Resetting your phone to the factory settings is a process, which deletes the settings and all the internal memory data. Once you restore your smartphone to the factory settings, the software will look exaclty the same as when you first took the phone out of its box. This process is done, for example, when you have a cluttered phone or there are problems with its operation. In this article, you will learn how to factory reset your mobile phone for each operating system. After all, even the best phones can sometimes run into problems.
Before using our guide, make sure you know what operating system your phone is using. If you are not sure, you can simply deduce it from the brand and model of the device, or you can find it in the phone settings under the "About Phone" tab (usually the last item in the settings).
Factory resetting your phone will result in the irreversible loss of almost all data, including your personalised settings. Do not take this step lightly. First, carefully consider what data you need to keep and back it up online or on an external drive.
You will most often see a recommendation to factory reset your phone after a system update. A newly updated system can cause slow response, or even crashes or freezing of some older applications. Factory resetting your smartphone will most often solve most of the software problems that your phone has been suffering from so far.
Another reason may be the slow/congested system, which is caused by long-term usage. This especially happens with old smartphone models that lack the speed they had in the beginning. Resetting them to factory settings can solve that problem. However, before that, try to delete unnecessary files. Read our article on how to safely delete data.
If you buy a new smartphone and decide to sell or donate your old one, be sure to reset the mobile phone to factory settings in order to remove the contents of your phone. However, be cautious because not all data will be permanently erased - although the phone deletes it and appears as new to the user, the data remains stored in the flash memory and will only be completely "lost" with subsequent writing. There are programs that allow for the recovery of deleted files.
It is strongly recommended to charge your phone before resetting it to the factory settings, or leave it plugged into the charger during the entire process. Some phone types even require this.
iOS is an operating system developed by Apple that is used on all of their devices. The user-friendly system has become highly popular over the years. Most of their phones should have almost identical settings and content placement - the latest iOS has more functions in comparison to the old ones.
i If you accidentally lose data on your SD card, it can be quite a problem. However, don't despair, there are options for SD card data recovery.
How to factory reset your iPhone? The process is quite simple. Before resetting your iPhone to factory settings, sign out of iCloud – otherwise, you will delete all data not only from the phone but also from the entire iCloud server you are logged into. Also, turn off the "Find My iPhone" feature, otherwise, the device may remain locked by activation lock.
You can back up your iPhone, or any other Apple device, in two ways: via PC or MacBook using iTunes, or in the phone settings without using a computer. We will show you how to do it.
You can easily reset your iPhone to factory settings using the following simple steps:
i If you lose your iPhone, you can remotely reset it to factory settings so that any potential finder cannot access your data.
Once you have completed the factory reset of your iPhone, you can simply restore the backed up data via iCloud or iTunes (depending on where you backed it up).
Android is the most widely used operating system for mobile phones and tablets. Although it is user-friendly on its own, many manufacturers create custom overlays (including popular Chinese phones like Huawei), which modify the appearance of the system, the order of items, and add some features. Therefore, Android devices can have a different item menu location, or have a different name. However, the meaning of the names and functions of individual items generally remains the same.
Note: The video below shows a Samsung factory reset, but the process is very similar for phones from other manufacturers.
How to reset your phone with an Android OS with a Huawei upgrade
After going through all the steps, wait for your data to be automatically erased and for the subsequent reset to the factory settings.
The device will enter the "recovery console" mode and perform all the necessary steps. You can start using your phone again once the factory reset is complete.
Let's briefly outline another specific procedure, this time for Xiaomi phones with the MIUI 10 overlay.
If for some reason you can't access your phone settings, follow the steps below. However, this procedure may not work on all devices - individual manufacturers may handle this option differently.
Regardless of which method you choose, you can conveniently restore your data via your Google account or retrieve it from external storage (such as a micro SD card, external HDD, PC etc.).
i If you lose your phone, you can reset it to factory settings remotely or lock it so that any finder can't access your data.
The Windows Phone is one of the least used operating systems. It is mostly used by NOKIA and Microsoft. If you reset your Windows Phone to the factory setting, everything will be erased. The phone will be the same as when you first turned it on.
Before you do this, back-up your data and applications to your Microsoft account in the cloud. Our handy guide will show you how to do it within a few minutes.
If your phone is unresponsive or you can't access the phone settings for any reason, follow the steps below.
Once all steps are complete, your smartphone will automatically reset to the factory settings.
If you have chosen any of the aforementioned methods, you can restore your backed up data through your Google account or an external storage unit (micro SD car, external HDD, PC, etc.).
Now you know how to factory reset your phone. It's not really complicated, just remember to back up your data, as the factory reset process will erase it completely. Ideally, you'll never need the above procedures, but on the other hand, you never know when it might come in handy.