How to Restore Your iPhone to Factory Settings Using iTunes [Windows]

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Posted September 25, 2014 at 2:38am by iClarified

These are instructions on how to restore the iOS firmware on your iPhone and return it to factory settings using iTunes for Windows

Step One
Launch iTunes from your programs list.

How to Restore Your iPhone to Factory Settings Using iTunes [Windows]

Step Two
Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB and select it from the toolbar. If you are still using an old version of iTunes you can select your device from the sidebar.

Step Three
Before continuing click the Back Up Now button to ensure your device is backed up before the restore.

Step Four
If want to want to download and restore to the latest available firmware, click the Restore iPhone.. button from the Summary window.

If you have already downloaded the firmware ipsw for the firmware you would like to restore to, hold down the Shift key and click Restore iPhone.... You can find a list of firmware download links for the iPhone here.

Select the firmware ipsw file from your hard drive then click Open.

*Please note that you may not be able to downgrade to lower firmware version if Apple has stopped signing that firmware.

Step Five
iTunes will ask you if you want to restore the iPhone to its factory settings. All of your media and other data will be erased. Click the Restore button to continue.

Step Six
You may be shown the firmware's changelog. Click Next to continue.

Step Seven
Click Agree to agree to Apple's Software License Agreement.

Step Eight
If needed, iTunes will begin downloading the new firmware. This may take a while.

Step Nine
The firmware will then be extracted and installation will begin.

Step Ten
iTunes will inform you once the installation is complete and your iPhone will reboot.

Step Eleven
You may be informed that there is a carrier update for your iPhone. If there is, click the Download and Update button.

The settings will be updated.

Click OK to acknowledge the successful installation.

Step Twelve
You will then be welcomed to your new iPhone. You can choose to 'Set up as a new iPhone' or 'Restore from this backup'.

Select the option you'd like. If you chose to restore from backup, you can use the dropdown to select from previous backups.

Click the Continue button.

Step Thirteen
That's it! You have a refreshly restored iPhone. Click the Get Started button to view the device in iTunes.

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wesdaey - March 3, 2016 at 6:53am

Thanks for your sharing, this is the useful way for us to restore iPhone to factory settings. However, if you want to recover data from your previous iTunes backup file, you can choose FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery to scan your iTunes backups and then you can save those data to your computer.

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Wesli - August 24, 2015 at 1:22am

It says it may take a while. When i try to restore to factory. It says its gonna take 20 hours!

brucecree - December 20, 2014 at 7:30am

This doesn't work. It tries to update when you click restore. When it's almost done updating a message pops up saying it can't restore without the password......if I remembered the password I wouldn't be restoring it to factory setting. I've searched for hours on the internet and there IS NO FIX or bypass for this. apple can suck it

Ren - September 25, 2014 at 7:30am

Anyone know how to restore Steve?

dnewayz - September 25, 2014 at 4:21am

In step 12: you can also restore from an iCloud backup if you restore for the iPhone and not iTunes.

dnewayz - September 25, 2014 at 4:23am

I meant restore from the iPhone and not for the iPhone. :)

Techno - September 25, 2014 at 4:36am

But restore from the second option not first then hold shift.

Andrew - September 25, 2014 at 3:43am

If you just hold Shift and choose update instead restore, it would be much quicker process which wouldn't delete all the data and you don't have to restore your phone from the backup after your phone is restored to previous firmware

Lees - September 27, 2014 at 7:54am

That wouldn't be restoring your iPhone to factory settings.