How to Delete the Data on Your Lost iPhone - dummies (2024)

If you lose your iPhone, what are your options? Well, hopefully a good Samaritan has found your phone and will return it. If you can’t get that other person to return your iPhone and it contains sensitive or confidential data, you can use the Find My iPhone app or the iCloud Find My iPhone feature to take the drastic step of remotely wiping all the data from your iPhone.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Display the My Devices list.

  2. Tap or click your iPhone in the list.

    Find My iPhone locates your iPhone on a map.

  3. Tap or click Erase iPhone.

    Find My iPhone asks you to confirm.

  4. Tap or click Erase.

    Find My iPhone prompts you for your Apple ID password.

  5. Type your password and then tap or click Next.

    Find My iPhone asks you to enter an optional phone number where you can be reached, which will appear on the iPhone after it has been erased.

  6. Type your phone number, and then select Next.

    Find My iPhone prompts you to type a message that will appear on the iPhone along with the phone number, after it has been erased.

  7. Type the message, and then tap or click Done.

    Find My iPhone remotely wipes all data from the iPhone.

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How to Delete the Data on Your Lost iPhone  - dummies (2024)

FAQs

How to Delete the Data on Your Lost iPhone - dummies? ›

Go back to Settings and tap General > Transfer or Reset [device] > Erase All Content and Settings. If you turned on Find My [device], you may need to enter your Apple ID and password. If your device uses eSIM, choose the option to erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked.

How do I erase all data from a lost iPhone? ›

Remotely erase your device or a family member's device
  1. In Find Devices on iCloud.com, select the device in the All Devices list on the left. If you've already selected a device, you can click All Devices to return to the list and select a new device.
  2. Click Erase This Device.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

How do you erase your iPhone data? ›

Go back to Settings and tap General > Transfer or Reset [device] > Erase All Content and Settings. If you turned on Find My [device], you may need to enter your Apple ID and password. If your device uses eSIM, choose the option to erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked.

How to erase stolen iPhone without iCloud? ›

Erasing your iPhone couldn't be easier. You can do it directly on the device with just a few taps. Open the Settings app. Tap General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings.

How do you delete data from iPhone so that it Cannot be recovered? ›

Erase iPhone using Settings
  1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
  3. If asked, enter your iPhone passcode or Apple Account password.
  4. Tap Continue to confirm. If you have an eSIM, you can choose to erase your eSIM or keep it.

How to erase data from a lost phone? ›

You can use Find My Device on the web, an Android device, or a friend's Android device in guest mode:
  1. On the device, open the Find My Device app .
  2. Select the device or accessory you want to reset or remove.
  3. Select Settings. To erase an Android device: Tap Factory reset device. To delete an accessory: Tap Remove device.

Can someone wipe an iPhone in lost mode? ›

Lost Mode locks down the ‌iPhone‌ and prevents it from being accessed in iTunes when plugged into a computer, but it can't stop someone from wiping an ‌iPhone‌ via iTunes using recovery mode or DFU mode. Even if your ‌iPhone‌ is fully erased, the person who has it can't use it.

How to delete iPhone without Apple ID? ›

Now follow the below steps carefully:
  1. First, launch “Settings” and then select “General”
  2. Go to the bottom and click on “Reset”
  3. Here you will see the “Erase All Content and Settings” option, press it.
  4. If any passcode is required then enter it and after confirming, click on “Erase iPhone”
Jan 21, 2024

How do I deactivate Find My iPhone? ›

Turn off Find My on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

When you turn off Find My on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Activation Lock is automatically removed. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > Find My. Tap Find My [device], then turn off Find My [device].

How do I delete unwanted data from my iPhone? ›

Empty Your Browser's Cache

You can also navigate to Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data, which will let you delete browsing history, cookies and site data, cached images and files, saved passwords, and autofill data—or everything at once.

Can I wipe my iPhone if its stolen? ›

You can remotely erase your device using the Find My app or at iCloud.com/find. If your device has iOS 15 or later, or iPadOS 15 or later, you can still use Find My or iCloud.com/find to locate it after you erase it.

Does Erase iPhone delete everything? ›

When you tap Erase All Content and Settings, it completely erases your device, including any credit or debit cards you added for Apple Pay and any photos, contacts, music, or apps. It will also turn off iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center, and other services.

What should I do if I lost my iPhone? ›

You can find your device, mark it as lost, or erase it remotely at iCloud.com/find. When you sign in, you might be asked to enter a verification code sent to a trusted device. If you lost your only trusted device or otherwise can't get the code, select the Find Devices button instead of entering a code.

How to permanently erase data from iPhone? ›

Go to Settings > General > Reset, then tap Erase all Contents and Settings. Enter your passcode or Apple ID password. Wait for all content to be safely removed from your device.

How to deep erase an iPhone? ›

Go back to Settings and tap General > Transfer or Reset [device] > Erase All Content and Settings. If you've turned on Find My [device], you may need to enter your Apple ID and password. If your device uses eSIM, choose the option to erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked.

How do you permanently delete files so they cannot be recovered on an iPhone? ›

Delete files on your iPhone or iPad

When you delete files from iCloud Drive or On My [device] in the Files app, they go into your Recently Deleted. After 30 days, your files are deleted permanently. Files deleted from Recently Deleted are deleted immediately and are not recoverable.

How do I factory reset my iPhone if I lost data? ›

Yes, it's possible to recover your data after performing a factory reset on your iPhone. There are 2 ways to do it: Restore a backup – On iPhone, there are 2 types of backups you can create: (1) iTunes and (2) iCloud. These backups store copies of the data you opted to keep at the time of backup creation.

Should you erase an iPhone if it's stolen? ›

Stolen or Lost iPhone? Six Things to Do Immediately
  1. Locate your device on a map. ...
  2. Mark as lost. ...
  3. Remotely erase your device. ...
  4. Contact your carrier. ...
  5. Remove the missing device from your account. ...
  6. Change your password.

Does erasing iPhone delete everything permanently? ›

When you tap Erase All Content and Settings, it completely erases your device, including any credit or debit cards you added for Apple Pay and any photos, contacts, music, or apps. It will also turn off iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center, and other services.

How to factory reset iPhone without Apple ID password? ›

Method 3: Reset iPhone without Apple ID using iTunes
  1. Step 1: First, connect your iPhone to your PC and then open iTunes.
  2. Step 2: When your phone is connected, you should force restart your iPhone until the recovery screen appears.
  3. Step 3: When you see the Restore or Update option, simply press on Restore.
Jan 21, 2024

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