How to Reset iPhone without Losing Data?

Summary: Sometimes, resetting an iPhone is essential to fix minor issues like iPhone crashing, freezing, or getting stuck at the Apple logo. But the iPhone reset process can delete important data and settings on your device. Read this post to learn smart ways to reset your iPhone without data loss. Moreover, you can also download this quick tool to reset your iPhone without losing data.

“Yesterday, my iPhone stopped working suddenly. I have been trying multiple ways to fix it since then; even tried the force reboot method. Should I simply reset my iPhone? How do I do it without losing my device data?”

Resetting an iPhone can sometimes become a necessity, whether due to sudden freezing up of your device, software glitches, or slow performance. Often, when your iPhone gets stuck on the Apple logo or suddenly crashes, you can reset your iPhone to fix this minor issue.

A factory reset is also necessary if you want to sell your iPhone and want to start fresh. When resetting your iPhone, it will become an empty slate with no pictures, contacts, videos, downloaded applications, playlists, or anything else. An iPhone reset restores your iPhone to its initial configuration and original factory settings.

However, be careful with this method as resetting your iPhone deletes all files & settings on the device.  For those looking to reset iPhone without losing their precious data, this blog is the answer. Let’s read on to find some simple ways to do so while keeping our data intact.

How to reset your iPhone without Losing Data?

Before starting, it’s crucial to back up your iPhone data to avoid losing important files and folders. You can back up your iPhone using iCloud, iTunes, or Finder on Mac or PC.

Next, follow the step-by-step instructions on resetting an iPhone using iPhone Settings, iPhone erasure software, and iTunes.

Method 1: Reset iPhone Without Losing Data via Settings

To reset iPhone without losing data, you need to use the ‘Reset’ feature in your iPhone. This feature has different options on how you would like to reset- whether through the ‘Reset All Settings’ or the ‘Reset Network Settings’ option.

The Reset All Settings option will remove or reset privacy settings, keyword dictionary, location settings, etc., to default. At the same time, Reset Network Settings will remove previously used networks and VPN settings. Resetting the Network Settings will turn off the cellular data roaming and remove previously used Wi-Fi settings of your iPhone.

Moreover, no data or media is deleted from iPhone when choosing the Reset All Settings or Reset Network Settings option.

Steps to Reset iPhone Using the ‘Reset All Settings’ option

• On the iPhone, navigate to Settings > General.
• Tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Click Reset options.

• Next, click the Reset All Settings option.
• Then enter the iPhone passcode.
• Now, click Reset All Settings. This process will take a couple of minutes to reset the privacy settings, keyword dictionary, location settings to default, but will keep the rest of your data fully secure.

Method 2: Reset iPhone via Stellar Toolkit for iPhone Tool

Sometimes, the ‘Reset All Settings’ option doesn’t solve your iPhone issue. In such a case, try resetting the iPhone with the help of trusted software. Stellar Toolkit for iPhone  is a secure and professional tool that can help you reset your iPhone to fix various iOS issues without losing data.

Also, you can also use Stellar Toolkit for iPhone to fix iOS related issues like- iPhone crashing, stuck at the Apple logo, etc.

This tool’s ‘Repair iPhone’ feature will first download the fresh copy of the iOS version present in your device from the official website. Then it will install the freshly downloaded iOS version on your iPhone after removing the existing one from your device. The software will reset your iPhone, making it seem new without removing or deleting your data.

Stellar Toolkit for iPhone is compatible with the latest iPhone 14, 13, 12, and below series and even all iPad versions, such as iPad Air, iPad Mini, and others.

 

Step-by-Step: How to reset iPhone with Stellar Toolkit for iPhone:

Step 1: Download Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on your Mac or Windows PC and connect your iPhone to the system using a USB cable.

Step 2:  Select Repair iPhone module from the launch screen of the software.

Step 3: On the Repair iPhone screen, click the Next button.

Step 4: Click on the iPhone icon.

Step 5: Click the Download button to download the latest iOS or iPadOS version of the firmware file. If you have already downloaded the firmware before, select Import.

Step 6: After downloading the firmware file, click the Repair button to start repairing.

Step 7: Once you receive the message —The repairing process of the selected iOS device is completed, click OK.

Restart your iPhone to see if the iOS issues are resolved.

Method 3: Reset iPhone Without Losing Data via Recovery Mode

To reset your iPhone, you can use iTunes or Finder app. You need to use Mac or Windows PC to access the recovery mode of your iPhone and reset the device. This method will erase all your device data, so take a backup of your iPhone before proceeding.

Steps to reset iPhone via Recovery

• Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows system.
• Connect your iPhone to the computer and then put your iPhone into Recovery Mode .
• Once your device has entered the Recovery Mode, a message ‘you’re in Recovery Mode’ will pop up. Click OK.

• Click on your iPhone when it appears in iTunes, then click Summary.
• Now, select the “Restore iPhone” option on the right pane.

• Click Restore to confirm. It might take a while for your iPhone to reset; don’t disconnect your device from the computer until the reset process is completed.

• Once the restore process is complete, set up your iPhone as new or restore it from a backup.

Conclusion

You can factory reset your iPhone without fearing data loss by trying different methods mentioned in this blog. Reset All Settings/ Reset Network Settings feature of iPhone can reset your device; however, it may not always work. You can even use iTunes to reset your iPhone, but you will lose all your device data.

Or use the ‘Repair iPhone’ feature of Stellar Toolkit for iPhone software to permanently reset your iPhone without losing data. This tool can repair iOS issues like iPhone crashing, Black Screen of Death, and iPhone stuck at the Apple logo.

Download the free trial version to evaluate the features of the software.

 

FAQs

How to remotely erase iPhone data?

If your iPhone is lost or stolen, you can protect your iPhone data from misuse by remotely erasing its data using the iCloud website.

How to restore or set up your iPhone after reset?

Use an iCloud backup to restore your iPhone after a factory reset.

How to Activate Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone

If you want to recover and save the missing or deleted iPhone data, activate Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your computer.

The demo version of the software is only for evaluation purposes. To use its full functionality, purchase the software and then activate it.

The software can be activated using the Activation Key, which you receive via email after purchasing the software. It would help if you had an active Internet connection to activate Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone .

Steps to activate Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone

1. Run the demo version of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone software
2. On the main interface, click the Activation icon

1. The Activation window appears. Enter the Activation Key you received in your email after purchasing the software.

1. Click Activate
2. The software verifies the entered key. After successful verification, a message appears saying ‘Activation Completed Successfully’. Click OK.

If you don’t have the Activation Key of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone, here’s how to get it…

In case you don’t have an Activation Key, follow the below steps:

• Free download and install the software on your computer
• Click on the Activation icon on the home screen of the software
• Click Get it now

• The software directs you to the buy page. Next, click on Windows or Mac tab, as per your system.
• Click on Buy Now button to purchase the software
• Fill in your details as asked
• After purchasing the software within a few minutes, you will receive an Activation Key and the link to download the product on your email. Use that link and key to activate Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone as given in steps (1-6)

Note: If you didn’t receive the Activation Key at your registered email within a few minutes of purchasing the software, contact our customer support via mail, chat, or call.

Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone® Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone® is the best DIY software to recover missing or accidentally deleted Contacts, Messages, Calendar, Photos, Videos, Call History etc directly from iPhone or iPad.

The 5 Best Methods to Track a Lost or Stolen iPhone

Summary: Lost your iPhone? Don’t worry, here we tell you how to track lost or stolen iPhone using various techniques. Also, learn how to erase your iPhone data permanently to prevent it from reaching in wrong hands or misuse, using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

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Q. I cannot live without my iPhone. It was stolen yesterday and can’t recall where I lost it. It has been switched off. Can I track the location of my iPhone? Is there any way to track lost iPhones?

A. Don’t panic. Log in to ‘Find My iPhone’ via iCloud.com and set it to ‘Lost Mode’. To know what else you can do now to track the iPhone location, read this post.

Losing an iPhone (and for that matter any smartphone) is tormenting. Besides the upfront costs, there’s an incredible amount of personal data at stake. Today, smartphones not only store personal photos, videos, and music libraries but might also contain an incredible amount of sensitive information in the form of browsing history, social data, app traces, etc. So the apprehension of exploitation and misuse of the data stored in a stolen or lost iPhone is but real.

So, as soon as you discover that your iPhone has been stolen or lost, first, try to track the location of your missing device and lock it.

How to track a lost or stolen iPhone?

Try out the following methods

1. Use Find My iPhone
2. Track through Apple’s Family Sharing
3. Use Google Timeline
4. Try Google Photos
5. Use location-tracking apps

Method 1: Use Find My iPhone

If Find My iPhone is enabled on your stolen iPhone, you can do the following:

• Locate your mobile phone
• Protect your iPhone data by choosing Lost Mode or erasing the data remotely

How to use Find My iPhone when the phone is missing

• Sign in to icloud.com on your computer.
• Click on the Find My iPhone link at the bottom.
• On the Find My iPhone’s map interface, select your lost iPhone via the All Devices drop-down menu. The app starts tracking your iPhone location on the map.

As you see the location of your device you can choose to do the following

• Play sound (if your iPhone is nearby, you can trace it with sound)
• Activate ‘Lost Mode’ (this locks your device and still tracks it)

What does Lost Mode do to your device?

• Remotely locks your device
• Displays a message with your phone number on the missing iPhone’s Lock Screen
• Keeps track of your device location.
• Erase iPhone remotely (with this action you won’t be able to track your iPhone but data is prevented from slipping into the wrong hands)

How to erase iPhone data remotely?

Choosing to erase the iPhone remotely deletes the complete data from it.

Note: Always remember to copy important photos, videos, music, and other data on iCloud backup before remotely erasing the iPhone.

Use a trusted and safe data recovery solution such as Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to restore lost files from iCloud. The software allows the recovery of specific data rather than recovering the entire data.

Method 2: Track iPhone through Family Sharing

If you have set up Family Sharing, use it to track your iPhone. Family Sharing helps the members to know each one’s device location. Ask another member in the Family Sharing group to trace your iPhone via the Find My iPhone app. The member can also sign into iCloud.com to locate the missing iPhone.

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Is your missing iPhone switched off or offline?

If the missing iPhone is switched off or showing offline in Family Sharing, you can still activate Lost Mode or remotely erase its data via Find My iPhone.
Note: The iPhone’s last known location remains only for one day. In case your device is offline for over 24 hours, you cannot trace its last location.

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What to do when ‘Find My iPhone’ is NOT enabled or the missing iPhone is offline for more than one day?

• Change your Apple ID passwords to prevent anyone from accessing your data.
• Change your social media and other Internet account passwords like Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
• Report the device as missing to the authorities.
• Report your network carrier to disable the services like calls, messages, or data use.

Method 3: Use Google Timeline to find lost iPhone

If you have turned on Location Services and Location History on your iPhone, Google’s Timeline will record all the locations of your device.

When an iPhone goes missing, access the location information on a map and find the last location. Remember, Google Timeline records the location only when the iPhone is switched on with an internet connection.

How to see the last location of a lost iPhone in Google Timeline

• Visit <com/maps/timeline> on your computer.
• Sign in to your Google account.
• Click Today or select Date.
• Scroll down to see the last reported location of your iPhone.

Along with the location, note the time when your phone was last connected to Google. Taking clues from the location and time information, you can find your lost iPhone. If needed, take the help of cops.

Method 4: Take location clue from Google Photos

If anyone has captured a photo from your lost iPhone and you have the Google Photos location-sharing option enabled, then luck is on your side.

Visit <photos.google.com/>. Check, if any new photos were uploaded and view their upload location.

Method 5: Location tracking apps

If you have installed any location-tracking app such as GPS Location Tracker, CocoSpy Cell Phone Tracker, or iTrack on your missing device, use it to track the lost or stolen iPhone. These apps share the real-time location of your device on your computer or other connected devices.

Conclusion

Apple’s Find My iPhone feature is the best way to track the location of a stolen or missing device. If Find My iPhone is not enabled you can try Google Timeline or Google Photos. Other than these methods, third-party apps can also help track a lost iPhone, but only if you have installed them before the phone was lost.

Nevertheless, ensure that you copy the iCloud backup of the stolen iPhone before taking any of the above steps.

A smarter way is to filter out the data that you want to keep, with the help of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

Is this post helpful? Share your experience in the comments below, how you managed to track and get back your stolen iPhone.

How to Recover Files after iPhone Factory Reset?

If you detect anything anomalous on your iPhone, you may need to reset it to factory settings. However, after a factory reset, you will lose all the data stored in your device. You will not be able to access your contact list, call logs, or messages, be it your imessages, WhatsApp, etc. But, why restore your iPhone?

Sometimes, there are issues that cannot be handled and the only solution is to restore the device to factory settings. This is usually done when the device functions abnormally or the performance is extremely slow. If your iPhone is restored to factory settings, every single bit of personal information will be permanently deleted from the device, and this may prevent others from getting access to your personal information.

How to reset your iPhone to Factory Settings:

To reset your iPhone to factory settings, follow the steps below:

1. Click Settings and then select General
2. Select Reset and click on Erase all contents and settings. The interface will prompt you to key in your Apple ID and Passcode
3. Enter your Apple ID and Passcode to proceed. With this, the procedure to factory reset iPhone is complete

Important!

Before resetting the iPhone device to factory settings, it would be a good practice to back up your device on your system. If you have not created a backup, you will not be able to restore the data back to your device, and all you will lose all your data. You can use iCloud or iTunes to back up your iPhone data. If anything anomalous occurs, all the data can be restored from the most recent backup files right from anywhere.

How to recover deleted data from your iPhone:

Even if you have not backed up your iPhone data, there’s still a solution. You can now retrieve all your erased data from your iPhone with Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone . The tool is powered by sophisticated recovery algorithms that help restore all the data components back to your iPhone after a factory reset.

The tool provides the option to recover data through multiple channels. Since we need to recover data that has been erased after a factory reset, we need to select ‘Recover from iPhone’ option from the main interface of the tool.

Follow the steps below to restore your deleted data:

1. Connect your iPhone device to the system. The tool will then begin to analyze the device for detecting the previously existing files from the connected device. The tool will generate a preview for all the folders and incorporated contents within its panel.
2. You can then select single or multiple files for recovery that you have lost while resetting your iPhone.
3. The iPhone recovery tool will provide dual options to store data either on the hard drive on the computer or your connected iPhone device.

Not only the tool provides the benefit to recover data from iPhone device, but you will also be able to recover data from iTunes or iCloud backup files . Also, the iOS recovery tool can also be used to recover data from encrypted backup files. However, to utilize this feature, it is important to have a backup.

Important!

• Backup your data before performing any huge operation on the iPhone device such as restoring the device to factory settings.
• It is a good practice to store iPhone data on iCloud and perform a regular backup to prevent data loss.
• Saving iPhone data to iCloud offers an ease of accessing data contents from anywhere, even if the data is deleted from your device.
• In addition to online backups, it is beneficial to retain a replica of existing data on another device such as a system hard drive or external storage media.