How to Erase the Content of Your Zune Without the Zune Software

By Neil Edwards

i Handout/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The Zune portable media player by Microsoft can hold music, video and picture files as well as personal information such as Zune Marketplace account details. It is a good idea to remove all data from a Zune before giving it away, selling it or discarding it, and you may occasionally need to reset a Zune to its factory default state to fix a malfunction. You can restore a Zune and remove all the data on it without needing to connect the Zune to a computer.

Step 1

Turn your Zune off and place the hold switch in the unlocked position.

Step 2

Press the back button and the top of the Zune pad at the same time, and continue to hold the buttons until the Zune turns on.

Step 3

Hold down the back button, the center of the Zune pad, and the play/pause button at the same time if your Zune has a capacity of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 80GB or 120GB. If you have a 30GB Zune, hold the back button, the center of the Zune pad and the left side of the Zune pad instead. Continue to hold these buttons until the Zune restarts and displays the "Please wait" message, indicating the content is being cleared.

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