The fastest way to restart your Samsung tablet
A soft reboot — powering off and back on without losing your data — fixes most tablet problems in under a minute. Press and hold the power button on the side or top of your tablet until the power menu appears on screen. This usually takes 3 to 5 seconds. Tap Power off or Restart if that option shows. If you see Restart, tap it and your tablet will reboot when ready. If you only see Power off, tap it, wait for the screen to go black, then press the power button again to turn it back on.
The entire process takes about 30 seconds. Your apps, photos, files, and settings stay exactly as they were. Use this method first when your tablet is slow, an app is frozen, or the touchscreen is not responding.
Key Takeaways
- A soft reboot using the power button keeps all your data and settings intact and fixes most common problems.
- A force restart works when your tablet is completely frozen and the power button menu will not appear.
- A factory reset erases everything on your tablet and should only be used as a last resort or before selling the device.
- The method you choose depends on whether your tablet is responding to input and whether you want to keep your data.
Force restart when your tablet is completely frozen
If the power button does not bring up a menu, or your tablet is completely unresponsive, use a force restart. This forces the tablet to shut down without giving you a choice, then powers it back on. The steps vary slightly depending on your tablet model.
For most Samsung tablets made in 2017 or later: press and hold the power button and the volume down button at the same time for 10 to 15 seconds. Keep holding even if you see the Samsung logo appear. The screen will go black, then the tablet will restart. For older Samsung tablets or some specific models, you may need to hold power and volume up instead — if power and volume down does not work after 15 seconds, release and try power and volume up.
A force restart also keeps your data intact. It straightforward forces the system to shut down when it is stuck. This method works even if your tablet will not respond to taps or swipes.
Factory reset: erasing everything and starting fresh
A factory reset returns your tablet to the state it was in when it left the factory. All apps you installed, all photos, all files, and all your settings are deleted. Use this only if your tablet has serious problems that a soft reboot or force restart did not fix, or if you are selling or giving away the device.
To perform a factory reset, go to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset. Your tablet will ask you to confirm and may ask for your Samsung account password or PIN. Tap Reset or Delete all to proceed. The process takes 5 to 10 minutes. When it finishes, your tablet will restart and show the setup screen as if it were brand new.
Before you factory reset, back up anything you want to keep. Photos and files can be backed up to Samsung Cloud, Google Drive, or another cloud service. Once the reset completes, those files are gone from the tablet unless you saved them elsewhere.
What to do if your tablet still will not restart
If your tablet will not power on at all after a force restart, the battery may be completely drained. Plug it into a charger and leave it connected for at least 30 minutes, then try the power button again. Some tablets take several minutes to respond after a complete power loss.
If the tablet still does not respond after charging, try connecting it to a computer with a USB cable. Some Samsung tablets can be recovered using Samsung Smart Switch software on a Windows or Mac computer, though this requires the tablet to respond to the connection. If none of these steps work, the tablet may have a hardware problem and will need service from Samsung or a repair shop.
When to reboot versus when to restart individual apps
A full reboot is the right choice when your entire tablet is slow or unresponsive. But if only one app is frozen or crashing, you can restart just that app instead. Go to Settings > Apps, find the app that is giving you trouble, and tap Force stop. Then open the app again. This is faster than rebooting the whole tablet and does not interrupt anything else you are doing.
Use a full reboot if multiple apps are slow, if the home screen is not responding, or if you cannot open Settings. Use force stop on a single app if only that one program is misbehaving.
How often you should reboot your Samsung tablet
You do not need to reboot on a schedule. Reboot only when you notice a problem: the tablet is slow, an app is frozen, the touchscreen is not responding, or something is not working the way it should. Some people reboot once a week or once a month as routine maintenance, and that is fine, but it is not necessary.
If you find yourself rebooting more than once a week to fix problems, something else may be wrong. Too many apps running at once, a full storage drive, or malware can all cause constant slowdowns. Check how much storage space you have left by going to Settings > About tablet > Storage. If you are using more than 90 percent of your storage, delete old files or apps you no longer use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will rebooting my tablet delete my photos or files?
No. A soft reboot and a force restart both keep all your data. Only a factory reset deletes everything, and that is a separate process you have to choose deliberately. Your photos, files, apps, and settings will be exactly the same after a normal reboot.
How long does a reboot take?
A soft reboot takes about 30 seconds from the moment you tap the power button to when the tablet is fully usable again. A force restart takes 1 to 2 minutes. A factory reset takes 5 to 10 minutes and leaves you at the setup screen.
What is the difference between restart and power off?
Power off turns the tablet completely off and leaves it off until you press the power button again. Restart turns the tablet off and when ready powers it back on in one action. For fixing problems, restart is usually faster because you do not have to press the button twice.
Can I reboot my tablet while it is charging?
Yes. Rebooting while plugged in will not damage the tablet or the battery. If your tablet is very low on battery, charging it for a few minutes before you reboot is a good idea, but you do not have to wait until it is fully charged.
What should I do if my tablet reboots by itself over and over?
Constant rebooting usually means a software problem or a hardware issue. Try a force restart first. If it keeps rebooting, try a factory reset. If it still reboots repeatedly even after a factory reset, contact Samsung support or take it to a repair shop — the problem is likely hardware-related.