How to Set Up an iPhone from Scratch

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: May 25, 2021

When acquiring an iPhone for the first time, the setup process can appear a little daunting. If you don't want to restore your phone from a backup (or have no backup from which to restore), you can set up your new iPhone the old-fashioned way: from scratch.

Steps

1
Press your Home button.
2
Select your preferred language.

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3
Select a country or region.
4
Tap a WiFi network. Alternatively, you can tap Use Cellular Connection to proceed without wifi (if so, skip forward to location settings).
5
Enter your wifi password.
6
Tap Join.
7
Choose to disable or enable location settings. You can always change this setting later if you change your mind.
8
Type in your preferred passcode. You can also tap Passcode Options, which displays the following options:
- Custom Alphanumeric Code - Allows for letters and symbols as well as letters. No character limit.
- Custom Numeric Code - No character limit.
- 4-Digit Numeric Code - Depending on your phone model, this might say "6-Digit Numeric Code" instead.
- Don't Add Passcode - Proceed without a passcode.
9
Re-enter your passcode.
10
Tap Set Up as New iPhone. Your other options here are as follows:
- Restore from iCloud Backup
- Restore from iTunes Backup
- Move Data from Android
11
Enter your Apple ID information. This includes your Apple ID and the accompanying password.
- If you forgot your Apple ID, tap the "Don't have an Apple ID or forgot it?" link.
- You can also tap the "Use different Apple ID's for iCloud and iTunes?" link here if it pertains to you.
12
Tap Next.
13
Review the Terms and Conditions.
14
Tap Agree.
15
Set up your Keychain. You can also tap the "Later" option here.
16
Tap Turn On Siri. You can also tap Turn on Siri later.
17
Decide whether or not to send diagnostics to Apple. Tapping Send to Apple will automatically send error updates to Apple, while tapping Don't Send will disable this feature.
18
Tap Get Started. You have successfully set up your iPhone from scratch! Now you can customize your settings, add contacts, and more.

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Community Q&A

Question

Where can I find the activate iPhone settings in my iPhone?

Minorite

Community Answer

iPhones are activated automatically via Wi-Fi or cell data during setup. Note that some US carriers require activation via a call (extremely rare case, check with your carrier support if needed).
Question

I forgot my Apple ID and pass code. I set it to find my phone. What can I do?

Epic vs awesome Connor and Ava

Community Answer

Reboot your phone to factory mode or contact Apple with your credentials. They can help you recover your password.
Question

How do I complete the ID process on payment?

🌻 Summer 🌻

Community Answer

You can put your credit card, or you can just put "None" and then move on to the next step.