How to reset your iPhone: explained step by step

It’s smart to reset your iPhone every now and then. In essence, your smartphone is a computer and in order to keep everything running stably and smoothly, rebooting is sometimes a good idea. We show how this works.

Restarting is sometimes the only solution to fix a problem. In this manual you can read how to do that and how a hard reset works. If that still doesn’t solve the problems, it may be time for a new iPhone.

Reset an iPhone: how it works

Restarting an iPhone is sometimes not enough. If the device really hangs completely and freezes, resetting your iPhone is your only option. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen often, but if it bothers you, try the next tip.

1. Restart iPhone

Before you reset, it is best to check whether the problem can also be solved by restarting the iPhone. How you do this depends on the type of iPhone you have.

Turn iPhone X and later on and off

1. Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons at the same time;
2. Wait until you see the sliders on the screen;
3. Then drag the top slider from left to right;
4. Wait for the iPhone to turn off, then turn it back on by pressing and holding the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Turn iPhone 8 (Plus) and older on and off

1. Press and hold the lock button until you see the option to turn off the device;
2. You slide the icon from left to right;
3. If the iPhone is off, turn it back on by holding the same button for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears.

2. Perform hard reset on newer iPhones

If restarting your iPhone doesn’t fix your problems, a hard reset is a second solution. Resetting your iPhone is best done in the way we describe here, because you won’t lose any data this way. The way you reset your iPhone depends on the model you have.

On iPhone 8 (Plus), iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE 2020, perform a force restart as follows:

1. Press and release the volume up button;
2. Soon after, press and release the volume down button;
3. Then press and hold the side button and don’t release it until the Apple logo appears.

On the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, it’s a bit simpler. Then press and hold the volume down button and the power button at the same time. The iPhone will shut down and reboot on its own, which should take about 10 to 20 seconds.

Release the buttons when the Apple logo appears and wait for the reset to complete. It may take a while for your phone to reboot completely. In many cases, this reset is enough to get your iPhone working again. This technique only works on the iPhone 7, below you can read how a hard reset works on older iPhones.

→ Your iPhone no longer turns on: 5 solutions to your problem

3. Reset an iPhone 6S, iPhone SE and older

The forced reboot with a hard reset works slightly differently on older iPhones than on the new iPhones. Instead of pressing the lock button and the volume button, on the first iPhone SE and older, you use the power button and home button.

Simply press and hold these two buttons at the same time until the Apple logo appears on your screen. This method works on the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 (Plus), and iPhone 6S (Plus) in addition to the SE.

Although the iPhone 7 and 8 also have a home button, the reset method still had to be adjusted. This change was necessary because the home button is a sensor that is controlled by software. So if your iPhone freezes, pressing this button can no longer be registered, which would make a hard reset impossible.

Reset iPhone that has never synced with iTunes or Finder

Resetting an iPhone that has never synced with iTunes or Finder works the same as we described above. Press and hold the lock button and home button (or volume button) for about ten seconds and your iPhone will reboot automatically.

If you want to delete all data and settings, you can choose to restore the iPhone factory settings. Make sure your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is sufficiently charged (at least 50 percent) and go to ‘Settings > General’. Then scroll to Reset and tap Erase All Content and Settings. Confirm your choice and wait for the factory settings to be restored.

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