What a factory reset does and when you need one

A factory reset wipes your Samsung phone back to the state it left the factory — all your photos, messages, apps, and settings disappear. The operating system stays, but everything you added or changed is gone. You need this when your phone is sluggish or freezing, when you are selling or giving it away, when an app keeps crashing and nothing else fixes it, or when you forgot your PIN or pattern and cannot get in.

Before you reset, understand that this cannot be undone. Back up anything you want to keep — photos, contacts, messages — to Google Drive, Samsung Cloud, or your computer. Once you start the reset, those files are gone from the phone.

Key Takeaways

  • A factory reset erases everything on your phone and returns it to factory settings, so back up your photos, contacts, and messages first.
  • You can reset from Settings on most Samsung phones by going to General Management, then Reset, then Factory Data Reset.
  • If you cannot get into your phone, you can force a reset using hardware buttons — the exact button combination depends on your Samsung model.
  • After a reset, your phone will ask you to sign in with a Google account, and you can restore backed-up data from that account.
  • A reset takes 5 to 15 minutes and your phone will restart several times during the process.

Reset from Settings when you can unlock your phone

If your phone turns on and you can enter your PIN, pattern, or password, the easiest path is through Settings. Open Settings, then scroll down and tap General Management (on some older Samsung models this may say Backup and Reset). Tap Reset, then tap Factory Data Reset.

The phone 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 depending on your model. The phone will ask for your PIN or password one more time to make sure you really want to do this. Enter it, then tap Reset again.

Your phone will restart and show a progress bar. This takes 5 to 15 minutes. Do not turn off the phone or remove the battery during this time. When it finishes, the phone will restart again and show the setup screen, as if it is brand new.

Force a reset using hardware buttons if you cannot unlock the phone

If your phone will not turn on, is frozen, or you forgot your PIN, you can force a reset by holding down buttons while the phone starts up. The button combination varies by Samsung model, but the most common is Power + Volume Up held together until the recovery menu appears.

On some older Samsung models, the combination is Power + Volume Down + Home. On newer models without a Home button, it is usually Power + Volume Up. If neither works, search online for your exact model number — you can find it in Settings under About Phone, or on the back of the phone — and the correct button combination.

When the recovery menu appears, you will see text options. Use the Volume buttons to move down to Wipe data/factory reset and press Power to select it. The menu will ask you to confirm. Select Yes using the Volume buttons and press Power. The reset will start and take 5 to 15 minutes. When it finishes, select Reboot system now and the phone will restart.

What happens after the reset is complete

When your phone restarts, it will look like a brand new Samsung phone. You will see the setup screen asking you to choose a language and connect to Wi-Fi. You will then be asked to sign in with a Google account. Use the same Google account you used before the reset if you want to restore your backed-up data.

If you backed up your photos, contacts, and messages to Google Drive or Samsung Cloud before the reset, the phone will ask whether you want to restore them. Say yes, and the phone will read them back onto your phone. This can take a few minutes depending on how much data you have and how fast your internet is.

After that, you can install your apps again from the Google Play Store. Your phone will remember which apps you had installed before, and you can read them all at once or one at a time.

Back up your data before you reset

The safest way to back up a Samsung phone is through your Google account. Open Settings, tap Accounts and backup, then tap Backup and restore. Make sure Back up to Google Drive is turned on. This backs up your contacts, calendar, app data, and some settings.

For photos and videos, open the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture in the top right, then tap Photos settings, then Backup and sync. Turn it on. This uploads your photos to Google Drive so they are safe even if something happens to your phone.

If you use Samsung Cloud instead, open Settings, tap Accounts and backup, tap Samsung Cloud, and turn on Sync. You get 5 gigabytes free. For messages, you can export them to your computer using Samsung Smart Switch, or take screenshots of important conversations.

Troubleshooting if the reset does not work or gets stuck

If your phone gets stuck on the progress bar for more than 20 minutes, try a hard restart. Hold down Power for 10 seconds until the phone vibrates and turns off, then turn it back on. If it is still stuck, try the hardware button reset again from the beginning.

If you see an error message like "E: unable to mount /cache" or "E: unable to mount /data", your phone may have a software problem that a regular reset cannot fix. In this case, you may need to use Samsung Smart Switch on a computer to flash the phone with a fresh copy of the operating system. read Smart Switch from Samsung's website, connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable, and follow the on-screen steps.

If your phone will not turn on at all and the reset does not help, the battery may be completely dead. Plug it in and wait 30 minutes, then try again. If it still will not turn on, contact Samsung support or visit a carrier store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a factory reset remove my Google account?

No. A factory reset removes your data and apps, but when the phone restarts, it will ask you to sign in with a Google account again. You can use the same account you had before, and your backed-up contacts and photos will come back.

Can I undo a factory reset?

No. Once the reset is complete, the data is gone from the phone. This is why backing up before you reset is so important. If you backed up to Google Drive or Samsung Cloud, you can restore that data after the reset is done.

How long does a factory reset take?

The reset itself takes 5 to 15 minutes. After that, the phone will restart and ask you to set it up again, which takes another 5 to 10 minutes depending on your internet speed and how much data you are restoring.

What if I forgot my Google password after the reset?

Go to the Google account recovery page on a computer and follow the steps to reset your password. You will need access to a recovery email or phone number you set up with your account. Once you reset your password, you can sign in on your Samsung phone.

Do I need a computer to reset my Samsung phone?

No. You can reset from Settings or using hardware buttons without a computer. You only need a computer if the regular reset does not work and you need to use Samsung Smart Switch to reflash the operating system.