user87398: I've loaded a sketch onto Arduino using the Ardunio IDE and it works but when I press the reset button I realize it doesn't remove the program. Is there a way to unload the program? Why? Because when I take it apart to put it away I don't know if having that program turning pins on or off and having nothing connected to it would break anything.

user42015: Frist: The Arduino cannot break when nothing is connected to it, doesn't matter what the code does.
If you want to remove the current code from the Arduino, you have to overwrite it with an empty sketch (one with only setup() and loop(), both empty). So upload an empty sketch.
The reset button is not meant for erasing the code. It is meant to return the Arduino in a definited starting state (not erasing program space or EEPROM) and executing the program on the Arduino (including the bootloader) from its start.

user313: You can't remove a program by resetting the Arduino. If you want to be sure that it can't activate any pins in your next experiment, then just before you finish with it, upload a new program that does nothing, such as the Basics | Bare Minimum example program. It will effectively replace the previous program.
At power-up, all of your pins[*] get configured as inputs during power-up. With the Bare Minimum program, nothing will change those pins, until you start writing & uploading new code that modifies them.
[*] Note that the bootloader will re-configure pin-1, the serial transmitter pin, as an output.

87398: <p>I've loaded a sketch onto Arduino using the Ardunio IDE and it works but when I press the reset button I realize it doesn't remove the program. Is there a way to unload the program? Why? Because when I take it apart to put it away I don't know if having that program turning pins on or off and having nothing connected to it would break anything.</p>
 42015: <p>Frist: The Arduino cannot break when nothing is connected to it, doesn't matter what the code does.</p>
<p>If you want to remove the current code from the Arduino, you have to overwrite it with an empty sketch (one with only <code>setup()</code> and <code>loop()</code>, both empty). So upload an empty sketch.</p>
<p>The reset button is not meant for erasing the code. It is meant to return the Arduino in a definited starting state (not erasing program space or EEPROM) and executing the program on the Arduino (including the bootloader) from its start.</p>
 313: <p>You can't remove a program by resetting the Arduino. If you want to be sure that it can't activate any pins in your next experiment, then just before you finish with it, upload a new program that does nothing, such as the Basics | Bare Minimum example program. It will effectively replace the previous program.</p>
<p>At power-up, all of your pins[*] get configured as inputs during power-up. With the Bare Minimum program, nothing will change those pins, until you start writing &amp; uploading new code that modifies them.</p>
<p>[*] Note that the bootloader will re-configure pin-1, the serial transmitter pin, as an output.</p>
