How to Factory Reset an Android Phone and Tablet

Smartphones help us in nearly every aspect of our lives, but they’re machines at the end of the day – and machines run into problems. Therefore, running into issues while using apps and services on your phone is quite common. However, performing a factory reset for your Android phone or tablet is a helpful way to fix these problems.

In this article, we want to show you how you can reset your Android device. There are three ways in which you can reset your Android device – reset all settings, reset network settings, and erase all data to reset the device. We’ll show you all of these in detail, but first, let us understand the basics.

Note: We have used a OnePlus device to demonstrate the process. The steps are similar for other Android devices as well.

What Happens When I Reset My Android Device

There are three ways in which you can reset your Android device :

• Reset All Settings: This option restores all the settings to its default states. All settings and preferences will be reset. However, your data will not be erased.

• Reset Network Settings: This option restores all the network-related configurations to their default states. Some of these configurations include your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings, cellular data settings, GPS settings, etc. However, your data will not be erased.

The above two methods to reset your device will remove all saved Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices, apart from resetting settings on system apps.

• Erase and Reset Device: This option erases all the data on your phone and resets all the settings. Essentially, it will restore your phone to where it was when you first opened it from the box. However, consider this only if you reset the settings and the problem you are trying to fix persists.

We’ll show you the instructions for all of these in further sections of the article. Before you proceed, you need to keep your device ready for reset. Here’s how to do that.

What Should You Do Before You Reset Your Android Device

Here’s what you need to make sure before you begin to reset your Android device.

1. Take a Backup of All Data

Make sure to take a backup of all data on your Android device. Especially, if you are erasing and resetting your device, as this wipes everything from your phone. However, even if you are simply resetting the settings, it is advisable to take a backup in case you run into any issues during the process and you cannot retrieve the data.

2. Ensure There Is Enough Battery Level to Reset Your Device

Make sure that your Android device is fully charged before you begin the process. It may be hard to estimate the time and resources that the reset process consumes. Therefore, it is better to prepare with a fully charged battery as you start the reset process. If your phone runs out of battery during the process, the reset process will be interrupted and it may be difficult to restore and retrieve your data.

3. Disable Factory Reset Protection

Your Android device may have a factory reset protection, that prevents someone from resetting your smartphone. This feature is intended to help you if someone has stolen your device, and is trying to reset it to prevent you from accessing your Android phone from Find My Device.

However, this may prevent you from resetting your smartphone by asking for the password for your Google account. Therefore, simply remove all Google accounts if factory reset protection prevents you from resetting your phone.

How to Reset Your Android Phone

Now that you are well prepared to reset your phone, here’s how you can execute the process.

1. Reset All Network Settings

If you are facing any problems with Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi network, and GPS connectivity on your Android device – your best bet is to reset network settings. If there is any misconfiguration that is affecting the network connectivity, the network settings reset will restore all of the configurations to their default states. Therefore, providing a good chance to solve the issue.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Select Additional Settings.

Step 3: Tap on ‘Back up and Reset’.

Step 4: Tap on Reset Phone.

Step 5: Select ‘Reset Network Settings’.

2. Reset All Settings

If you are facing any problems while using an app, a tool or a service on your Android device and no troubleshooting method helps – your last resort would be to reset all settings. This restores all the configurations on your Android device to their default states, thus helping you fix problems arising from an unidentified source.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on Additional Settings.

Step 3: Tap on ‘Back up and reset’.

Step 4: Tap on Reset phone.

Step 4: Select ‘Reset all settings’.

3. Erase all Data on Android

If you’re facing persistent troubles using your Android device even after a settings reset – then you may try erasing all data on your Android device. You never know which application, or a hidden file is causing the problem.

Resetting your settings will not delete corrupted files, and in a sea of files, including the ones you cannot access, detecting and finding a corrupted file is a newer impossible task. Therefore, erasing all of your data will help you fix the problem.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Select Additional Settings.

Step 3: Tap on ‘Back up and Reset’.

Step 4: Tap on Reset Phone.

Step 5: Tap on ‘Erase all data’.

Step 6: Tap on Erase Data and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

How to Reset Android Phone If It is Locked or Not Switching On

If you cannot unlock your Android device, or if it is stuck in a boot loop – you can use the recovery mode to reset your device. However, note that you can only erase all data and reset your phone, and you will not find any separate option to reset settings without erasing data.

Step 1: Enter the recovery mode on your device.

The key combinations to enter recovery mode depend upon the model and the manufacturer. Therefore contact your customer care, refer to manuals, or use the internet to find out how to enter the recovery mode on your specific device.

Step 2: You will find an option to perform a factory reset of your device.

How to Reset Your Phone Remotely Using Find My Device

If your phone is stolen, you can remotely erase all of the data on your Android device. This way, all of your data will be protected and thus, cannot be accessed. However, your device has to be registered on the Find My Device platform in the first place to remotely erase your device.

Step 1: Open Find My Device on your web browser. Make sure to sign in using the account present on your Android device.

Open Find My Device

Step 2: Select your device from the list, and select Erase Device.

Step 2: Click on Erase Device to confirm.

That is everything you need to know on how to factory reset your Android phone or tablet. If you have any further questions, you can take a look at the FAQ section below.

FAQs on Android Device Factory Reset

Reset Your Android Phone and Tablet

We hope this article helps you easily factory reset your Android phone or tablet. We hope the problem you are trying to fix resolves at the earliest. However, you can take a look at our extensive collection of guides to help you with your Android device on our website!