[Solved] Why Can't I Reset My iPhone to Factory Settings?

User Concern

“When I tried to reset my old iPhone 16 to factory setting for selling it later, I was asked to put in a 4-digit screen passcode. I tried to reset the screen passcode, but was not able to.”

There are many reasons you might want to reset your iPhone. Maybe it has become unresponsive, freezes frequently, or you're preparing to sell it and need to remove all personal data. A factory reset might certainly help solve these problems and more.

But what if it doesn’t work, leaving you wondering, “Why can’t I reset my iPhone?” How do you fix this? Don't worry; there are several helpful tips you can try, and we'll share them in this post.

Why Can’t My iPhone Be Reset?

There are several reasons why you might be unable to reset your iPhone to factory settings. Let’s explore some of these causes below:

• You may be required to enter the passcode during the reset process, so if you don't have it, you can't reset the iPhone. This can happen when you forget your passcode or get a second-hand iPhone.
• If there's an error or hardware problem when connecting the iPhone to iTunes via the network or USB cable, the connection may fail, preventing you from resetting the iPhone.
• The Find My iPhone option is usually linked with iCloud, so failure to set the correct iCloud password will likely lead to failure in resetting the iPhone.
• Your iPhone may fail to reset simply because bugs present in the iOS or iTunes are preventing it.

How Do I Force My iPhone to Factory Reset?

When you can't reset your iPhone to factory settings, you can check the methods below:

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting is a simple yet effective way to fix many minor iPhone issues. Start by restarting your iPhone normally. If that doesn’t work, perform a force restart. Here are the steps to force restart different iPhone models:

• For iPhone 8 and later: Press the Volume Up button and quickly release it. Repeat the action with the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
• For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button. Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo.
• For iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button. Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo.

You should be able to fix the issue with this method, especially if it’s an iOS problem. In case it fails to work, try out the next method below.

Check Internet Connection

A stable internet connection is required to factory reset your iPhone or iPad from Settings. So, make sure your Wi-Fi or mobile data is turned on and has a good speed. Just go to Settings and check whether the toggle for WiFi/Cellular Data is off. If the toggle is already on, you can try to turn it off and back on again.

Insert SIM Card to Reset iPhone

If you encounter a “Server Error” while trying to factory reset your iPhone, it might be due to a missing SIM card. In such a case, you can insert your SIM card into the iPhone to fix the issue. If the error persists even after inserting the SIM card, or if the SIM card is already inserted, try the next solution.

Reset Network Settings

Another solution to fix the issue is to reset your network settings. This will remove all network configurations from your iPhone and disconnect you from Wi-Fi and mobile data. Once you reconnect to the internet, you should be able to reset your iPhone without any problems.

• Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Click Reset > Reset Network Settings and enter your passcode to continue.
• Once your network settings have been reset, try factory resetting your iPhone again.

Update iPhone to the Latest iOS Version

Sometimes, software glitches occur because they are not compatible with the old version of iOS on your iPhone. If you can't factory reset your iPhone, follow the steps below to update the iOS to the latest version.

• Open Settings on your iPhone. Go to General and then the Software Update option.
• The iPhone will automatically search for an update and display it if available. Then click Install Now.

Reset iPhone with iTunes

Still can’t reset the iPhone? Try restoring the iPhone system with iTunes. This is an effective method that you can use to reset an iPhone, especially when it’s stuck or frozen because of some software issue.

• Download and install the latest iTunes version on your PC. Launch iTunes and then connect your iPhone to the computer.
• Wait for the device to be detected by iTunes, then click the displayed iPhone button at the top left.
• In the Summary panel, click Restore iPhone and confirm. iTunes will reset your iPhone and install the latest iOS.

Note that this process will erase all the data on your iPhone, so make sure you have a backup before proceeding.

One-stop Solution to Factory Reset iPhone

While various factors can cause this issue, there’s an effective tool that can help you out: FoneGeek iOS System Recovery. This software is designed to fix all sorts of iOS/iPadOS/tvOS issues effortlessly. It allows you to upgrade or downgrade your iPhone’s iOS version and, most importantly, easily reset your iPhone. Some of its main features are:

• Reset your iPhone to factory settings even without password.
• Fix 200+ iOS system issues and 100+ iTunes issues
• Upgrade or downgrade your iOS version without iTunes or jailbreak.
• Fully compatible with the latest iOS 18 and iPhone 16.

Here are the simple steps to reset your iPhone using this tool:

• Download and install FoneGeek iOS System Recovery on your computer. Launch the software and select Standard Mode from the main interface.

• Next, connect your iPhone to the computer and follow the displayed instructions to put the device in Recovery Mode.
• Then, click Download to get the firmware according to your iPhone model. Wait for the download process to complete.
• When the download is complete, click Fix Now. In a few minutes, your iPhone will be reset and rebooted successfully.

Conclusion

It’s not uncommon to encounter problems when resetting an iPhone. Try one of these simple methods to fix the problem and you can reset your iPhone just like you want. Use FoneGeek iOS System Recovery if you want a simple and quick way to factory reset th iPhone and also fix other iOS issues on your iPhone.