Erasing an iPhone before selling, trading in, giving away, or resetting it keeps your photos, messages, Apple Account, Wallet cards, and eSIM off the device. A physical SIM card is the one thing an erase cannot touch, so pop the SIM tray and move that card to your new phone before you hand the iPhone over. The cleanest option is usually built into Settings, but a locked phone, missing phone, or computer restore needs a different path. Pick the method that matches the iPhone in front of you and follow the steps exactly.
Start with the built in erase option
The most common reason to erase an iPhone is that you are selling, trading in, giving away, or resetting a phone that still works and unlocks normally.
Open Settings, go to General, then tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap Continue.
Enter your device passcode.
Enter your Apple Account password when prompted.
If your iPhone uses eSIM and asks what to do with it, choose the option that erases the device and the eSIM profile when you are selling or giving the phone away.
Wait for the erase to finish. When the setup screen appears, the iPhone is ready for the next owner or a fresh setup.
Use Apple’s sell or trade in prep flow first
Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Tap Get Started and follow the onscreen instructions.
Go back to Settings and tap [your name].
Tap Sign Out.
Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Turn Off.
Return to Settings, open General, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, then choose Erase All Content and Settings.
Enter your passcode or Restrictions passcode, then tap Erase iPhone.
For the cleanest handoff, finish the erase before you remove the iPhone from your Apple Account device list.
Sign out of your Apple Account when privacy matters
Signing out separates your Apple Account from the iPhone before the reset. It is a prep step, not a full factory erase by itself.
On iOS 26 or later, open Settings, tap [your name], then tap Sign Out. Choose Erase this iPhone or Sign Out But Don’t Erase, then tap Sign out of iCloud and Store if asked.
On iOS 18 or earlier, open Settings, tap [your name], then tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off.
If sign-out does not complete, erase from Settings with Erase All Content and Settings, or use iCloud.com/find to remove the device after it has been erased.
Reset a locked iPhone from the Lock Screen
The most common cause here is a forgotten passcode after too many failed unlock attempts.
On iOS 15.2 or later, use the Lock Screen reset when Find My was already enabled, the iPhone has cellular or Wi-Fi, and you know the Apple Account credentials.
Enter the passcode until the iPhone Unavailable screen appears.
On iOS 17 or later, tap Forgot Passcode?, then tap Start iPhone Reset.
On iOS 15.2 or iOS 16, the button reads Erase iPhone instead of Forgot Passcode?. Tap it, then follow the same Apple Account password prompts. If that iPhone uses an eSIM on iOS 16 or earlier, contact your carrier for a QR code before you start, because you will need to set the eSIM up again afterward.
Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Erase iPhone.
On iOS 17 or later with eSIM, choose whether to keep the eSIM and erase data or delete the eSIM and erase data. For selling the iPhone, delete the eSIM and erase the data.
Restore with a Mac or Windows PC
Use a computer restore when the iPhone is usable and you want to erase and reinstall through a desktop app. On a Mac, open Finder. On a Windows PC, open Apple Devices; use iTunes when Apple Devices is not installed or when the Mac is running macOS Mojave or earlier.
Turn off Find My first, or the restore will not start. Open Settings, tap [your name], tap Find My, tap Find My iPhone, then switch it off. Apple blocks Restore while the iPhone is still signed in to Find My.
Connect the iPhone to the computer. Select the device, then open General in Finder or Apple Devices. In iTunes, open Summary.
Choose Restore iPhone or Restore [Device], then choose Restore again to confirm.
A computer restore does not delete eSIM. Before selling, open Settings, tap Cellular, then choose Delete eSIM or select the plan and tap Delete Plan.
Use recovery mode when the computer cannot restore normally
Turn off the iPhone.
For Face ID models, hold the Side button and Volume Down until the power off slider appears, then power it off.
For Home button or top button models, hold the Top or Side button until the power off slider appears, then power it off.
Connect the cable to your Mac or PC.
Connect the cable to the iPhone while holding the recovery button.
Use the Side button for Face ID models, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone SE 2nd generation, and iPhone SE 3rd generation.
Use Volume Down for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Use the Home button for iPhone 6s or earlier and iPhone SE 1st generation.
Keep holding until the computer-and-cable image appears.
On a Mac, open Finder, select the iPhone under Locations, then choose Restore.
On Windows, open Apple Devices, select the iPhone, open General, then choose Restore.
If the phone is being sold, handle the eSIM separately because a computer restore does not delete it. A recovery mode restore also leaves Activation Lock in place, so the buyer will hit an iPhone Locked to Owner screen at setup. Go to iCloud.com/find, select the erased iPhone, then choose Remove This Device before the handoff.
Erase an iPhone remotely with Find My
This fixes the situation where the iPhone is no longer in your hand but still belongs to your Apple Account. It only works if Find My was already turned on before the iPhone went missing. If it was not, the iPhone never appears in Find My or at iCloud.com/find and cannot be erased remotely, so change your Apple Account password instead.
Open the Find My app.
Tap Devices.
Select the iPhone.
Tap Erase This Device.
Tap Continue.
Leave the phone number and message fields blank when the device is not lost.
Tap Erase.
Enter your Apple Account password.
Tap Erase again.
After the erase is complete, go to iCloud.com/find, select the iPhone, then choose Remove This Device to remove Activation Lock before the next owner sets it up.
Erase from iCloud and clean up the account
Use iCloud when you need to erase from a browser or when the iPhone is offline. The same condition applies here: Find My must have been turned on before the iPhone left your hands, or it will not be listed. The erase starts right away if the device is online, or the next time it comes online if it is offline.
Go to iCloud.com/find and sign in to your Apple Account.
Choose Find Devices if it appears.
Select the iPhone, then choose Erase This Device and follow the onscreen instructions.
When the erase is complete, select Remove This Device on iCloud.com/find to remove Activation Lock.
After erasing or signing out, remove the old iPhone from your Apple Account device list by going to account.apple.com, opening Devices, selecting the iPhone, then choosing Remove from Account.
If you are switching to a non-Apple phone, put the SIM back in the iPhone, connect to cellular data, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, then turn off iMessage. Then go to Settings, tap Apps, tap FaceTime, and turn off FaceTime.
For a school or business-owned iPhone, contact IT. Managed devices can be erased through administrative tools, and the organization controls that process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Erase All Content and Settings remove my eSIM?
It can. If the iPhone asks what to do with the eSIM during Erase All Content and Settings, choose the option to erase the device and the eSIM profile before selling or giving it away.
Does deleting an eSIM cancel my cellular plan?
No. Apple says deleting the eSIM or plan from the iPhone does not cancel carrier service. Contact the carrier to cancel the line.
Can I erase an iPhone that is offline?
Yes, as long as Find My was turned on for that iPhone before it went offline. Use iCloud.com/find, select the iPhone, and choose Erase This Device. The erase begins the next time the iPhone comes online. If Find My was never enabled, the iPhone will not appear there and cannot be erased remotely.
Why does the buyer still see Activation Lock after I erased the iPhone?
The device still needs to be removed from your account. Go to iCloud.com/find, select the erased iPhone, then choose Remove This Device.
