-Fi speed.

Can I factory reset an iPhone without the Apple ID password?
Not through Settings — Apple requires it to keep stolen phones from being wiped and resold. If you’ve forgotten yours, recover it at iforgot.apple.com before starting. And if you’re resetting other Apple gear too, here’s how to reset AirPods with the same care.