Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

How to wipe your phone, laptop or tablet before you sell it

How to wipe your phone, laptop or tablet before you sell it

Woe betide anyone who ditches an unwanted device without completely deleting every last shred of personal data

You should always factory reset any gadget before you sell it online or donate it to a charity, friend or family member. This not only wipes any potentially sensitive data, it puts it back into the state you’d find when first unpacking the thing.

Below you’ll find a primer on how to factory reset almost all kinds of tech, from phones to wearables and games consoles. If we have not specifically covered the gadget you need to get rid of, have a dig around in its Settings menu. Reset controls are almost always found there.

Before you begin, it’s a good idea to make a mental checklist before resetting anything, particularly if it’s a phone or laptop you use regularly. Have you uploaded to the cloud any photos you want to keep? Have you forced WhatsApp to perform a chat backup? Have you double-checked you’ve backed up any files you want to keep from your laptop?

All done? Here’s how to do the job.

Windows laptops


A laptop is one of the most important devices to reset correctly, because in many cases it will hold even more sensitive information than your phone. And it may be stored in documents rather than email logins you can disable remotely.

Do to the job in Windows, type “reset” into the Start search box at the bottom left of the Windows home screen. An item called “reset this PC” should appear.

If it doesn’t, open Settings in the Start menu and you’ll find this reset feature in the Recovery tab. Select Get Started under the Reset This PC section and then select Remove Everything.

Selling your PC on to a stranger? Click Change Settings on the next page and then flick the Data Erasure slider to “on”. This makes the reset process actively wipe all your storage drives, overwriting each kilobyte, so no data can be reclaimed easily through forensic-style recovery techniques.

Microsoft makes resetting a PC very easy, which is nice.

MacBooks and Macs


You might expect Apple to make resetting a MacBook or Mac even easier than Microsoft does. This is not the case.

Reset the system and press the Command and R keys together to enter the recovery menu. Select Disk Utility in this menu and you should see the drives inside your system.

We need to wipe all of these bar the MacOS install partition, which is likely to appear at the bottom of the list. You do this by right-clicking and selecting Delete on each applicable drive.

This is an old-school approach to factory resetting a PC. It may seem a little scary at first, but this is what Windows 10 effectively does behind the scenes.

Once this is done, go back to the Recovery menu or reset and use the Command+R shortcut from a fresh start-up and select Install MacOS.

iPhones and iPads


Resetting an iOS device is a much friendlier experience. Head to the Settings menu, then the General sub-menu.

There’s a Reset option here, home to the 'Erase All Content and Settings' control we are after.

You’ll need to input your Apple ID password here, which is the one potential barrier. To its credit, Apple is very hot on its anti-theft procedures. You’ll need to recover your login if you can’t remember your password before prepping your iPhone or iPad for reselling.

Apple Watch


The quickest and easiest way to reset an Apple Watch is from the watch itself. Select General from the Settings menu and scroll all the way down to find Reset.

Google Chromebooks


Google went cutesy for the reset style of its Chromebook OS. It calls the procedure Powerwash, because it’s not just for folks looking to sell their old Chromebook on eBay. A Powerwash every few months can keep your Chromebook feeling snappy.

There are a few ways to start the procedure. Press Ctrl, Alt, Shift and “r” together from the login screen to bring up the Powerwash box. This one is handy if you can’t even get to the Chrome OS home screen.

Alternatively, from your home screen click the clock part of the dock at the bottom right of the screen and then click the Settings icon, which looks like a cog. Select Advanced towards the bottom of the main pane and scroll down to find Powerwash.

Android phones and tablets


Where you will find the reset option for Android varies slightly depending on the version of Android it runs, and if it uses a custom interface. Almost all do.

The standard spot in an Android phone is in the System part of Settings. It’s usually called Reset Options. Here you’ll find a set of reset styles, most of which are designed to solve problems if your phone starts misbehaving.

We want Erase All Data (Factory Reset), or similar. Android will throw up a prompt or two to make sure you aren’t doing this accidentally, and you’ll need to input your unlock PIN.

Is Reset Options not where you expect? What we tend to do when resetting an Android is to tap the search button in Settings — usually a magnifying glass at the top-right of the screen — and then type in “reset”. This should bring up the relevant shortcut. Then just select the Factory Reset option in the menu that follows.

Wear OS watches


Wear OS watches can often seem samey, but it also means there’s a nice consistent way to factory reset them.

Flick down from the top of the screen to bring up the pull-down menu. Tap the Settings button.

Scroll down to System and tap it. Then flick down and select Disconnect & Reset.

Microsoft Xbox One


Press the Home button on the Xbox gamepad. Select the cog/gear icon to get to the Settings menu. Go into System, then Console Info and Reset console.

Here you’ll find options to reset with and without removing data such as game installs. Choose Reset and Remove Everything to get the console to a factory fresh-style state.

Sony PS4


The most reliable way to factory reset your PS4 is to do so through its safe mode.

Turn the console off, then hold the power button on the PS4 itself (rather than the pad) until you hear two beeps. This launches it into safe mode.

This offers a basic troubleshooting-style menu that includes Initialise PS4 (Reinstall System Software), which is the option you need. It takes some time, but makes the console ready to sell on.

Nintendo Switch

There are two ways to reset a Nintendo Switch. The first is a factory reset that does not delete your save data. Don’t use this if you plan to sell your Switch, but it can be useful for other situations.

When the Switch is turned off, hold the volume up and down buttons and then press the power button to turn the console on. This should bring up a recovery display that lets you perform a factory reset without deleting save files.

For a full reset, turn your Nintendo Switch on and head to the System Settings menu. Go to the bottom of this menu and select System. At the very bottom of this screen you’ll find Formatting Options, which has the factory reset control we are after.

Kindles


Prepping a Kindle to sell on is a little different to most other gadgets. While there is a “reset” option in the Settings menu under the Device Options sub-menu, the most important part of the process is elsewhere.

You need to “deregister” it. This untethers the Kindle from your Amazon account. The Register Device control lives in the Your Account area in Settings.

Perform both a reset and deregister to get your Kindle back to its box-fresh state. Can’t find the Settings menu? Tap towards the top of the screen, then tap Settings and All Settings in the pop-up that should appear.

Sonos speakers


Resetting a Sonos speaker is not quite as important as wiping a laptop, but it’s a good idea if you want to sell a speaker on and avoid the buyer complaining they can’t get it setup.

Unplug the speaker and hold either the Join, Play/Pause or Mute as you plug the power cable back in. The buttons needed depends on which is actually on the speaker — this varies by model.

Continue holding the button for a while. When the process is complete the on-speaker LED should flash green.

Garmin Forerunner and Fenix watches


Garmin’s reset process may vary a little depending on your model, but it should be similar across Forerunner, Fenix, Vivoactive and Instinct lines.

Long-press the “up” button or use the touchscreen to navigate to the Settings menu. Select System and scroll down to Reset. Choose Delete Data and Reset Settings in this menu to fully reset the wearable.

Huawei and Honor smartwatches


Huawei and Honor watches use the same software. The reset procedure is very similar across models, bar the companies’ basic fitness bands.

In the Settings menu you’ll find a Reset entry that lets you set the watch back to its original state. But you may need to get the battery to a certain charge level before it will run.

Comments

Oh ya 3 year ago
I find just throwing them in the burn barrel works very well also

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×