Want to remove some or all of your settings and files from your iPhone? Or delete the settings on your iPhone to remove a specific set of settings without restoring the entire phone. Or, from the same location in the Settings app, reset the entire phone to the factory default settings.
You can delete your iPhone data from the phone itself or via iTunes using the Restore iPhone tool. If you use the phone to delete data, you can select the settings to be deleted; the process of restoring iTunes erases everything from your phone.
The information in this article applies to iPhones running iOS 12 / iOS 13. Previous versions use similar menus and procedures.
How to restore the settings on your iPhone
After having successfully backed up your iPhone and decided what you want to delete, select the correct restore option from the Restore page on the Settings tab.
Always make backups before deleting your iPhone settings and data. If something goes wrong, you can restore the data without losing anything permanently.
Open Settings > General > Restore. Touch the option corresponding to what you want to restore on your iPhone. If prompts are displayed, follow the steps on the screen to complete them and finalize the restore.
Since the Reset all content and settings option resets the entire phone, you will need to reset it from the beginning if you plan to use it after the restore.
Choose what to restore on your iPhone
Choose from these six options when restoring your iPhone:
How to restore all settings on iPhone– this option restores all preferences settings, bringing them back to their default values. It will not delete any of your data or apps.
How to delete all content and settings– to completely delete your iPhone data, this is the option to choose. Not only will you delete all your preferences, but you will also remove every song, movie, image, app or file on your device. It is a tool for restoring factory settings.
How to restore network settings– this option returns the network settings to the factory default values. Any inserted Wi-Fi passwords will be deleted, so any hotspot or router to which the phone automatically connects will no longer recognize the phone.
Reset keyboard dictionary– Do you want to remove all words added to the dictionary/spell checker on your phone? This is the option you need to use.
Restore home screen layout– use this option to delete all the folders and layouts of the apps you have created and return the layout of your iPhone to its default state.
Restore location and privacy– by tapping this option, any app that has ever requested access to the GPS location, address book, microphone or other private data will request these permissions again the next time it is opened.
