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How to Factory Reset Your Phone or Computer

A factory reset cannot be undone β€” know what to back up first.

Back up important data like photos, contacts, and notes to the cloud or a computer first. A factory reset erases everything on the device, and none of it can be recovered afterward.

Go to Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, then Erase All Content and Settings, and enter your passcode to begin the reset.

Go to Settings, then General management (or System), then Reset, then Factory data reset to start the process.

In Settings, go to System, then Recovery, then Reset this PC, choose whether to keep your personal files, and proceed with the reset.

On newer Macs, go to Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset. On older models, boot into Recovery Mode and use Disk Utility to reset the drive.

A reset cannot be undone

A factory reset returns a device to its original out-of-box state, permanently erasing everything stored on it. Whether you are selling a used device, replacing it, or fixing a persistent malfunction, back up anything important before you start β€” there is no getting it back afterward.

If your device is locked and you do not have the passcode

If you cannot unlock a device to reset it normally, each manufacturer provides a dedicated recovery mode built for exactly this situation. Because that path resets the device without access to your data, it should be treated as a last resort, since anything unbacked-up on the device will be lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover data after a factory reset?

If you did not back it up beforehand, data erased by a factory reset generally cannot be recovered, which is why backing up first matters so much.

How do I reset a device if I have forgotten the passcode?

If you cannot unlock the device, you will need to use the manufacturer's recovery mode to reset it, which will erase the device without a backup.