How to Restore an iPod Touch

Your iPod Touch is full of songs, information and other data, that you have installed. But if the data gets erased by accident, or if something happens, and you want the device back to its default settings, what can you do? The answer is restore it. The iPod Touch has a restore option, where you can restore data from a backup, or restore the original factory settings, that came with the device when it was new. Along with resetting a forgotten password and resetting the entire device, how to restore an iPod Touch is a common query. In this article, the steps for restoring data from a backup, restoring the iPod Touch to factory settings and restoring a stuck or frozen device, are explained.

How to Restore an iPod Touch - Important Points

Before carrying out any of the steps mentioned below, you need to understand the real meaning of restore. When you restore an iPod Touch, all the data stored on the iPod Touch will be erased, including music, videos, calendar information and personalized settings like themes and passwords. The device is formatted and the original factory settings are present on the iPod Touch. Unless you have created a backup of your data using the iTunes sync feature, all the data present is lost during restoration. It is best to keep an up-to-date backup of your data, using the sync feature. Read all the steps first, before performing any.

How to Restore an iPod Touch to Factory Settings

• Before restoring, check that the iTunes software is installed and running on your computer, and that the most recent version is present.
• Connect the iPod Touch to your computer, using the provided USB cable.
• In iTunes software, look for Devices on the sidebar and under that pane, the iPod Touch icon should appear. Select it.
• Select the Summary tab.
• Select the Restore option.
• You will receive a prompt to back up your settings before restoring. If you have not recently created a backup, click on the Back Up button. If you have a backup of your data, click on the Don't Back Up button.
• Select the Restore button in the next prompt.
• Do not touch or click anything on the computer's screen or the iPod Touch, until the restoration process is over.
• Once the process is over, a prompt appears, the iPod Touch restarts and shows the Apple logo.
• The iPod Touch has been successfully restored to factory settings.

How to Restore an iPod Touch from Backup

• Connect the iPod Touch to your computer, using the USB cable.
• The iTunes software should load automatically. If not, click on the iTunes icon to launch the software.
• Look for the Devices tab in the sidebar. Click on it and your iPod Touch will be displayed below.
• Right-click your iPod Touch and select the Restore From Back Up option.
• iTunes will now restore your iPod Touch with a previously created backup.

The above steps will work, provided you have previously backed up your data. Restoring from a backup, means that the settings, data and application information, which you made a backup of, has been restored. For example, if you had 20 songs, and your backup has 25, when you restore from backup, your song collection has 25 songs. But a software restore, (the first how-to) erases all the content present on the iPod Touch, and restores to factory default settings. It's like the iPod Touch is just out of the box. Always update your iTunes software, prior to any restoring and backing up processes.

How to Restore an iPod Touch - Frozen or Stuck Device

When your iPod Touch goes into a frozen or unresponsive state, it should be forced into "Recovery" mode, to be restored.

• Connect one end of your USB cable into the USB port on your computer. Do not plug in the other end of the cord into the iPod Touch yet.
• Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button (the button on the top of the iPod Touch), until a red slider image appears on the screen. It says "slide to power off". Slide it to the "OFF" position. Wait until the iPod Touch shuts down.
• Now hold the Home button (the main square button on the iPod Touch) and the Sleep button at the same time, until the Apple logo appears. The iPod Touch has now restarted successfully. If the device is still unresponsive, then please see the next steps.
• Update your iTunes software, or reinstall the software with the latest version.
• Launch the iTunes software. Press and hold the Home button on your iPod Touch, while plugging in the USB cable to the iPod Touch.
• Hold down the Home and Sleep button on the iPod Touch until a message appears on the iTunes software, asking to restore factory settings.
• Click Yes and let the iTunes program reset the device.

After these steps, the iPod Touch is reset to factory settings and should work, but all your data will be lost. You can use the above "how to restore an iPod Touch from backup" steps to restore your data from a backup. iTunes is the provided and necessary software for managing your iPod Touch. For erasing, restoring and transferring files, you should use the iTunes software only. There are some external software, available on the Internet, which can be used to manage your iPod Touch, without iTunes. But these freeware products come with a risk of viruses or worms and their effects are unpredictable. The recommended procedure is to use the iTunes software itself. If the software is not functioning, uninstall it from your PC and then download and install the latest version from the official Apple site.

The best practice with maintaining data, is regular backups. That way, even if you have to erase everything on your iPod Touch, at least you can easily restore it and so nothing is actually lost. When carrying out any restoration procedure, be patient. Don't press buttons on the device or open other programs when the iTunes is restoring your iPod Touch.