WIPING YOUR DEVICE

Windows 10 includes an easy way to wipe your laptop and return it to how it was when you bought it. ​

Go to 'Start' > 'Settings' > 'Update & security' > 'Recovery'. Click 'Get started' and follow the instructions given by your device.

Select 'Reset PC' and then 'Remove Everything'.

This video talks you through the process. Depending on the age of your laptop, you may not have to follow each stage in the video (such as finding the 'recovery key'). Good luck and contact us if you can't manage it!

Wiping a laptop running Windows 8 or 8.1 is very similar. Go to 'Settings', then 'Update and Security', then 'Recovery'. Select 'Remove everything' and then 'Remove files and clean the drive'. Or follow the instructions in this video!

To wipe your Chromebook, sign out of it. Then press and hold 'Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r' at the same time. Select Restart, and then select 'Powerwash'. Press 'Continue'. 

More information can be found in this tutorial.

• Sign out of your iTunes account by going to iTunes > Account > Authorisations > Deauthorise This Computer.

• Sign out of iCloud. To sign out, go to System Preferences > iCloud > Sign Out.

• Sign out of iMessage so that you don't miss any texts. Go to Preferences > Accounts and then click the "Sign out" option.

• Finally, delete everything off your Mac and then reinstall the OS X system.
  To do this, restart your computer. As it boots up, hold the Command key and R key. You'll be taken to MacOS Utilities, where you should select Disk Utility. When you see your hard drive, select it, and then go to the "Erase" tab. Here, select "Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)" > Erase.

• Now, reinstall the OS X system. This should be an option after you erase your hard drive and exit Disk Utility. The window will show several options, but select the "Reinstall macOS" one. However, if you have an older Mac, you will need to reinstall the OS X system with the original CD that the computer came with.

• Turn off your laptop once the OS system is done installing. To do so, hold both the Command and Q keys and then choose "Shut Down." After this, you should be good to go.

More information on how to wipe an Apple Mac laptop can be found here.

You can securely erase your personal information, content, and settings (such as privacy and network settings) from your iPhone/iPad. When you erase your device, it’s restored to factory settings. The following instructions are for iPhones with iOS 18, or iPads with iPadOS 18. Find the instructions for iPhones with other iOSs here and iPads here.

Erase iPhone using Settings

1. Go to Settings  > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad

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. If you erase your eSIM, you need to contact your carrier to reactivate your cellular plan.

To remove all data from your phone or tablet, you can reset your phone to factory settings. Factory resets are also called 'formatting' or 'hard resets'.

If your phone or tablet came with an older operating system, you can skip to the next step. If you are unsure which version your device is running, you can find that out by going to "Settings" > "About device/phone" > "Software info."

• To deactivate the FRP:

1. Go to "Settings."

2. Select "Accounts."

3. Tap on your account.

4. Choose "Remove Account."

• Sign out of Android Beta if you have Pixel or Nexus phones.

• Encrypt your data. A simple factory reset won’t ensure that everything is wiped out from your device, so all your files could be easily recovered. Encrypted data means that even if the new owner of your device tries to restore all your data, they won’t be able to access it.

1. Go to "Settings, Security & location."

2. Tap "Encryption & credentials."

3. Tap "Encrypt phone/device."

• Upload dummy data. For an extra layer of security before you wipe your Android device, you can upload junk data before performing a factory reset. To make use of junk data, just upload a few video files or any other data to fill your internal phone storage. This method will make restoring the sensitive data you’ve already encrypted virtually impossible to decrypt.