The iPhone reset options are in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Most of them return one group of settings to its defaults without deleting your photos, apps, or other content. Reset All Settings resets every setting but keeps your data. Only Erase All Content and Settings wipes the iPhone.
The option descriptions come from Apple’s iPhone User Guide page Reset iPhone settings to their defaults, written for iOS 27, and the erase steps from Apple Support’s How to factory reset your iPhone article. Apple suggests backing up first if you want to keep your current settings, since a reset that doesn’t fix your problem can be undone by restoring that backup.
How to Open the Reset Options
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset, then choose an option.
Result: you see the list of reset options. After you tap one, you enter your passcode and confirm before anything changes.
What Each Reset Option Does
Reset All Settings
Apple says all settings, including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards, are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
Reset Network Settings
This removes all network settings, including networks you’ve used before and VPN settings that weren’t installed by a configuration profile or device management. Apple adds that your device name resets to “iPhone,” manually trusted certificates become untrusted, and cellular data roaming may be turned off. Wi-Fi turns off and back on, disconnecting you from your current network.
Delete All eSIMs
Every eSIM stored on the iPhone is deleted. Apple notes you’ll need to set up a new eSIM or physical SIM card to connect to a cellular network again.
Reset Keyboard Dictionary
This resets the keyboard dictionary. Apple’s keyboard guide says custom words and shortcuts are deleted and the dictionary returns to its default state. Read the specific reset steps and typing-setting distinctions below before confirming.
Reset Handwriting Style
This resets your custom handwriting preferences to their defaults. This option appears on iOS 18 and later.
Reset Home Screen Layout
Apple says this returns the built-in apps to their original Home Screen layout. To rearrange them again, see how to move apps on the iPhone.
Reset Location & Privacy
This returns Location Services and privacy settings to their defaults. Apps may ask for location and other permissions again afterward.
Reset the Keyboard Dictionary and Check Typing Settings
Before resetting, record custom words and shortcuts you want to recreate. On a current iPhone, including an iPhone 11 or 14 running a compatible iOS version, open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary. Enter the device passcode if requested, read the confirmation and choose Reset Dictionary only when intended. Test typing afterward. Apple’s keyboard guide says this deletes custom words and shortcuts and returns the dictionary to its default state. Older layouts use General > Reset directly, as described below. This is not Erase All Content and Settings and should not be presented as a guaranteed fix for every keyboard problem.
To create a replacement afterward, open Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, tap +, enter the full Phrase and optional Shortcut, then tap Save. Test it in a note. To change whether corrections or predictions are offered, return to General > Keyboard and review Auto-Correction and Predictive separately; Apple documents these typing controls. A dictionary reset should not be promised to reset every typing preference or a third-party keyboard. If typing still misbehaves, restart the iPhone and check the relevant keyboard app and iOS updates.
Create a Text Replacement on an Older iPhone
On the older iPhone 5 layout, open Settings > General > Keyboard > Add New Shortcut. Enter the complete text in Phrase, enter the short trigger in Shortcut, and tap Save. Newer layouts use Text Replacement > + in the same Keyboard menu, as described above. Test the shortcut in a note or unsent message draft: type it, then press Space when the replacement is offered. Choose a trigger you do not also use as an ordinary word, so unrelated messages do not expand unexpectedly. Return to the shortcut list to edit or remove it if the result is unsuitable. Creating a shortcut does not require resetting the keyboard dictionary; that separate reset can remove your custom words and shortcuts.
How to Erase All Content and Settings
Use this when you’re selling, trading in, or giving away your iPhone. Apple warns that it removes all your content.
- Back up your iPhone so you can restore your content to a new or erased device.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap Continue.
- Choose to keep or delete your eSIM.
- Enter your passcode, wait for the backup to finish, and enter your Apple Account password.
Result: the iPhone erases and resets, and Apple says the Hello screen appears when it’s done. If you delete your eSIM, Apple says you’ll need to contact your carrier to reactivate your plan. Verizon’s support guide recommends keeping the eSIM if you plan to keep using the phone. From the Hello screen, you can turn on and set up the iPhone again.
Which Reset Should You Use?
- Wi-Fi, cellular, or VPN trouble: Reset Network Settings only touches network settings.
- Odd behavior you can’t trace to one setting: Reset All Settings, which keeps your data.
- Messy Home Screen: Reset Home Screen Layout.
- Selling or giving away the phone: Erase All Content and Settings.
Try simpler fixes first, like restarting the iPhone and updating its software. See how to check your iOS version and update.
FAQs
Will Reset All Settings delete my photos?
No. Apple says no data or media are deleted, though you’ll need to set up your settings again, including Wi-Fi passwords.
Does resetting remove a Screen Time passcode?
Apple notes that restoring a device from a backup won’t remove your Screen Time passcode, and links to separate steps for resetting it.
More iPhone Guides
- How to move apps and reset the Home Screen
- How to see and clear location history
- How to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone
Use the Older Reset Menu on iPhone 6
On an iPhone 6 running the older iOS 8 layout, open Settings > General > Reset directly; there is no Transfer or Reset entry in that layout. Select Reset Keyboard Dictionary, enter the device passcode if asked, and confirm Reset Dictionary. This removes learned keyboard words rather than your photos or apps. For a network reset, select the separately labeled Reset Network Settings and read its network-data scope above. Do not choose Erase All Content and Settings when you only need one reset option.
Reset the Home Screen Layout on an Older iPhone
For an iPhone 6 using the original iOS 8 layout, open Settings > General > Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout, then confirm Reset Home Screen. Check the Home Screen afterward: the built-in apps return to their original positions, and installed third-party apps are arranged after them. This rearranges the layout; it does not uninstall your apps or erase their data. Later iOS versions place the same named reset under General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset, as in the current instructions above. Use the layout reset only when you intend to undo your app organization, and avoid the separate Erase All Content and Settings choice.
Reset Location and Privacy on an Older iPhone
On an iPhone 5 running the older iOS 7 layout, open Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. Enter the device passcode if asked and confirm with Reset Settings. Apps will ask again when they next need location or other reset permissions; grant only the access you intend. This option does not erase your photos, messages or installed apps. Current iOS uses General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy instead. Apple’s location-privacy guide explains the permission reset. Choose this specific reset, not Erase All Content and Settings, and check the next permission request to confirm the effect.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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