The reasons to reset your iPhone vary. While there are some individuals who want to erase the files on their iPhone permanently, others reset their iPhone to solve the software issues. Whatever the case may be, there are different methods of performing this function. Whether it’s a hard reset or a soft one, your approach depends mainly on the iPhone’s model as well as the reason for resetting it. That said, this tutorial explores all the options of resetting your iPhone. Also, learn how to reset your Mac password.
Why Should You Reset?
Resetting will help to resolve many of the simple iPhone problems.
- In order to fix slow iPhone.
- For troubleshooting network connectivity issues with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
- Delete entire content including app data to save storage space. For example, social networking apps may store huge data on the app. Though you can “Offload App” to delete the data, you need to do this on each app to cleanup and then install the apps again. Using reset, you can simply delete the entire content in few taps.
- Reset iPhone to factory settings.
Before trying to reset your iPhone, first, you should try to shutdown and restart to check if that helps to resolve your problem. Then you must back it up before resetting the phone. Now, depending on access to the internet or a computer, you may choose to backup your files either on your iCloud account or on iTunes. Don’t worry; both processes are relatively simple.
Try Shut Down and Restart Before Resetting iPhone
Ensure you have the latest iOS version to use this function.
- Go to “Settings” and “General” section.
- Scroll down and tap on “Shut Down” option
- You will see the “Slide to power off” button. Swipe the button to shut down your phone.
Performing a shutdown is relatively easy, but there are no options available in iPhone for restarting. However, you can force restart using the volume and side buttons as explained in this article.
Backing Up Your iPhone from Desktop
To back your files up on your computer, connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable. Next, select your phone icon and click on the “Back Up Now” on the device summary page.
Earlier you had iTunes which opens the same above screen on Mac. Though iTunes has been discontinued from Mac, you can still it in Windows computers.
Backup Using iCloud
The steps are entirely different when you’re backing up on iCloud. From the “Settings” page on your iPhone, tap your account to change the Apple ID settings. Next, tap the “iCloud” icon and scroll down a little to switch on the “iCloud Backup”.
Now that we’ve gotten the backup business out of the way, let’s delve into the subject matter; how can you reset your iPhone? Note, the initial backup may take long time depending upon the size of the data on your iPhone. So patiently wait till the time the backup is completed.
Preparing Before Reset
When you shut down the iPhone from settings, press and hold the side button to restart again. You need to enter the passcode to enter into your phone. If you have force restarted, the phone will automatically reboot and comes to the lock screen for entering passcode. You won’t lose any data when performing the shut down and restart. However, you need to be careful before resetting your iPhone. Depending upon the option you select, ensure to prepare the followings:
- Get your Wi-Fi network password.
- Username and password for logged in apps. You may need to login again.
- After reset, setup Touch ID and other important settings like disabling in-app purchase.
- You need to backup the app data content if you want to have historical data like chat data WhatsApp or WeChat.
- Apps not available on the App Store may got deleted and there is no way to restore those apps.
The hard reset is a drastic measure of permanently erasing the files on your iPhone. As a result, you should only use this method after backing up all your data and settings. That said, there are two methods on performing a hard reset. You can either do it directly from the iPhone or use iTunes,
Performing Reset from the iPhone
Follow the steps outlined below to soft reset your iPhone.
- Tap the “Settings” icon on your home screen.
- Select “General” option.
- Tap the “Reset” option at the bottom of the “General” settings page.
- Here you will lot of options for resetting your iPhone. Tap “Erase All Contents and Settings” to delete all content on your iPhone.
Other Type of Reset?
It is not necessary to delete the content for simple problems like resetting your network. Fortunately, iPhone allows different types of reset.
Reset Type |
Purpose |
| Reset All Settings | Delete and reset all custom settings to default. For example, if you have changed battery or other settings then this option will reset to default. |
| Erase All Content and Settings | This will delete all content and setup your iPhone like when you purchased. |
| Reset Network Settings | Only reset the network settings. You need to enter security key for your Wi-Fi to join the network again. |
| Reset Keyboard Dictionary | Delete your custom shortcuts and word to restore the keyboard dictionary to factory default. |
| Reset Home Screen Layout | Set the home screen to initial layout like when you purchased the phone. All the apps and folder you have added will be moved next to default iPhone apps. |
| Reset Location & Privacy | Helps to reset location and privacy settings to factory default. |
When you select any of the reset options, you need to input your phone’s password to proceed.
How to Perform Reset Using Mac or iTunes
Follow the steps outlined below to reset your iPhone on your computer.
- First, connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable (and launch iTunes on Windows PC).
- Click on the phone icon to access the device summary page.
- Select the “Restore iPhone”.
- Note that you may have to turn off “Find my iPhone” to perform this function on your computer.
Wrapping Up
When you notice iPhone is freezing or apps are crashing frequently, first try to shut down and restart the phone. This will help to resolve the issues in most cases. Keep resetting as last option and prepare the required passwords beforehand. Regardless of which reset method you choose, remember to backup your iPhone first. Then reset your iPhone using any of the methods outlined above.
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