How to Factory Reset iPhone 14

If you want to wipe everything from your iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max and start from scratch, you’ll need to perform a factory reset.

Factory resetting your iPhone 14 will wipe your phone’s data and revert the software back to its original settings. This is useful if you’re planning to trade-in your device, sell it, donate it, or if you’re having issues and you think a factory reset could help improve its performance.

Before you factory reset your iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max, there are some steps you’ll want to take to prepare your iPhone for the process.

The first thing you’ll want to do is update your Mac with the latest version of macOS Monterey. This is an optional step, but it could certainly help. If you own a Windows computer, you’ll want to update as well.

If you’re currently running macOS Mojave or an older version of macOS on your Mac, and you don’t want to upgrade, you’ll want to download the latest version of iTunes.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll want to backup all of the information stored on your iPhone. If you don’t want to keep the data saved on your phone, you can skip this step.

Finally, you’ll want to turn off Find My iPhone. Here’s how to do that on iOS:

With those steps complete, you’re ready to factory reset your iPhone 14.

How to Factory Reset iPhone 14

If you’re using a Mac that’s running macOS Monterey, macOS Catalina, or macOS Big Sur, open up Finder. If you’re running older software, open up iTunes. From there, follow these steps.

Once your iPhone restarts, it will have reverted back to its original factory settings.

Install iOS 16.0.3 for Better Security

> 1 / 15

If security is important to you, and you’re still lingering on iOS 15, think about installing Apple’s iOS 16.0.3 update right away. iOS 16.0.3 has one security patch on board and it fixes a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple’s security site. If you’re still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you’ll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade. iOS 16.0 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. If you’re interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple’s security website. If you skipped iOS 15.7, iOS 15.6.1, or any older versions of iOS, you’ll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 16.0.3 update as well.  In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help “people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others.”  The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand. Apple’s also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that’s end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.

> 1 / 15