How to Factory Reset Your Apple TV

This article explains how to reset your Apple TV back to factory settings if you're having problems with the device and restarting didn't work.

How to Reset an Apple TV

If you have an Apple TV running tvOS 12 or later, perform a factory reset via the Apple TV using your remote. Note that performing a factory reset erases all your data, account information, and configurations.

1. With your Apple TV remote, navigate to Settings on your Apple TV.

2. Select System > Reset. (On an Apple TV 3rd generation, you'd select General > Reset.)

   Select System > Reset, and then select Reset and Update if you want to update your Apple TV to the latest tvOS version while restoring it to factory settings.

3. Your Apple TV will begin the reset process. This process can take some time, so be patient. When finished, your Apple TV will be restored to its original factory settings.
   

What if the Apple TV Doesn't Reset Properly?

The process of resetting to factory settings can take a while, but something may be amiss if the Apple TV doesn't respond even after you've given it ample time. If this happens and you have an Apple TV 4K, contact Apple support.

If you have an Apple TV HD, you can try to reset the device using a Mac or Windows PC. Your exact steps depend on your computer and its OS.

Reset an Apple TV With a Mac Running Catalina or Later

If you have a Mac running macOS Catalina or later, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Apple TV's power and HDMI cables.

2. Connect your Mac running Catalina or later to your Apple TV via a USB cable.

3. Launch Finder, select your Apple TV, and choose Restore.

Reset an Apple TV With a PC or Mac Running Mojave or Earlier

If you have a Mac running Mojave or earlier, or you're using a Windows PC, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Apple TV's power and HDMI cables.

2. Connect your Mac (running Mojave or earlier) or PC to your Apple TV via a USB cable.

3. Launch iTunes, select your Apple TV from the Source list, and choose Restore.

How Does an Apple TV Reset and Restart Differ?

Resetting an Apple TV to factory settings is different from restarting the device. Restarting is a standard troubleshooting step to try if you're having common Apple TV problems.

To restart your Apple TV, on the Apple TV remote, press and hold the Menu and Home buttons simultaneously until the Apple TV status light starts blinking. Or, use your remote to navigate to the Apple TV's Settings, and then select System > Restart.

When other troubleshooting steps have failed, resetting an Apple TV to factory settings is a last-resort option. Resetting is also appropriate if you're selling or giving away your Apple TV and want to wipe the device of all your data.

Why Would I Reset an Apple TV to Factory Settings?

There are a few reasons you might want to reset your Apple TV:

• You suffered a bandwidth outage during a system software upgrade, causing the upgrade to fail.
• You're selling your TV and don't want the new owner to have access to your account info and data.
• You're experiencing issues that restarting hasn't solved.
• You attempted to jailbreak the device, and it didn't go well.