How to Recover Data After Factory Reset on iPhone

Updated on: January 2, 2023

You didn’t want to have this happen, but it did. You had to factory reset your iPhone. This can happen when a software issue occurs on your iPhone and it can’t be fixed. Rather it is during an update, or your iPhone running into a problem, the data on your iPhone is no longer there.

Do not worry though, there are ways to recover data after a factory reset on your iPhone. In this article, we will take a look at how to recover data after a factory reset on your iPhone and look into different methods for getting data back onto your device.

Method	Description
🎵 Restore from iTunes Backup	You need to have a relevant backup.
☁️ Restore from iCloud Backup	With iCloud backup being turned on by default, chances are your iPhone has been backing up even if you didn’t know about it.
💻 Use Data Recovery Software	You can try to scan iPhone even if you don’t have backups. Coupon is available.

Table of Contents

Method 1: Restore iPhone Using iTunes

If you have performed a factory reset on your iPhone, then iTunes is one of the methods that you can use to get your data back onto your device.

This method requires that you have a backup in place ahead of time, but simply plugging your iPhone into your computer should cause it to create a backup so it may have been backing up even if you weren’t aware of it.

To recover data on your iPhone after a factory reset, you will need to use either the Music app or iTunes. The steps for both are the same, but the interface may look slightly different.

If you have already set up your iPhone and it’s on the home screen, you will have to perform a factory reset to have the device appear as new again. During the setup process, it will ask if you want to restore data and from where. When on this screen, you will want to choose Restore from an iTunes backup.

Step 1. Plug your iPhone into your computer.

Step 2. Select your iPhone from the drop-down menu on the left-hand side and then click on “Sync Settings”.

Step 3. Once on the Summary page, select “Restore Backup”. This can be found from within the General tab.

Step 4. After clicking the Restore Backup option, your iPhone will restore back to the backup that you selected and all of the data from that backup will then be put back onto your device. This will take some time depending on the size of the backup. Make sure your iPhone is plugged into your computer during this whole process as it can’t be interrupted!

Method 2: Restore iPhone from an iCloud Backup

With iCloud backup being turned on by default, chances are your iPhone has been backing up even if you didn’t know about it. This will allow you to be able to restore your iPhone after a factory reset.

Step 1. Factory reset your iPhone if it is set up already. We need to do this so that we can be greeted by the setup screen which allows us to start the backup process. To initiate the reset, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Your iPhone will then reset and this might take a couple of moments to complete.

Step 2. You will be greeted by a screen that asks if you want to restore data, and you want to choose Restore from an iCloud backup. Your iPhone will need to stay on and connected to Wi-Fi for this entire process.

Step 3. Look for the last backup that you have on your iCloud account. This will allow you to recover data from iPhone after a factory reset and put it back to the most recent backup that you have of your device.

Step 4. Allow the restore to complete, and then your iPhone will look like it did when you last backed up your device.

Method 3: Recover Data Using Data Recovery Software

If you didn’t create a backup of your iPhone before factory resetting it, there is still hope. You can use Disk Drill iPhone Recovery to try and recover data that might still be accessible.

🎁 Apply a coupon “DD-FACTORY-50” during the checkout process, and you’ll get Disk Drill PRO Lifetime (Mac edition) with a 50% discount.

Step 1. Download and install Disk Drill for your computer.

Step 2. Plug your iPhone into your computer and choose it as the device to scan.

Step 3. Wait for the scanning process to complete.

Step 4. After the scan has completed, you will be greeted by all of the found files on your iPhone.

Step 5. In this example, I am going to recover some photos as that is a common thing that you want back after losing data on your device. Click on the Photos icon to view the photos that Disk Drill was able to recover.

Step 6. Select some of the photos or videos that you would like to recover and preview to make sure your files are not corrupted. Then click the blue Recover button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

Step 7. Choose a path for Disk Drill to recover the photos to and then click on OK.

Step 8. You will then be greeted by a confirmation message letting you know that the recovery was successful.

You can preview files in Disk Drill’s free version. However, to complete the recovery process, you’ll need to upgrade Disk Drill to the Pro version.

Conclusion

Having to factory reset your iPhone is frustrating and can be inconvenient. The good news is that there are multiple ways to recover our data after our iPhone has been factory reset and knowing how to restore your iPhone after a factory reset is a skill that will help you recover your data should you lose it.

The best practice is to make sure that you keep a backup of your iPhone as issues with software can happen and knowing how to handle them will make life easier.

FAQ:

Will restoring the iPhone delete everything?

There are two options to restore an iPhone: restore factory settings or restore from backup. Restore factory settings will delete everything and restore iPhone to its initial configuration just as you bought it. On the other hand, if you restore an iPhone from a backup, either from iCloud or iTunes, the data from your iPhone will be restored from the last backup date.

How to restore factory settings on iPhone?

To restore your iPhone to factory settings, follow the steps listed below. But first, make sure to back up your iPhone if you want to restore your data later on.

Go to Settings and tap on General.
Scroll down to the bottom of the General page, and tap Transfer and Reset iPhone.
To restore your iPhone to its factory settings, click Erase All Content and Settings.
On the prompt, tap Continue to confirm the factory settings reset.
Next, provide your passcode.
Now your iPhone will create an iCloud backup for all your data. If deemed unnecessary, you can tap on Skip Backup at the bottom of the screen.
Input your Apple ID and password, then tap Turn Off to disable Find My and Activation Lock.
And the last step, tap Erase iPhone to delete all your data and settings. The process could take minutes to finish, depending on how much is stored inside your device.
Once done, your device will automatically restart and start as new.

What happens when you restore an iPhone?

When you restore an iPhone, a number of things happen. First, the latest version of iPhone OS version is reinstalled. Then, settings are restored to their default, and data stored on iPhone is deleted. This deleted data includes downloaded applications, songs, videos, photos, contact, and any other files.

To know more, you can refer to page 189 in the iPhone user Guide for your reference.

How to reset an iPhone but keep everything?

There are different kinds of resetting on the iPhone, and most of them will not delete your data. Here’s how to do it:

Navigate to your Settings and tap on General.
Now scroll to the bottom and tap Reset.
To reset your iPhone while keeping your data, tap Reset all Settings.
On the prompt, tap again Reset all Settings.

You can also reset particular configurations such as Network Settings, Keyboard Dictionary, Home Screen Layout, and Location & Privacy. All of these will reset specific settings only and will retain the data stored on your iPhone.