[2026] How to Erase iPhone with Broken Screen in 4 Ways

Your iPhone screen is cracked or completely black, leaving you unable to tap, swipe or enter your passcode. You need to erase it before repair or resale, but you cannot even get past the lock screen.

Quick answer: Use a computer restore when the broken-screen iPhone can connect and enter recovery mode, or Find My when it was enabled and the phone can receive an erase request. This guide explains how to erase iPhone with broken screen, including the requirements for each method and what to check before permanently deleting local data.

Make a broken-screen reset easier to follow with iMyFone LockWiper. Device detection, firmware handling and erase instructions are organized on your computer.

Yes, if the iPhone can receive a remote erase or communicate with a computer through a supported restore workflow. A working data port, relevant buttons or an online Find My connection may be required. If the hardware cannot connect at all, arrange service first.

Before selecting a method, check for an existing backup and confirm access to the linked Apple Account. Erasing removes local data; it does not repair the screen or automatically remove Activation Lock.

1 How to Factory Reset iPhone with Broken Screen via iMyFone LockWiper?

Take control of the reset process with iMyFone LockWiper iPhone unlocker. Device detection, firmware download and screen-unlock instructions are organized in one desktop workflow, making the steps easier to follow when normal touch controls are unavailable.

Bring the steps to factory reset iPhone together on your computer. LockWiper gives you clear connection instructions and progress updates as you prepare the device for a fresh setup.

Key Features of iMyFone LockWiper:

• Erase Without Screen Access: Follow the reset process from your computer when normal touch controls are unavailable.
• Secure Data Wipe: Prepare the device for repair, recycling or transfer with an organized erase workflow.
• Device-specific guidance: Follow the connected-device workflow, with details for models such as iPhone 16 and systems such as iOS 26 in the product guide.
• iTunes/iCloud Alternative: Bring the steps to wipe iPhone with unresponsive screen together in one guided desktop process.
• Clear progress updates: Keep device detection, firmware handling and erase confirmation visible at each stage.
• Other Features: Also remove Apple ID from iPhone/iPad, work through MDM and manage Screen Time codes with dedicated modes in the same app.

Here's how to factory reset iPhone with broken screen via iMyFone LockWiper.

Step 1: Install LockWiper and choose Unlock Screen Passcode. Continue to Start to Unlock only after reading the mode’s erase warning.

Step 2: Choose Start and connect the iPhone by USB. Follow the model-specific recovery instructions if the device is not detected normally.

Step 3: To reset your iPhone to factory settings when the screen is broken, you need to download the firmware file. Click the Download button to get it.

Step 4: Verify the firmware and read the data-loss warning before choosing Unlock. Complete any required confirmation and keep the device connected.

Wait for the completion message, then verify that setup begins. Complete any linked-account activation requirement and restore a usable backup if you intend to keep the phone.

Here's a video that guides you to reset iPhone with broken screen without passcode.

2 How to Wipe an iPhone with a Broken Screen via Recovery Mode of iTunes?

Recovery mode allows a supported iPhone to be restored from a computer without navigating the Home Screen. Use Finder on a modern Mac, Apple Devices on Windows or iTunes where applicable.

This process erases local content. A new backup may not be possible if you cannot unlock or trust the computer, so check for existing backups and synced files before proceeding.

Now, let's see how to reset an iPhone with a broken screen by this Recovery Mode method.

Step 1: Open the appropriate computer app and connect the phone with a reliable data cable. If the port, cable or buttons do not work, the restore may require hardware service.

Step 2: Enter recovery mode for the model. Keep holding the required button combination until the computer-recognized recovery state, not merely the Apple logo.

Step 3: When the device is detected in recovery mode, select the Restore button from the two options to factory reset iPhone if screen doesn't work.

Step 4: Let the matching firmware download finish, then complete the restore. Duration varies; if recovery mode exits during a long download, enter it again after the download finishes.

Note

Keep the cable connected during restoration. If the phone exits recovery mode while firmware is downloading, let the download finish and re-enter recovery mode. Repeated detection failures can indicate a cable, port or hardware problem.

3 How to Reset iPhone with Broken Screen via DFU Mode of iTunes?

If a normal recovery restore fails, follow the computer error guidance and check hardware before considering DFU. DFU is more timing-sensitive and is not automatically a better solution for a broken display.

Device Firmware Update mode can support a restore for certain cases, but the procedure depends on the model and working buttons. It erases content and does not fix the screen or bypass Activation Lock.

Let's see how to put your iPhone into DFU Mode and perform a full reset when the screen doesn't work.

Step 1: Launch iTunes again, then connect the iPhone to the computer via the USB cable.

Step 2: Follow to put iPhone into DFU Mode.

Step 3: In DFU, the display normally stays black, but a broken black screen is not proof of DFU. Confirm detection in the computer app.

Step 4: When the computer recognizes a device needing restoration, choose Restore iPhone only if you are ready to erase. Review any error before repeating the sequence.

Step 5: Keep the device connected until restoration finishes. A fixed 20–25-minute estimate is not guaranteed; firmware download and hardware state affect the time.

iMyFone LockWiper

Make the reset steps easier to follow with LockWiper. Its desktop workflow brings device detection, firmware handling and erase guidance together on your computer.

Free Download

Official Download

4 How to Erase an iPhone with a Broken Screen via iCloud?

Find My is an option when it was enabled before the screen broke and the phone can get online. The browser can send the request remotely, but the iPhone must receive it before erasure can occur.

To wipe an iPhone with a broken screen using iCloud, here's how to do to protect the privacy of your data.

Step 1: Open iCloud's website and sign in to the Apple Account linked to this iPhone. Use the Find Devices page to avoid selecting an unrelated device.

Step 2: Open Find Devices and select the broken iPhone. Compare the model or name carefully before continuing.

Step 3: Choose Erase iPhone or Erase This Device and confirm. An offline request remains pending until the phone reconnects. Do not remove a lost or stolen phone from Find My.

Check for an existing iCloud or computer backup before wiping. A broken screen can prevent a fresh backup if the phone needs its passcode or a new trust approval.

For a computer backup, the device must be accessible to the computer under the required trust and unlock conditions. A previous connection alone is not a guarantee, especially after a restart.

Step 1: Open Finder, Apple Devices or iTunes as appropriate, then connect the iPhone. If it requests an on-device passcode or trust approval you cannot complete, stop before erasing.

Step 2: Select your iPhone from the top bar on iTunes window.

Step 3: Click Back Up Now, then click again to confirm backup.

Step 4: Confirm the backup completed and check its recorded date. Keep the encryption password if you created an encrypted computer backup.

Note

A trusted computer may help, but a restarted or locked phone can still require on-device authentication. If a fresh backup is impossible, check existing backups and synced cloud data.

Choose the erase route according to the phone’s actual connection and hardware state. Check backups first, use Find My only when the phone can receive the request, and understand the activation requirements after restoration.

For a guided desktop reset, iMyFone LockWiper combines device detection, firmware handling and clear erase instructions in one app. Keep the process organized as you prepare the iPhone for its next setup.

1．How to erase iPhone with broken screen and no internet?

A USB restore may work without internet on the iPhone, but the computer may need internet to obtain firmware. Find My cannot complete a remote erase until the phone goes online. A cached firmware file does not remove all activation or hardware requirements.

2．How to wipe an iPhone with buttons?

Buttons alone do not provide a universal factory-reset sequence. They can put the phone in a recovery state for a computer restore. Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings > Continue is a Settings route and requires usable on-device controls.

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Article by

Melvin Cooper

Melvin Cooper has over 10 years of experience in the technology industry and is an expert at providing tips and handy solutions to Apple and Android users. Dedicated to helping millions of users improve their experience with mobile devices, he has maintained an impressive record of solving problems.