How to reset iphone factory settings without passcode

If your iPhone is frozen, unresponsive, stuck in a booting loop or became sluggish, you can try resetting your iPhone to its factory settings (known as hard-reset) — the way it was when you took it out of the box. In this tutorial we'll show you 3 ways to reset an iPhone. The procedure requires no third-party tools or specialist knowledge.

Note: Bear in mind this will wipe everything on your iPhone. Make sure you back up your photos, videos and other important content, take out the SIM card before performing a factory reset.

Method 1: Hard reset directly from the iPhone

1. Tap the Settings icon on your Home screen.
2. Go to General and then scroll to the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap on Reset -> Reset All Content and Settings.

4. You'll get a warning box appear, with the option to Erase iPhone in red. Tap it.

   

5. You'll need to enter your Apple ID password to confirm the action, then the iPhone will wipe everything off its storage and go back to the initial setup screen you saw when you first used the device.

This is the easiest way to reset an iPhone but it requires you remember the Passcode. If you forgot your iPhone Passcode and couldn't bypass the lock screen, then perform a hard reset with the following methods.

Method 2: Hard reset an iPhone with Home + Power buttons

1. Hold the sleep/wake button ( It is located on the right side of iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus. On iPhone 5 or lower models it's located on the top of the phone.) and the Home button at the same time.

   

2. Hold them both until you see the screen go black. In some cases, you may need to keep holding them even after the red power-off slider appears. If it appears, just keep holding it.
3. Wait until the silver Apple logo appears.
4. When this happens, you can let go - the iPhone is rebooting.

Now your device can boot up normally. The device has been restored with factory settings but the exciting thing is, you will find all your data intact and unaltered.

Method 3: Hard reset an iPhone from recovery mode

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable and start the iTune.
2. Before entering the recovery mode, you need to turn off your device completely. Press and hold the Power button and slide to turn it off. If the device isn't responding, press and hold the Power and Home buttons at the same time for a few seconds to turn it off.
3. Press and hold the Home button until the "Connect to iTunes" screen appears — you'll see a connector pointing at an iTunes icon. You can now release the button.
4. At this point, you'll also see a message telling you iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode and needs to restore. Now you can click the Restore button in iTunes and then wait for iOS to download and install on your iPhone.

Related Articles

We all want to believe we’re immune to disaster. 

We especially want to believe bad things cannot happen to devices that are home to all of our information technology.

But we have also all, at some point or another, blindly handed our iPhones to a child to keep them entertained.

How to reset your iPhone using iTunes

1. Plug your phone into your computer
2. Select “summary” from the menu on the left
3. Select “restore iPhone”
4. Confirm your decision and wait for the process to finish

And what does a toddler with sticky fingers and a cell phone do? It presses buttons and, in the worst of possibilities, locks you out of your iPhone forever. In this scenario, your only option is to do a factory reset.

Factory resets are necessary in other scenarios as well, such as when:

• You’ve forgotten your password
• You’re wanting to sell a used iPhone and erase all existing data
• You bought a used iPhone and it’s currently locked
• Your iPhone is not functioning as it should and a factory reset is your last hope at getting it to work again

There are a couple of different ways to reset your iPhone without knowing the passcode, but be warned that certain strategies will completely erase all personal information, pictures, apps, etc., that you had added to the device.

After a factory reset, the phone will begin anew. It will be as though you’re walking out of the store with a phone that lacks pictures, passwords, and contacts. 

TIP: Trouble remembering your password? Check out these password management tools!

There are a couple of different strategies you can follow. You can use iTunes, you could try a third-party software solution, or you could go through iCloud.

In this article, we’ll outline the various ways you can reset your iPhone and help you decide which method will best accomplish what you need.

How to reset your iPhone through iTunes

You will only be able to reset your iPhone with iTunes if you have previously synced your device to iTunes. Once your iPhone is plugged in, be sure to back it up to your iTunes account before the reset. This will ensure you’re able to recover all of that lost data afterward.

1. Begin by plugging your iPhone into your computer and opening iTunes. On the left-hand side of the screen, click on “Summary.”

2. On the “Summary” screen, you’ll see the option to “Restore iPhone.” Click on this. It will bring up a window confirming you’d like to restore the device. Confirm this decision.

Once iTunes has finished restoring your iPhone, you’ll be able to access it without using a passcode. This gets you back into the phone, and you can later restore the iPhone with all of the information you have most recently backed up.

How to restore iPhone using a third-party app

Lucky for us, many developers have heard our cries of needing to get into our phones have sent answers from the Heavens, or the app store. Third-party apps can be downloaded on your desktop and used to reset your iPhone.

This method is best for those who have purchased a used phone that has since become locked.

For the sake of providing a concrete example, let’s walk through how to use FoneCope, although there are many solutions you could utilize. (All images used in this section are courtesy of FoneCope.)

1. Begin by downloading FoneCope iOS Unlock onto your computer. Run the software and choose to “Start.”

2. Hook your iPhone up to your computer. FoneCope will ask you to confirm the device you are trying to reset. It will also provide instructions on how you can put the device in recovery mode. Follow these instructions.

3. FoneCope should auto-populate the following information displayed below. Check to see if the information is correct and then press download. This ensures you are downloading the right restoration tool for your phone type.

4. Once the firmware download has finished, you’ll see a screen that asks you to press “Start to verify.” Press this. Next, you’ll want to press “Start Unlock.” You will have to confirm your desire to begin the process of unlocking your phone by entering the code they provide. Once you enter the code:

There are many tools that function similarly to FoneCope; this walk-through is not an endorsement for one product over another.

How to restore iPhone using iCloud

You can only restore your iPhone using iCloud if you have previously enabled Find My iPhone.

1. Begin by logging into your iCloud account.

2. Next, select “Find iPhone,” and then indicate which device you’re looking for.

3. Select the correct device you’re intending to erase. Next, click on “Erase iPhone.” This will completely reset the device.

If your files and data were previously backed up to iCloud, you can restore all of that to the device.

Restored and rejuvenated

I hope you’ve found one of the options listed helpful in your journey of resetting your iPhone. You can now start fresh, or begin the process of restoring all of your data to your device.

For more information on what you can do with your iPhone, check out:

• How to Reset Your iPhone Passcode
• What iPhone do I Have? 2 Easy Steps to Find out in 2019 

Grace Pinegar is a lifelong storyteller with an extensive background in various forms such as acting, journalism, improv, research, and content marketing. She was raised in Texas, educated in Missouri, worked in Chicago, and is now a proud New Yorker. (she/her/hers)

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