The iPhone Camera app has no single “reset” button. To get it back to its defaults, go to Settings > Apps > Camera > Preserve Settings and turn every switch off. The Camera app then opens in Photo mode with its standard settings each time, instead of remembering the last mode, filter or exposure you used. On iOS 17 and earlier, the path starts at Settings > Camera.
If you’ve also changed options like the grid, video resolution or formats, set those back by hand on the same Camera settings screen. As a last resort, Reset All Settings returns every setting on the iPhone, including the camera’s, to factory defaults without deleting your photos or other data.
How to reset the Camera app with Preserve Settings
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Camera. (On iOS 17 or earlier, tap Camera in the main Settings list.)
- Tap Preserve Settings.
- Turn off every switch on the screen. They turn gray.
- Swipe up to close the Camera app if it’s open, then open it again.
The Camera app now starts fresh each time: Photo mode, no filter or Photographic Style carried over, and exposure back at the center point. Any change you make during a session still works; it just isn’t remembered after you close the app.
What each Preserve Settings switch keeps
The list depends on your iPhone model, so you may see fewer or more rows than these:
| Switch | When it’s on, the Camera remembers |
|---|---|
| Camera Mode | The last mode you used, such as Video, Portrait or Pano, instead of starting in Photo |
| Creative Controls | Your last filter, lighting effect, depth setting or aspect ratio |
| Exposure Adjustment | Any brightness change you made with the exposure control |
| Night Mode | Whether you turned Night mode off, instead of letting it switch on automatically |
| Live Photo | Whether you turned Live Photos off, instead of turning them back on |
| Pro models: Apple ProRAW, Macro Control, Portrait Zoom, Action Mode | The last state of those Pro features |
Apple’s guide to saving camera settings describes the same switches.
Tip: Many people turn everything off except Live Photo. That way the camera starts clean, but if you prefer Live Photos off, it stays off.
Other camera settings to put back by hand
Preserve Settings only covers what the Camera app remembers between sessions. Options you change in Settings stay until you change them back. On the same Camera settings screen, check these:
- Formats: High Efficiency is the default and saves space. Most Compatible saves JPEG photos and bigger files.
- Record Video and Record Slo-mo: pick the resolution and frame rate you want. Higher settings use more storage.
- Grid and Level (under Composition): turn off if you don’t want the lines on screen.
- Mirror Front Camera: controls whether selfies are saved flipped, as you see yourself in the preview.
- Scan QR Codes and Show Detected Text: turn back on if the camera stopped reading codes or text.
- Photographic Styles: if every photo looks warmer, cooler or higher contrast than you expect, a style may be set. Choose Standard to go back to the default look.
In the Camera app itself, also check that the flash is set to Auto, the timer is off, and the zoom is back at 1x. For the timer specifically, see how to take a timed photo on iPhone.
How to reset all settings on iPhone (including the camera)
Use this if the camera still behaves oddly, or if you want every setting on the phone back to factory defaults. Your photos, apps, messages and other data stay on the iPhone.
Warning: Reset All Settings also clears your Wi-Fi passwords, wallpaper, location and privacy permissions, keyboard dictionary and other preferences. Make sure you know your Wi-Fi passwords before you start.
- Open Settings > General.
- Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
- Enter your passcode, then confirm Reset All Settings. The iPhone restarts with default settings.
Which reset do you need?
| Option | What it resets | Deletes your data? |
|---|---|---|
| Reset All Settings | Every setting, including the camera, network, keyboard and privacy settings | No |
| Reset Network Settings | Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular and VPN settings | No |
| Reset Keyboard Dictionary | Words the keyboard has learned | No |
| Reset Home Screen Layout | App arrangement on the Home Screen | No |
| Reset Location & Privacy | Location and privacy permissions for all apps | No |
| Erase All Content and Settings | Everything; returns the iPhone to factory state | Yes |
For the keyboard options, see how to reset the keyboard on iPhone. If you’re wiping the phone completely, read how to factory reset an iPhone and back it up first.
Camera still not working after a reset?
If the camera shows a black screen, won’t focus or the app won’t open, resetting settings usually isn’t the fix. Try these instead:
- Close the Camera app from the app switcher and reopen it.
- Switch between the front and rear cameras to see whether only one is affected.
- Remove any case or lens accessory and clean the lens with a soft cloth.
- Restart the iPhone.
- Install any update in Settings > General > Software Update.
If a third-party app can’t use the camera, check Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and make sure the app’s switch is on. If the camera still fails in every app, or the iPhone shows a temperature warning, contact Apple Support, since the camera hardware may need service.
Questions about resetting camera settings
Does resetting camera settings delete my photos?
No. Turning off Preserve Settings and using Reset All Settings don’t touch the Photos library. Only Erase All Content and Settings deletes photos.
Is the process different on iPhone 14?
No. The steps are the same on iPhone 14 and every other model running iOS 18 or later. Only the list of Preserve Settings switches changes by model.
Why does my camera keep opening in Video or Portrait mode?
Camera Mode is on in Preserve Settings. Turn it off and the Camera app opens in Photo mode every time.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.