How to perform a factory data reset [Android 101]

Completely resetting your device is a normal procedure, and can actually help you out quite a bit. If your device is slowing down and almost unusable, you can perform what’s called a “factory data reset”. Performing one completely erases everything on your phone – contacts, pictures, applications, etc. Your device will revert back to how it was when you first powered it on, so take caution when thinking about going through with this.

Here, we walk you through the process of resetting your device back to factory settings.

KEEP IN MIND: Not all Android phones are the same. Some will have more steps required to complete each task, others will have less. At AndroidGuys, we will do our best to walk you through each task as well as we can.

Before you reset your device, you’ll want to back up your data. A handy way of doing this is to use a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox. These are very easy to use, and they offer quite a bit of free storage when you sign up. Cloud storage is great for media, but if you have an microSD card, that’s even better. Back up as much of your data as you can, then proceed to step one (don’t worry, a data backup walkthrough is soon to come). 

Step 1

First, navigate to your Settings menu. Once there, scroll down until you see an option to “Backup & reset”. Choose that, then proceed to Step 2.

Step 2

Next, you have a few options to choose from. You can choose to back up your app data and other Settings to Google servers, or you can choose to automatically restore your backed up settings and data. If none of those are of interest, choose the “Factory data reset” button at the bottom.

Step 3 – The point of no return

Well, here it goes. Even if all of your data is completely backed up, it can still be a little nerve-racking. But don’t worry… if you have your stuff backed up, the only thing you need to think about is how smoothly your device is going to run after this.

You’ll see a warning, letting you know that you will lose all of your data. If you’d like to proceed, click the “Reset phone” button. This will perform a factory data reset, and you’ll be ready to start up your device again in a few minutes. You should see a picture of the Android mascot getting worked on. After the reset is finished, your phone will begin to boot up!

Still having trouble? Head to the comments and we will do our best to help you out! If there is anything you would like to suggest to AndroidGuys or to any other readers, feel free to use the comment section below!