How to wipe a phone or laptop before you sell it

Before you sell, trade in, give away, or recycle a phone or laptop, back up what you still need, unlink accounts, then factory-reset the device. Do not hand it over still signed in. The FTC sequence for a phone is: back up, remove the SIM (and SD card), then restore/reset so contacts, texts, photos, and history are gone. For a computer: back up, erase the drive with the operating system's reset tool, then recycle. On iPhone that erase is Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings. On Windows 11, Settings → System → Recovery → Reset PC, then Remove everything and turn on Clean data if someone else will get the machine. Signing out of iCloud or a Microsoft account is not the same as a reset. This is not a reason to buy antivirus; Microsoft Defender is a valid buy-nothing choice. If the device was lost, not sold, use the lost phone checklist instead.

Back up first, then unlink, then erase

A factory reset deletes what is on the device. Back up photos, messages, and documents before you start, then remove the device from your accounts so the next owner cannot open your mail or photos.

1. Back up. The FTC says you will need that copy when you set up a new phone or PC. Use the maker's backup (iCloud, a computer backup, or a Windows/file copy), a cloud drive that offers multi-factor authentication, or an external drive.
2. Remove SIM and SD cards on a phone. The FTC: a SIM can store personal information. If you are keeping the number, you may move the SIM to the new phone. If you will not reuse it, destroy it. Remove an SD card too.
3. Unlink accounts and authenticators. The FTC notes that if you use an authenticator app, you may have to reactivate it on the new phone. Remove this device from trusted-device lists. Unique passwords still matter — see password manager vs browser saved passwords.
4. Factory-reset last. Only after backup and unlink. Confirm the device shows a setup/Hello screen and is not signed into your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account.

How to wipe an iPhone before you sell it

Apple's factory reset erases the iPhone and returns it to the Hello screen, which is what a buyer or trade-in desk should see.

1. Create a backup first (Apple: you can restore content to a new or newly erased iPhone from that backup).
2. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset [device].
3. Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then Continue.
4. Choose to keep or delete your eSIM. Apple: if you erase the eSIM, you need your carrier to reactivate the cellular plan.
5. Enter the device passcode, then your Apple Account password.
6. Wait until the Hello screen appears. Do not ship or hand over the phone before that screen.

If you cannot erase because you forgot the passcode or Apple Account password, use Apple's recovery articles — do not skip the reset and hope a buyer cannot get in. Pairing this with a later lost-phone lock is the wrong article: that is for a device you no longer have.

How to wipe a Windows laptop before you sell it

Windows Reset reinstalls Windows. For a sale, gift, or recycle, Microsoft's Remove everything plus Clean data is the option that matches handing the PC to someone else.

1. Back up files you still need. If BitLocker is on, Microsoft says to have the BitLocker recovery key before you reset.
2. Open Settings → System → Recovery.
3. Under Recovery options, select Reset PC.
4. Choose Remove everything (not Keep my files). Keep my files is a refresh for a PC you will keep.
5. Turn on Clean data if you plan to donate, recycle, or sell. Microsoft: this takes longer and makes it harder for other people to recover files you removed.
6. Follow the on-screen steps. The screen may go black for a long time (Microsoft notes this can be upwards of 15 minutes). Do not manually restart in the middle or the reset can fail.

Microsoft also says this consumer data-erasure option does not meet government or industry wipe standards. For a typical household sale or trade-in, it is still the built-in path the FTC points to. It is not a DoD/NIST certified wipe, and this guide will not claim otherwise.

Phone vs PC: which reset option to pick

Use Remove everything / Erase All Content when the next person is not you. Keep my files is only for a PC you will keep.

Android, Mac, and Chromebook (without inventing menus)

The FTC computer article also points to factory reset for Chromebook and "Erase all content and settings" on Mac. Follow those maker pages rather than a third-party "wipe tool" ad. For Android, the FTC phone article links Android Help to reset to factory settings; search that help page on a device you still control. This guide does not invent a Settings path that was not fetched.

After the reset

Confirm the next owner cannot open your mail, photos, or authenticator. Then recycle hardware you are not selling.

1. Confirm a setup screen, not your wallpaper.
2. If you are not keeping the phone number, the FTC says to update the number on file with accounts that use it to identify you.
3. Set up the authenticator app on the new phone before you rely on it. Unique passwords plus 2FA still matter if an old backup or inbox was in a leak — see check whether your email was in a data breach.
4. Recycle: the FTC says most computers contain hazardous materials that do not belong in a landfill, and points to the EPA electronics donation and recycling advice, the manufacturer, or a local electronics store.

You do not need a paid antivirus suite to wipe a device you already own. Microsoft Defender can be enough on the PC you keep.

FAQ

How do I wipe an iPhone before I sell it?

Back up, then Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings. Decide whether to keep or delete the eSIM, enter passcode and Apple Account password, and wait for the Hello screen.

Is signing out of iCloud enough?

No. The FTC and Apple both describe a full restore/reset so contacts, messages, photos, and browsing history are erased. Sign-out without erase is not the sale checklist.

What Windows reset option should I use to sell a laptop?

Remove everything. Enable Clean data if the PC is going to someone else. Keep my files is for a PC you will keep.

Does Reset this PC meet a professional data-wipe standard?

Microsoft says the consumer data-erasure option does not meet government and industry data erasure standards. For a household sale it is still the built-in path. This page will not call it a certified wipe.

What about the SIM card?

The FTC: remove it. Transfer it if you are keeping the number; destroy it if you will not reuse it. Remove an SD card too.

The phone is lost, not sold — is this the same guide?

No. Use lost phone checklist: lock Apple ID and Google account. You cannot factory-reset a device you do not have.

Do I need to buy antivirus to wipe a computer?

No. Backup, unlink, and factory-reset are account and OS steps. Microsoft Defender remains a valid buy-nothing choice on the PC you keep.

If you still want a paid suite

Wiping a phone or laptop before a sale does not require a new antivirus. Microsoft Defender is a valid buy-nothing choice for many Windows households. Habits that actually help are: back up first, remove SIM/SD, factory-reset, and confirm a setup screen. If the household later wants multi-device paid protection, use only these on-site paid links: TotalAV, Norton, Bitdefender, McAfee, Avast.