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How to Factory Reset an iPhone or Android Phone Safely

Back up the phone, sign out of your Apple ID or Google account, then erase it. On iPhone: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings. On Android: Settings, System, Reset options, Erase all data.

By Trends Editorial

Published 4 min read

In brief

When a factory reset helps, what to back up first, how to sign out of Find My and Google so the next owner is not locked out, step-by-step reset instructions for iPhone and Android, and how to reset a phone that will not turn on properly.

When a factory reset makes sense

A factory reset erases everything on the phone and returns it to how it was when new. Use it:

  • Before selling, trading in or giving away the phone.
  • When a phone is badly slow or unstable, and normal fixes (restarting, updating, freeing up storage) have not worked.
  • If you suspect malware you cannot remove. See how to tell if your phone is hacked.

It is the last resort, not the first fix. A restart and a software update solve most problems.

Step 1: back up

Anything not backed up is gone after a reset.

  • iPhone: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now, or connect to a computer and back up with Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app (Windows).
  • Android: Settings > Google > Backup (or Settings > System > Backup) > Back up now. Check that Google Photos has finished backing up your photos.
  • WhatsApp and other chat apps often use their own backup. In WhatsApp: Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
  • Two-factor authentication apps (such as Google Authenticator) need their accounts moved before you wipe the phone, or you can lock yourself out of accounts. Most have an export or transfer option in their settings, and passkeys stored in iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager move with your account.

If a slow phone is why you are resetting, try freeing up storage first.

Step 2: sign out of your accounts

This is the step people forget, and it matters if someone else will use the phone.

  • iPhone: Find My and Activation Lock stay tied to your Apple Account until you sign out. The reset steps below ask for your Apple Account password to turn this off. If you have already sold it without doing this, you can remove it from Find My at icloud.com.
  • Android: Factory Reset Protection keeps the phone locked to your Google account. Before resetting a phone you are passing on, go to Settings > Passwords & accounts (or Accounts) and remove your Google account. Samsung phones may also need your Samsung account removed.
  • Unpair smartwatches and remove the phone from your bank and authenticator apps' trusted devices.
  • If you use eSIM, contact your network or follow the prompts to transfer or delete it, depending on whether you are keeping your number.

Step 3: reset

Plug in the charger or make sure the battery is above 50 percent.

iPhone

  1. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
  3. Tap Continue, enter your passcode, then your Apple Account password to turn off Find My and Activation Lock.
  4. Choose whether to keep or delete your eSIM.
  5. Confirm. The phone restarts to the Hello screen when finished.

Android (Google Pixel and most phones)

  1. Open Settings > System > Reset options.
  2. Tap Erase all data (factory reset).
  3. Choose whether to erase the eSIM.
  4. Enter your PIN and confirm.

Samsung Galaxy

  1. Open Settings > General management > Reset.
  2. Tap Factory data reset > Reset.
  3. Enter your PIN or Samsung account password and tap Delete all.

Menus vary by brand and Android version. If you cannot find it, search "reset" in the Settings search bar.

If the phone will not start properly

iPhone: recovery mode

  1. Connect the iPhone to a computer with Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app or iTunes (Windows).
  2. On iPhone 8 or later: press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the recovery mode screen appears.
  3. On the computer, choose Restore.

You will need the Apple Account password after the restore if Activation Lock was on.

Android: recovery menu

On most Android phones, turn the phone off, then hold power and volume down (or power and volume up on Samsung, sometimes with a cable connected) until a menu appears. Use the volume keys to select Wipe data/factory reset and power to confirm. Key combinations vary, so check your manufacturer's support site.

You will need the Google account that was on the phone afterwards, because of Factory Reset Protection.

After the reset

  • Keeping the phone: set it up and restore from your backup.
  • Selling it: stop at the welcome screen, remove the SIM card and any memory card, and remove the phone from your Apple Account device list or your Google account's devices page. If you are moving to a new phone, see how to switch between iPhone and Android.

Key takeaways

  • Back up first, including chats and authenticator apps.
  • Sign out of Find My or remove your Google account before passing a phone on.
  • iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone. Android: Settings > System > Reset options.
  • Remove the SIM and memory card before handing the phone over.

Questions readers ask

Does a factory reset delete everything?

It deletes your apps, data, accounts and settings from the phone's storage, and on modern iPhones and Android phones the data is encrypted, so the reset makes it effectively unrecoverable. It does not delete anything stored in your cloud backups or accounts, and it does not remove a SIM or memory card, so take those out yourself.

Will a factory reset remove a virus?

In nearly all cases, yes, because it removes every installed app and setting. Do not restore from a backup made while the phone was infected, or reinstall the suspicious app afterwards. Change your important passwords from a clean device too.

What is factory reset protection on Android?

It is a security feature that asks for the Google account previously on the phone after a reset, so a thief cannot simply wipe and use it. If you are selling or giving away the phone, remove your Google account before resetting, or the next owner will be locked out.

How long does a factory reset take?

Usually 5 to 20 minutes. It depends on the phone and how much data it held. Make sure the battery is above 50 percent or the phone is plugged in, and do not interrupt it.

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