How to factory reset / hard reset an iPhone or iPad

How to factory reset an iPhone or iPad: Erasing your iPhone, Erasing your iPad:

Erasing your iPhone or iPad and resetting it to factory settings is a good way to fix issues, and vital if you want to sell it or pass it on. 

How to reset your iPhone to factory settings

If you want to erase your device completely, then there are a few steps to take.

Back up your iPhone

Start by backing up your device, here's how:

1. First of all make sure you have a backup ready. You can use either iCloud or iTunes to back up your iOS device.
2. For iCloud go to Settings > iCloud > Backup and ensure that the feature is enabled. To see when the last backup was run look under the Back Up Now option where the date and time should be displayed. If you haven't done a backup before you can tap the Back Up Now button and follow the instructions.
3. To use iTunes to back up your iPhone or iPad, you'll need to plug your device into your PC or Mac using the charging cable. Click on the iPhone or iPad icon in the top left corner of iTunes, under the Play button.

Factory-reset your iPhone

Once you're confident that you've backed up your iPad or iPhone, you're ready to perform a factory-reset. This will completely wipe your device, which is why having a backup beforehand is so important.

1. To reset your iPhone or iPad go to Settings > General > Reset > and then select Erase All Content and Settings.

2. 
3. After typing in your passcode if you've set one, you'll get a warning box appear, with the option to Erase iPhone (or iPad) in red. Tap this.
4. You'll need to enter your Apple ID password to confirm the action, then the iPad or iPhone will wipe everything off its storage and go back to the initial setup screen you saw when you first used the device.
5. You can also fully reset your iPhone or iPad through iTunes. When you plug in your iOS device, you should be able to see a 'Restore iPhone' button, which will fully reset the device.

Your iPhone or iPad is now ready to sell.

Delete apps & files to save space

That's the quick method, but if you just want to free up some space on your iPhone a full wipe isn't necessarily the best option. Next we'll look at a quick way to free up some space.

1. To identify the biggest culprits taking up your storage space, go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage.
2. Under STORAGE tap Manage Storage.
3. iOS will tell you firstly how much space you're using and how much is available, and will then list the apps taking up the most space.
4. To delete an app you're finished with, click it in this list, then Delete App and confirm. Alternatively, from the Home screen you can tap and hold any icon, then tap the X at the top left of an app to delete the app. (If it hasn't got an X, you can't delete it.)

Remember that these listings include associated documents and files as well as the app itself, so Photos and Music are likely to be up near the top. Instead of deleting the app (which you wouldn't be able to do anyway, with Apple's preinstalled apps) you could go into the app in question and clear out some old photos or songs, for example.

What to do if you wiped an iPhone that wasn't backed up

If you're worried that your iPhone or iPad wasn't backed up, don't despair: there's a good chance that there's a backup you're unaware of.
To find out if you're backing up to iCloud (you get free 5GB of space) go to Settings > iCloud and tap on Storage. Wait a few seconds for Manage Storage to show up and tap on that. Here you will see your various backups for your iOS devices (there might even be one for an old iPhone that you could delete if you need more space).
One of the backups should say that it is This iPhone or This iPad. Tap on that and you can see what is, and isn't being backed up. You can basically turn things on and off so that they don't take up your full 5GB, or you can pay a few pounds a month for more storage.
You may think that some of those apps don't need to be backed up, after all, you will be able to download them again from the App Store as you already own them. But note that the data may include saved data for games, and other settings and preferences that you would prefer not to lose.
To check when your iPhone last backed up, go to Settings > iCloud > Backup and look at the date and time of the last back up. It will have happened the last time you plugged your iPhone into charge and had Wi-Fi access available. It happens automatically.
If you find that you aren't backing up this way, we recommend that you go to Settings > iCloud > Back up and turn iCloud Backup On as this is the simplest way to back up and means that you always recover the data on your phone no matter where you are, all you will need is a connection to the web.

How to rescue data from a wiped iPhone or iPad

On the other hand, if you can't find a backup, it's likely that you won't be able to retrieve data once you have deleted it.
The data on an iOS device is automatically encrypted, and wiping the device destroys the encryption key, making it more or less impossible to get anything back when it's been fully erased and reset without access to a backup.
In an emergency you could try speaking to someone at an Apple Genius Bar, but it's a long shot to say the least. (This applies to a full erase/reset, mind you - in other circumstances, such as data corruption, a malfunctioning device and so on, the experts may be able to help.) This also reinforces out frequent advice to back up regularly.

How to restore your iPhone after wiping it

If having erased the content of the phone you intend to keep using it, you can restore the content to your phone from your backup. Here's how:

Restore an iPhone or iPad via iCloud backup

With the factory reset completed you'll need to go through the setup of your iPhone again from the beginning:

1. Start up the iPhone and enter your details when prompted, including WiFi password, until you reach the page where you're asked how you want to 'Set Up iPhone'.
2. You now have three options: Set Up as a New iPhone, Restore from iCloud Backup or Restore from iTunes backup - so select the iCloud option and you'll be prompted to enter your iCloud account details.
3. Once you've done this, and agreed to the terms and conditions, your iPhone will begin restoring all of your data.

Obviously this could take a while if you have large backups or a slow internet connection, so don't attempt this if you're in a hurry. When the backup is completed your iPhone will reboot, and then it will start the larger job of downloading all of your apps.

Restore an iPhone or iPad via iTunes backup

1. As with the iCloud instructions we've already outlined, follow the steps up to the 'Set Up iPhone' screen, then select Restore from iTunes.
2. You'll be prompted to Connect to iTunes, so plug in your iPhone and you'll see a screen on iTunes that gives you the option to restore a backup. Click continue and your iPhone will be set up automatically, with the apps being restored from the iTunes backup.
3. When it's finished, you'll have a freshly cleaned system. Hopefully any problems that you were encountering before will be a thing of the past.           

How to Hard Reset iPhone or iPad: Wipe iOS & Start Afresh

A factory reset enables you to wipe the contents of an iPhone or iPad - useful if it's misbehaving or you're selling it on. Here's how to reset iOS.

Whether you're selling your iPhone or taking it for repair you should reset it to delete your accounts and remove your content.
Factory reset an iPhone or iPad using Settings > General > Reset > Erase all content and settings. You will be prompted to enter your passcode and Apple ID before the process completes.

How to soft reset an iPhone or iPad

If your phone has locked up and you just want to restart it but none of the buttons work, then hold the power button and home button down at the same time until the device turns off and you see the Apple logo. Then let go and your phone or iPad will be back to normal.

Back up before you reset

There are occasions where you might want to factory reset your device not because you want to give it away but because it's playing up. Even if you use iCloud, before you do so it's sensible to make a full backup by connecting your iPad or iPhone to your computer, unlocking it, waiting for it to show up in iTunes, and then clicking on it in the left-hand pane. It should open the Summary screen, where you'll see a Backups section. Simply click the Back Up Now button. (Check the Encrypt iPhone backup box if you want all your passwords to be saved.)
Once that's done, you can begin the reset process. It's also worth remembering to remove your SIM card before you pass on the iPhone or iPad on, as this may have information stored on it, and you might want to continue using it in a new phone or tablet.
The version of iOS you are using may affect what you see here, but all are roughly the same - and things look the same on an iPad.
Step 1. Tap Settings, then General. Scroll down until you see Reset.
Step 2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings. Depending on whether you've set a Passcode and / or a Restrictions Passcode (they are different) you might have to enter that code or password in order to erase and reset it. There is no way to reset the device unless you enter the code(s).
Step 3. Now you will have to enter your Apple ID password. This is so the account can be removed from your device, and Find My iPhone can be switched off. If you merely restore an iPhone via iTunes, you'll be asked to enter the Apple ID and password when it reboots. Resetting it using the method we're describing here will prevent the iPhone asking for an Apple ID when it restarts.
Step 4. The reset process can take a minute or two, after which you'll see the welcome screen asking you to swipe to continue. It's then ready to be sold on or taken to an Apple Store for repair.