What a hard reset does and when you need one

A hard reset, also called a factory reset, erases everything on your Samsung phone and returns it to the state it was in when it left the factory. This means all your photos, messages, apps, and settings disappear. The operating system itself stays intact—you are not removing Android or Samsung's software, just the data and customizations you added after you bought the phone.

You should hard reset your phone when it is frozen and will not respond to normal shutdown, when you are selling or giving it away and want to remove your personal information, or when you have tried every other troubleshooting step and nothing else has worked. If your phone is straightforward slow or buggy, try clearing the cache or uninstalling unused apps first—those steps are less destructive and often fix the problem.

Before you start, back up anything you want to keep. Once the reset completes, recovery is extremely difficult. If your phone is connected to a Samsung account or Google account, you can sign back in afterward and restore some data like contacts and photos, but not everything.

Key Takeaways

  • A hard reset erases all data on your phone and returns it to factory settings, so back up anything you need first.
  • The easiest method is through Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory Data Reset, which works on most Samsung phones running Android 10 or newer.
  • If your phone will not turn on or respond to touch, use the hardware button method: hold Power and Volume Up together until the recovery menu appears.
  • After the reset completes, you can sign into your Samsung or Google account to restore contacts, photos, and some app data.
  • A hard reset is permanent and cannot be undone, so use it only after trying simpler fixes like restarting or clearing cache.

Hard reset through Settings (the standard method)

This method works on almost all Samsung phones made in the last five years. Open the Settings app, then scroll down and tap General Management. Tap Reset, then tap Factory Data Reset. The phone will show you a summary of what will be deleted and ask for confirmation. Read it carefully—this is your last warning before the data is gone.

Tap Reset or Delete All (the button name varies by model). Your phone will restart and begin erasing data. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on how much is stored on the phone. Do not turn off the phone or remove the battery during this time. When it finishes, you will see the initial setup screen, the same one you saw when you first turned on the phone.

If you cannot find these exact menu names, your phone may be running an older version of Android. Tap Settings, then look for Backup and Reset or Privacy. The option is always in Settings somewhere, but Samsung has moved it around across different Android versions.

Hard reset using hardware buttons (when the phone is frozen)

If your phone will not respond to touch or will not turn on normally, use the physical buttons instead. Turn off the phone completely. Then hold down the Power button and Volume Up button at the same time. Keep holding both buttons until the Samsung logo appears or until you see the recovery menu—this usually takes 10 to 15 seconds.

Once the recovery menu appears, you will see options in white text on a black background. Use the Volume Down button to move the highlight down to Wipe Data / Factory Reset or Factory Data Reset (the exact wording depends on your model). Press the Power button to select it. The phone will ask for confirmation. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes and press Power to confirm.

The reset will begin when ready. Again, do not interrupt it. When it finishes, the phone will return to the recovery menu. Select Reboot System Now using the same button method. The phone will restart and show the setup screen.

Hard reset on Samsung phones with Bixby button

Some Samsung Galaxy models have a dedicated Bixby button on the side. If your phone has one and the Settings method is not working, you can try a different hardware combination. Turn off the phone, then hold Power, Volume Up, and the Bixby button all together for about 10 seconds. This forces the phone into recovery mode on certain models.

Once you are in the recovery menu, follow the same steps as the hardware button method above: navigate to Factory Data Reset, confirm, and wait for the reset to complete. Not all Samsung models respond to this combination, so if nothing happens after 15 seconds, release the buttons and try the Settings method instead.

What to do after the reset is complete

When your phone restarts, it will walk you through the setup process. You will be asked to choose a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and sign into a Google account or Samsung account. If you sign in with the same Google account you used before, the phone will offer to restore your contacts, calendar, Gmail, and some app data. This restoration is not automatic—you have to choose which items to restore.

If you had a Samsung account set up on the phone before the reset, signing back in will also restore some Samsung-specific data like your home screen layout and some app settings. However, photos and videos stored only on the phone (not backed up to Google Photos or Samsung Cloud) will be gone permanently.

After setup is complete, you can reinstall apps from the Google Play Store. If you had paid apps, you can read them again at no cost using the same Google account. Free apps will also be available to reinstall.

When to call Samsung support instead

If your phone will not turn on at all, does not respond to any button combination, or gets stuck on the Samsung logo even after a hard reset attempt, the problem is likely hardware-related and not something a reset can fix. Contact Samsung support or visit an authorized Samsung service center. Bring your phone and proof of purchase if you still have it.

If you forgot your Google password or Samsung account password and cannot complete the setup after the reset, you will need to recover that password before the phone can be fully set up. Go to the Google Account Recovery page or Samsung Account Recovery page on a computer and follow the steps to regain access. This can take a few hours or longer depending on the security questions and verification methods you set up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a hard reset remove viruses or malware from my phone?

Yes, a hard reset will remove almost all malware because it deletes everything on the phone and reinstalls the operating system fresh. However, if malware is stored in the phone's firmware (the lowest level of software), a factory reset will not remove it. This is extremely rare. If your phone has malware, a hard reset is the most effective solution.

Can I undo a hard reset?

No, a hard reset cannot be undone. Data deleted during a hard reset is gone permanently. If you backed up your phone to Google or Samsung Cloud before the reset, you can restore that backup after setup, but anything not backed up is lost. This is why backing up before you reset is critical.

How long does a hard reset take?

A hard reset usually takes between 5 and 30 minutes depending on how much data is on the phone. Phones with very full storage may take longer. Do not turn off the phone or remove the battery while the reset is running, or you may damage the phone's file system.

Will I lose my text messages and call history?

Yes, text messages and call history stored only on the phone will be deleted. If you use Google Messages or another cloud-backed messaging app, those messages may be restored if you sign back into that app. Standard SMS text messages are not backed up by Google or Samsung automatically, so they will be gone.

Do I need to remove my SIM card before a hard reset?

No, you do not need to remove the SIM card. A hard reset only affects the data stored on the phone itself, not the SIM card. Your phone number and carrier information will remain the same after the reset.