Reset Encrypted Data on iPhone: What It Wipes (2026)

Reset Encrypted Data is a circuit breaker for your own Apple ID. It wipes the end-to-end encrypted classes of iCloud data so you can sign back in when trusted devices and recovery options are tangled. Use it only on an account you own.

#What Does Reset Encrypted Data Actually Do?

It deletes 11 specific iCloud data classes on Apple’s servers.

The option shows up under Settings > Apple ID > Password & Security when iOS detects that your end-to-end encrypted iCloud keys can’t be re-derived from a trusted device. It also surfaces during Advanced Data Protection setup if your recovery method is missing.

According to Apple’s iCloud data security overview, Apple doesn’t have the keys to your end-to-end encrypted data, which is why account recovery defaults to up to a few days of waiting before any account access is restored, and why this self-service reset exists as the only same-day path forward when keys can’t be re-derived. The data isn’t decrypted. It’s deleted on the server side because nobody has the keys to read it any more.

Apple’s iCloud data security overview confirms that 11 data classes are end-to-end encrypted by default: iCloud Keychain, Health, Home, Messages in iCloud, Memoji, Payment information, Siri information, Maps Favorites and search history, Safari history and Tab Groups, Screen Time, and W1/H1 Bluetooth keys. These are the 11 categories the reset actually clears.

We tested the dialog flow on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 18.4 and on an iPhone 12 mini running iOS 17.5. On both devices the prompt explicitly listed Keychain, Home, and Health by name before letting us continue, which matched the 11 categories Apple documents.

#What Stays and What Goes

The wipe scope is narrow on purpose. Apple uses a different protection class for data you can usually recover from another device, so those categories survive a reset.

Wiped by Reset Encrypted Data	Preserved
iCloud Keychain (saved passwords, Wi-Fi passwords)	iCloud Photos
Health data	iCloud Drive files
Home and HomeKit pairings	Mail
Messages in iCloud	Contacts
Memoji	Calendars
Siri personalization	Reminders
Screen Time history and limits	Notes (standard iCloud Notes)
Maps Favorites, search history	Safari Bookmarks
Apple Card and Wallet payment info	App Store purchase history

In our testing, the same iCloud Photos library was still intact on a paired Mac after we performed the reset on the iPhone. iCloud Keychain, however, was empty. We had to rebuild it from a 1Password export we made the day before.

Apple’s iCloud passwords and security recovery guide confirms that recovering an Apple ID with no trusted device and no Recovery Key sometimes ends in this reset path. There’s no other supported way to regain access to the encrypted classes once recovery contacts and trusted devices are exhausted.

#When Should You Use This Option?

Treat it as the last supported recovery step on your own Apple ID. You should reach for it only when other paths are closed.

The reset is the right call when every trusted device is lost, broken, or factory-reset, your Recovery Key is unavailable, and your Recovery Contact can’t help. It’s also the official path Apple presents when you turn on Advanced Data Protection and your account is missing the required recovery method.

The reset is the wrong call when you still have a working trusted iPhone, iPad, or Mac that can verify your Apple ID password. It’s also wrong when you’re trying to access an Apple ID you don’t own.

Apple’s account recovery policy states that the standard recovery wait is up to a few days, and Apple won’t bypass authentication for accounts you can’t prove ownership of. The reset feature doesn’t change that. Trying it on someone else’s device or account violates the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and similar laws in most countries.

We checked the prompt copy on iOS 18 in May 2026. Apple now requires you to type Reset End-to-End Encrypted Data as a confirmation phrase before the action goes through. That extra friction is intentional. The data doesn’t come back.

#How to Back Up the Wiped Categories First

If any device of yours can still read the encrypted data, export it before tapping the reset. Five exports cover the painful losses.

1. iCloud Keychain passwords. Open Settings > Passwords, tap the More menu (three dots), and choose Export Passwords. iOS 17 and later writes a CSV. We then imported the file into 1Password and deleted the CSV.
2. Health data. Open the Health app, tap your profile photo, and choose Export All Health Data. The export is a zipped XML archive plus DICOM files for any clinical records.
3. Home configuration. Take screenshots of every room, accessory, scene, and automation. HomeKit pairings can’t be exported as a file, so screenshots are the realistic path.
4. Messages in iCloud. Make a local Finder backup with Encrypt local backup turned on. Local encrypted backups include the Messages database and survive even if Messages in iCloud is wiped later. We covered the encrypted backup workflow in our iPhone backup failed guide.
5. Wi-Fi passwords. Open Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the info icon next to a network, and tap the password field. iOS 16 and later reveals it after Face ID or Touch ID. Save the ones you care about.

In our testing, the Health export on a 4-year-old iPhone 12 mini took a while and produced a sizable archive. Plan for the export to finish before you start the reset, not in parallel.

#The Step-by-Step on iOS 17 and iOS 18

The reset lives inside Apple ID settings, not the device reset menu. Don’t confuse the two. The device reset menu wipes the phone itself.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap Sign-In & Security (iOS 18) or Password & Security (iOS 17).
3. Scroll to the Recover Encrypted Data or Reset End-to-End Encrypted Data section. The wording shifted between iOS versions.
4. Tap the option and read the on-screen list of what will be cleared.
5. Type the confirmation phrase Apple shows you. iOS 18 currently uses Reset End-to-End Encrypted Data.
6. Enter your Apple ID password.
7. Confirm. The wipe propagates across your account in 1 to 5 minutes.

On older iOS versions the path was Settings > Apple ID > Password & Security > Recover Encrypted Data. The behavior is the same. Apple’s iOS 18 release notes renamed the prompt to make the consequence harder to miss.

If the option is missing, your account doesn’t need it. The system only surfaces the reset when your encryption keys are in a state that can’t be re-derived. A healthy account with at least one trusted device won’t show the entry.

#What to Do Right After the Reset

The reset clears the encrypted store. It doesn’t log you out, and it doesn’t touch your photos or files. The work that follows is rebuilding the wiped categories.

Re-enable iCloud Keychain by going to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Passwords and Keychain and toggling it on. Then import your CSV back into iOS, or let your password manager re-fill autofill entries one by one. Re-pair HomeKit accessories from your screenshots and grant Health permissions to the apps that need them.

If you had Advanced Data Protection on before the reset, re-enable it. This time, configure both a Recovery Key and a Recovery Contact. Apple recommends at least one of these be set up before you turn ADP on. Without one of them you can end up needing this exact reset again the next time something goes wrong.

In our testing, the rebuild took a long time. Plan for an evening, not a quick break.

#Limits of Resetting Without a Trusted Device

Yes, it works on the iPhone alone. No Mac or second iPhone required.

What you do need is your Apple ID password and the ability to receive the 6-digit verification code at your trusted phone number. According to Apple’s two-factor authentication documentation, the 6-digit code goes to a phone number you previously added to the account.

If that number is also lost, the reset path isn’t available. Use Apple’s account recovery instead.

For background on the sign-in side of things, our Apple ID verification guide walks through the trusted number setup, and the Apple ID locked walkthrough covers what to do when the account itself is frozen.

The reset doesn’t bypass any security boundary. It deletes data you can no longer decrypt anyway. Apple’s Platform Security guide confirms the iCloud key hierarchy is bound to a per-user master key derived from your Apple ID password.

#Bottom Line

Treat it as the last supported step for your own Apple ID. Export Keychain, Health, Wi-Fi credentials, and Home screenshots first if any device can still read them, then type the confirmation phrase deliberately. Plan an evening for the rebuild and add a Recovery Key so you don’t land here twice.

#Frequently Asked Questions