Samsung is one of the most renowned consumer electronics companies and manufactures one of the most famous series of Android phones in the world. In fact, it might be one of the few cellphone manufacturers that directly rivals iPhones. However, even the most amazing phones might face trouble. Some of these problems, such as viruses, malware, or corrupted files, might force you to restore your Samsung phone to its original settings.
Therefore, in this article, we are going to show you some easy yet effective methods to revert your Samsung smartphone to factory settings. Let’s dive in.
Restore Your Samsung Phone Using Settings
If you want to return a Samsung phone to its original settings, using the “Settings” app of your mobile is the easiest way to do it. This is assuming that your phone is still working well, and you’re able to access the Settings app. If that’s the case, follow the methods we have mentioned below to factory reset your Samsung smartphone.
Android OS Version 7.0 or Above
If your Samsung phone has Android OS version 7.0 or higher, follow these instructions to restore your Samsung smartphone to its original settings:
- First, swipe up on the “Home screen” of your phone to get to the “Menu” window. Tap on the “Settings” app. Alternatively, if your “Home screen” has an “Apps” icon, tap it before tapping on the “Settings” app.
- Next, scroll down and find the “General Management” option. Tap on it once you find it.
- Now, tap on the “Reset” option under the “RESET” section.
- After that, tap on the “Factory data reset” option.
- Next, scroll down and tap on the “Reset” button.
- Once you complete the previous step, your phone will give you the warning to make sure you understand that once you continue, all of your device’s data will be deleted, and you cannot recover it.
- Now, tap on the “Delete All” button.
- Next, your phone will ask you for your Samsung account password.
- Type your password in the empty field and tap on the “Confirm” option.
Tip. If you don’t have a Samsung account, this step will never show up and your phone will start the factory reset process.
Once the procedure is complete, your phone will reboot and your device will be back to the state it left the factory in.
Android OS Version 5.0+ and 6.0+
If you’re trying to restore a Samsung phone that has Android version 5.0+ or 6.0+ operating system, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Menu” and tap on the “Settings” app.
- Once you open the Settings app, find the “Backup and reset” option and tap on it.
- Next, tap on the “Factory data reset” option.
- After that, your phone will give you a warning stating that if you proceed forward, all of your phone’s data will be erased. If you want to proceed, tap on the “RESET DEVICE” button that is right underneath the warning.
- Next, type the “Pin” of your lock screen and tap on the “Continue” button.
Alternatively, draw the unlocking pattern of your lock screen to move forward. - Now, tap on the “ERASE EVERYTHING” button.
With this, your phone will start resetting. It will take a while before your phone reboots and goes back to its original settings.
Restoring Your Samsung Phone via Hard Reset
Restoring your Samsung phone using the Settings app is quite an easy and intuitive process. But what if you’re unable to use it? Sometimes, your smartphone just goes haywire and makes it difficult to use even the simplest features. It may even refuse to turn on. In these cases, performing a hard reset might be the only option to restore your phone.
Here’s how you can do it:
- First, switch off your phone. Just press the “Power” button and hold it.
- Once the “Turn off” option shows up, tap on it and your phone will be switched off.
- Next, plug in your charger and start charging your phone.
- Once you confirm that your phone is charging, press the Volume Up, Volume Down, and the Power button together at the same time and hold it.
- Next, the Samsung logo will appear. Keep holding the buttons and release them once you see the “Master reset menu.”
- Now, press the “Volume Down” key to select the “Delete all user data” or the “Wipe data/factory reset” option.
- After that, press the “Power” key to confirm the option you select.
- On the next screen, use the “Volume Down” button again to select the “Yes — delete all user data” option.
- Press on the “Power” key to confirm it.
- Once again, press the “Power” key to confirm the “Reboot system now” and initiate the factory reset.
The whole process will take a few minutes. Now, your Samsung phone will restart the way it was when it left the factory.
Resetting Your Samsung Phone via Find My Device
We know that you’re very careful with your phone. However, accidents can still happen, and you might end up losing your Samsung device. In these cases, the first thing you should do is erase all the data of your phone and restore it to its previous settings. This way, you can keep your data from falling into wrong hands. With Google’s “Find My Device” tool, you can easily reset your phone from your computer and from anywhere in this world.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Search “Find my device” in Google, click on the “Google Find My Device” search result, and sign in to your Google account.
- If you have more than one phone, select the phone you want to erase the data of.
- If you have multiple Google accounts, sign in to your phone’s primary Google account.
- Your phone will get a notification once you get inside the “Find my Phone” tool and sign in to your Google account.
- Now, on your computer screen, click on the “Erase Device” option.
- Next, a new prompt will pop up asking if you want to erase the data from your device permanently.
- Click on the “Erase” option to start the reset process.
Once the reset is done, your phone will lose all data it previously had and restart with its original settings.