What a factory reset does and when you need one

A factory reset erases everything on your Samsung Galaxy phone and returns it to the state it was in when it left the factory. This means all your photos, messages, apps, contacts, and settings disappear. The operating system itself stays the same — you are not downgrading or upgrading Android, just clearing the device back to a blank slate.

You might factory reset because the phone is running slowly, apps keep crashing, you are selling or giving away the device, or you forgot your PIN or pattern lock. A reset is also the last step before troubleshooting serious software problems. If you are locked out of your phone, a reset is often the only way forward — but it will erase everything, so only do this if you have already tried other options or have nothing left to lose.

Key Takeaways

  • Back up your photos, contacts, messages, and any files you want to keep before you start, because a factory reset erases everything on the phone.
  • You can reset through Settings on most Samsung Galaxy phones by going to General Management, then Reset, then Factory Data Reset.
  • If you are locked out of your phone, you can reset using the hardware buttons (Power and Volume Down) to enter Recovery Mode, then select Factory Reset from the menu.
  • After the reset completes, the phone will restart and ask you to set it up again, including signing into your Samsung or Google account.
  • A factory reset takes 5 to 15 minutes depending on how much data is on the phone, and the phone will restart several times during the process.

Back up your data before you reset

Before you do anything, save the things you want to keep. A factory reset is permanent — once it finishes, you cannot undo it. The easiest way to back up is to sign into your Google account on the phone and let it sync automatically. Open Settings, go to Accounts, tap Google, select your account, and tap Account Sync. Make sure Photos, Contacts, Calendar, Gmail, and any other apps you use are toggled on. Google will back these up to your Google account in the cloud.

For photos and videos, you can also use Samsung Cloud if you have a Samsung account. Open Settings, go to Accounts, tap Samsung Account, then go to Backup and toggle on the data types you want to save. You can also connect your phone to a computer with a USB cable and copy files manually to your computer's hard drive. If you use a microSD card, you can move files to the card before resetting — the reset will not erase the card, only the phone's internal storage.

Write down any two-factor authentication codes or backup codes for accounts you use, because you will need to sign back in after the reset. If you use a password manager, make sure you know your master password. If you have apps that are no longer available in the Google Play Store, take a screenshot of your app list so you remember what you had.

Factory reset through Settings if you can access your phone

If your phone turns on and you can unlock it, this is the simplest way. Open the Settings app, scroll down and tap General Management (on some older Galaxy models it may be called System), then tap Reset. You will see several reset options — tap Factory Data Reset or Reset All Settings. The phone will show you a summary of what will be erased and ask you to confirm.

Read the confirmation screen carefully. It will list everything that will be deleted. Tap Reset or Factory Data Reset to confirm. The phone will ask for your PIN, pattern, or password one more time to make sure you really want to do this. Enter it, and the reset will begin. The phone will restart and show a progress bar. Do not turn off the phone or remove the battery during this time — let it finish completely, even if it seems to be taking a long time.

When the reset is done, the phone will restart and show the initial setup screen, the same one you saw when the phone was brand new. You will be asked to choose a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and sign into your Google account. Sign in with the same Google account you used before, and your contacts, calendar, and other synced data will read back onto the phone. Your photos will also come back if you backed them up to Google Photos.

Factory reset using Recovery Mode if you are locked out

If you cannot unlock your phone because you forgot your PIN, pattern, or password, you can reset it using the hardware buttons. This method works on all Samsung Galaxy phones, though the exact button combination varies slightly by model. The most common combination is Power and Volume Down held together, but some older models use Power and Volume Up.

Turn off the phone completely. Then press and hold the Power button and Volume Down button at the same time for about 10 seconds. Keep holding even after the Samsung logo appears. You will see the Recovery Mode menu appear on the screen. Use the Volume Down button to scroll down to Factory Data Reset or Wipe Data/Factory Reset, then press the Power button to select it. The phone will ask you to confirm — scroll to Yes and press Power to confirm. The reset will begin. This process takes longer than the Settings method and may show a progress bar or percentage.

When it finishes, the phone will return to the Recovery Mode menu. Scroll up to Reboot System Now and press Power. The phone will restart and show the setup screen. You will need to sign into your Google account to restore your backed-up data. If you do not remember your Google password, you can reset it on a computer or another device by going to accounts.google.com and following the password recovery steps.

What happens after the reset is complete

Once the phone restarts, it will look and feel like a brand new device. You will go through the setup process again — choosing a language, connecting to Wi-Fi, and signing into accounts. When you sign into your Google account, the phone will ask if you want to restore your backed-up data. Tap Restore and the phone will read your contacts, calendar, photos (if you used Google Photos), and other synced information. This can take a few minutes to an hour depending on how much data you have and how fast your internet connection is.

Apps you downloaded from the Google Play Store will not automatically reinstall — you will need to read them again from the Play Store. However, your app data (like game progress or app settings) will restore if the app developer stores that data in the cloud. Some apps may ask you to sign in again. Two-factor authentication apps like Google Authenticator will need to be set up again because they store codes locally on the phone, not in the cloud.

Troubleshooting if the reset does not work or gets stuck

If the phone is stuck on the setup screen or the reset seems to have frozen, try a hard reset. Turn off the phone, then press and hold Power and Volume Down for 10 seconds. When the Samsung logo appears, release the buttons. The phone should restart normally. If it is still stuck, try the Recovery Mode reset again, but this time scroll to Wipe Cache Partition before selecting Factory Data Reset. This clears temporary files that might be causing problems.

If the phone will not turn on at all or is completely unresponsive, plug it into a charger and wait 15 minutes. Sometimes a phone with a completely drained battery will not respond to button presses. If it still will not turn on after charging, you may have a hardware problem that a factory reset cannot fix — contact Samsung support or visit a repair shop.

If you reset the phone but it is still running slowly or crashing, the problem may not be software. Check how much storage space is free by going to Settings, About Phone, and looking at Storage. If the phone is more than 90 percent full, delete large files or apps to free up space. If the phone is not full and still has problems, contact Samsung support, because the issue may be a hardware defect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a factory reset remove my Google account?

The reset erases the account from the phone, but not from Google's servers. When you set up the phone again and sign back into the same Google account, your data will restore. If you do not sign back in, you will have a blank phone.

Can I factory reset my Samsung Galaxy without losing photos?

Only if you back them up first. Before you reset, upload your photos to Google Photos, Samsung Cloud, or copy them to a computer. After the reset, sign into your Google account and the photos will read back onto the phone.

How long does a factory reset take?

The reset itself usually takes 5 to 15 minutes. The phone will restart several times and show a progress bar. After it finishes, the setup process and data restoration can take another 15 minutes to an hour depending on how much data you have and your internet speed.

What if I forgot my Google password and cannot sign back in after the reset?

Go to accounts.google.com on a computer or another device and click "Forgot password?" Follow the recovery steps, which usually involve verifying your identity with a recovery email or phone number. Once you reset your password, you can sign into your phone with the new password.

Does factory reset remove viruses or malware?

A factory reset removes most malware because it erases everything and reinstalls a clean copy of Android. However, if malware is in your Google account or in an app you reinstall, it could come back. After resetting, avoid downloading apps from sources other than the Google Play Store.