You must have heard of factory reset in this digital life. You must also know that a factory reset is a quick way to erase all data on your device. However, that’s not the exact meaning of the factory reset that is designed for. This article will help you dive into what exactly factory reset is. You can also learn how to factory reset on your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. After reading, you must have an excellent mastery of your digital life!

Part 1. What Is a Factory Reset

A factory reset is a process that restores a device (like a phone, computer, or tablet) to its original settings, just as it was when it left the factory. It means all personal data, apps, and settings are erased and the operating system goes back to its default state, just like when it’s produced from the factory. From its brief definition, you may find that 2 important factors are involved: data and system.

It’s quite easy to understand how factory reset erases all data on your devices. However, what will happen to your system if you factory reset your device? That means all settings will return default just like how it was set when it was produced. The settings you’ve adjusted, like wallpaper, Wi-Fi connection, font size, and permissions (notification, alarm, location, etc.), will all be returned default. For example, after you do a factory reset on your iPhone, you’ll need to set up location permission for your Google Maps again.

Pros and Cons of Factory Reset

Part 2. Reasons for Performing a Factory Reset

Since you’ve understood what a factory reset is, then you must want to know why we need to factory reset our mobile phone or computer. Do we do it just for cleaning up all storage? Definitely not. Factory reset is a trick to fix system problems. Factory reset is a cue when your device is in a desperate situation. Now, let’s dive into how factory reset can help you make your digital device better for many purposes.

Erase All Data for Restart

Suppose your iPhone has too much storage consumption. Much of the data within is no longer useful for you. Then, you can select the important data and files you need. Then, you can factory reset your iPhone to make it refreshed. After that, you have another shot to store the necessary data that are truly useful for you. Therefore, with this convenient feature, factory reset is quite important for your digital life.

Reset All System Settings

After long-term using your phone or computer, system settings may change a lot, which severely affects your casual usage. In that case, you can do a factory reset to reset all system settings. Of course, a factory reset is unnecessary, because you can just do a soft reset to restore system settings to their original states.

Fix Performance Issues

Over time, your phone, tablet, or computer can slow down due to clutter, corrupted files, or software glitches. A factory reset removes these issues and gives your device a fresh start. Of course, you should back up your desired files before you factory reset your device. Bear in mind that factory reset is not almighty. If your device has severe problems, a factory reset can only slightly alleviate the problems of your phone, and it doesn't really make your phone a new one.

Remove Malware & Viruses

Does factory reset remove virus? It does unless your device gets infected with a severe virus. If a device is infected with malware or persistent viruses, a factory reset can wipe them out completely. When your iPhone, Android phone, or computer gets viruses, you may want to use anti-virus apps to remove them. However, those anti-virus apps may not be able to deal with them all. Moreover, some anti-virus apps may take up more memory storage and drain your battery quickly. Therefore, why not do a factory reset on your phone or computer? Factory reset is an easy operation and can quickly fix virus problems as long as you back up your iPhone, Android, or Windows and Mac computer in advance.

Prepare for Resale or Transfer

When you want to sell or give away your iPhone, Android, or computer to others or sell them, a factory reset can ensure that all personal data is erased, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. Actually, however, a factory reset cannot really delete data in your device. If you use recovery software, you can easily restore files on a blank disk. That's because the storage space is marked as available, but the data remains intact until it is overwritten by new data. Therefore, if you greatly care about your privacy, a factory reset is not enough. You can ask professionals to help you truly erase data on your device.

Resolve Software Problems

Sometimes, an app installed on your computer may affect your computer, making it runs slowly or even gets stuck. Also, maybe your iPhone usually lags after you update the iOS version. In that case, you can factory reset your phone or computer to restore them to its original state, and then the device won't encounter those problems.

Part 3. Factory Reset on Different Devices

Now, let's check how to do a factory reset on some common devices, including phones and computers. Maybe the steps below are not completely suitable for your device, but they are quite similar.

How to Factory Reset on iPhone, iPad, or iPod

How to do a factory reset on iOS devices like iPhone, iPad, and iPod is quite similar. Remember that you have to do that in the Settings app no matter what specific model your device is (like iPhone 16/15, iPad Pro, or iPod Touch).

Step 1. Open the Settings app and tap the General button.

Step 2. Slide down to tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 3. Then, it will notify you that factory reset will erase all data and sign out of your Apple ID. Perhaps you also have to enter your screen passcode or Apple ID passcode. Then, tap the Continue button to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

Bonus: Fix iOS System Errors While Factory Resetting iPhone

There's a very powerful and convenient trick to help you do a factory reset on iPhone, iPad, or iPod while removing malware, virus, system errors, and software glitches on your iOS devices. That is Apeaksoft iOS System Recovery. This program can also fix iPhone stuck or lagging problems. With this program, you can quickly factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and upgrade or downgrade iOS version.

Step 1. Download and install Apeaksoft iOS System Recovery and launch it. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. Then, click the Start button on the main interface.

Step 2. In the next window, you should click the Fix button to continue. In this window, you should choose Advanced Mode to do factory reset on iPhone. Then, click the Confirm button to go on.

Step 3. In this window, you should choose an iOS version to download. Then, click the Next button to factory reset your iPhone while factory resetting it. This feature can also help you fix iPhone black screen as long as it's not entirely damaged.

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