Need to restore your Samsung phone back to its factory settings? Here’s how to hard reset a Galaxy device.
Smartphones have become an essential part of our life. This is why before you pass over your phone to a friend or family member, or sell it off, it is recommended that you factory reset your Galaxy so that all your data and other content from the device is erased.
Resetting the phone will unlink your Google and other accounts that you had signed in to the device as well. It deletes all your apps and data and puts it back in the same state as when you first purchased it. A hard reset is also a good way to fix any problems you are having with your phone.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy S22, S21, Z Fold or Flip, or other mid-range Galaxy A models, the steps to factory reset them are pretty simple. Let’s get started.
Factory Reset Your Samsung Galaxy Phone: What You Need to Know
Before you get around to resetting your Samsung Galaxy device, there are a few things that you should know.
- A factory reset will erase all data on your Galaxy phone. Thus, it is important that you back up your Samsung phone and all the data on it before proceeding with the reset process.
- Hard resetting your Galaxy device will not roll back any software updates that were installed on it. So, if your Galaxy smartphone was running Android 10 out of the box but got the Android 11 update, it will remain on the latter after the reset.
- You do not necessarily have to do a full factory data reset. You have the option to reset all settings, network settings, or accessibility settings of your device, while leaving your data intact.
- If you use a microSD card on your Galaxy device, you have the option of not erasing its content during the factory reset.
- Doing a hard reset and factory reset on your Samsung Galaxy phone means the same thing. There’s no difference between the two.
Image Credit: Samsung
You will not be able to recover Android data that are deleted due to a factory reset, so double-check your backups before you start.
If you are resetting your Samsung Galaxy device for troubleshooting purposes, you can try a network or settings reset first. In case that fixes the problem you are facing, you will avoid the headache of setting up your Samsung Galaxy phone again after a factory reset.
How to Hard Reset Your Samsung Galaxy Phone
- Open the Settings app and navigate to General Management > Reset.
- Various reset options are shown here, including the ability to reset all settings, network settings, and others which may be worth trying if you’re encountering problems. However, you need to select the Factory data reset option.
- A summary of all the content that will be erased and the accounts that will be unlinked from your Galaxy device will be shown here.
- Scroll to the very bottom and select the Reset option.
- For confirmation, you will have to enter your device unlock pattern or password followed by your Samsung account password if you were logged into it. Finally, tap the Delete all button.
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If you are switching to a different phone, you can also erase all your eSIMs from the phone. Only select this option if you plan on selling or giving away your Galaxy device.
If you are hard resetting your Galaxy phone for some other reason and plan to use it after the reset again, do not erase the eSIMs. Otherwise, you will have to contact your carrier to set it up again.
Hard Reset Your Samsung Phone Easily
Factory resetting your Samsung Galaxy device is a pretty straightforward process. Since a reset will completely erase your device, it is always recommended that you create a backup of all your important data. Sadly, Android does not offer a proper way to back up app data, so some data will still be erased as a part of the process.
Apart from a hard reset, you can also reset the network settings of your Samsung Galaxy phone if you do not want to get into the hassle of setting it up again after a factory reset.
