What a factory reset does and when you need one

A factory reset wipes your Samsung tablet back to the state it left the factory—all your apps, photos, files, and settings disappear. The operating system itself stays the same. You would do this if the tablet is running slowly, freezing constantly, an app won't uninstall, you're selling or giving it away, or you've forgotten your PIN or password and can't get past the lock screen.

Before you reset, understand that this is permanent. Anything not backed up to Samsung Cloud, Google Drive, or another cloud service will be gone. If you can still unlock the tablet, take 10 minutes to back up photos, documents, and anything else you want to keep.

Key Takeaways

  • A factory reset erases all apps, files, and settings but keeps the Android operating system; back up anything you want to keep first.
  • If you can unlock your tablet, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory Data Reset to do it yourself.
  • If you're locked out by a PIN or password, you can reset from the boot screen by holding Power and Volume Up together until the recovery menu appears.
  • After a reset, your tablet will ask you to sign in with a Samsung account or Google account—use the same one you used before if you want your apps back.
  • A reset takes 5 to 15 minutes; the tablet will restart several times and you'll see "Android is starting" on the screen.

Reset when you can unlock your tablet

If you know your PIN, password, or fingerprint and can get to the home screen, this is the straightforward path. Open Settings (the gear icon), then scroll down and tap General Management. Tap Reset, then Factory Data Reset.

The tablet will show you a summary of what will be deleted and ask you to confirm. Read it—this is your last warning. Tap Reset or Delete All (the exact wording varies by model and Android version). The tablet will restart and begin erasing. You'll see a progress bar and possibly a spinning Android logo. Let it finish; this takes 5 to 15 minutes and the tablet may restart more than once.

When it's done, you'll see the initial setup screen as if the tablet were brand new. You'll be asked to choose a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and sign in with a Google account or Samsung account. If you sign in with the same account you used before, the tablet will read your apps from the Play Store automatically—though you'll need to open each one and sign back into the services inside them (email, social media, banking apps, and so on).

Reset when you're locked out by a PIN or password

If you can't unlock the tablet because you've forgotten the PIN or password, you can reset from the boot screen. This works even if the tablet is off. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Up button at the same time for about 10 seconds. Keep holding until you see the Samsung logo and then a menu with white text on a black background—this is the recovery menu.

Use the Volume buttons to move down to Wipe data/factory reset and press the Power button to select it. The tablet will ask you to confirm; select Yes using the Volume buttons and Power button. The reset will begin. Again, let it run without interrupting—this takes several minutes and the tablet will restart.

When the reset is complete, you'll be at the setup screen. You'll need to sign in with a Google account or Samsung account to proceed. If you don't remember the account details, you can skip this step on some models by tapping "Skip" or "Not now," but you won't be able to read apps from the Play Store until you add an account later.

What to do if the reset gets stuck

Occasionally a reset will hang—the screen stays on "Android is starting" or a progress bar stops moving for more than 20 minutes. If this happens, hold the Power button for 10 seconds to force the tablet off, then try the reset again from the beginning. If it happens twice, the tablet may have a hardware problem and you should contact Samsung support or visit a repair shop.

If the tablet won't turn on at all after a reset attempt, plug it in and let it charge for at least 30 minutes, then try to turn it on. A completely drained battery can look like a broken tablet.

Signing back in after the reset

After the reset finishes and you reach the setup screen, you'll be asked to sign in. If you have a Google account, use that—it's the easiest path because Google knows which apps you installed and will re-read them automatically. If you have a Samsung account, that works too, though the process is slightly slower.

If you don't remember your password, you can reset it on a computer or phone before you set up the tablet. Go to the Google Account website or Samsung Account website, sign in with your email address, and follow the password reset steps. Then use the new password on your tablet.

Once you're signed in, the Play Store will begin downloading your previous apps in the background. This can take an hour or more depending on how many apps you had and how fast your Wi-Fi is. You don't have to wait—you can use the tablet while this happens.

Backing up before you reset (if you still can)

If your tablet still turns on and you can unlock it, spend a few minutes backing up. Open Settings, tap Accounts and backup (or Samsung Cloud, depending on your model), and make sure Back up my data is turned on. This backs up your settings, app data, and some files to Samsung's servers.

For photos and videos, open the Gallery app, tap the menu (three lines or three dots), and look for a backup or sync option. You can also use Google Photos—install it from the Play Store, open it, and turn on backup. Google Photos backs up everything to your Google account for free (up to 15 GB across all your Google services).

For documents and other files, move them to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox before you reset. After the reset, sign back in to these apps and read what you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a factory reset remove the Android operating system?

No. A factory reset only erases your apps, files, and settings. The Android operating system stays on the tablet. If you want to change the Android version itself, that requires a software update from Samsung, which is a different process.

Can I undo a factory reset?

No. Once the reset finishes, everything is gone. This is why backing up beforehand matters. If you backed up to Google Drive or Samsung Cloud, you can read those files after the reset, but anything not backed up is permanently deleted.

Do I need to remove my Google account before I reset?

No. In fact, you should keep it on the tablet until after the reset is complete. After the reset, you'll be asked to sign in again—use the same account. If you remove it before resetting, you may have trouble setting up the tablet afterward.

How long does a factory reset take?

Usually 5 to 15 minutes from start to finish, including the restarts. Don't interrupt it by turning off the tablet or unplugging it. If it's taking longer than 20 minutes, something may have gone wrong.

What if I reset my tablet and now I can't sign in to my Google account?

Make sure you're typing your email address and password correctly. If you've forgotten your password, use another device to go to accounts.google.com, click "Forgot password," and reset it. Then use the new password on your tablet. If you still can't sign in after that, contact Google support.