Reset your Android device to factory settings

To remove all data from your phone, you can reset your phone to factory settings. Factory resets are also called 'formatting' or 'hard resets'.

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 9 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.

Get ready to factory reset

Important: A factory reset erases all your data from your phone.

If you're resetting to fix an issue, we recommend first trying other solutions. Find out how to troubleshoot Android issues.

Know Google Account username and password

To restore your data after you reset your phone, you must enter security info. When you enter the info, it shows that you or someone you trust did the reset.

  1. Make sure that you know a Google Account on the phone.
  2. Make sure that you know the password for the Google Account on the phone. To confirm, sign in to that account on another device or computer. If you don't remember the password, get sign-in help.
  3. If you've set a screen lock, make sure that you know your phone's PIN, pattern or password. If you can't unlock your phone, find out what you can do.

Tip: If you recently reset your Google Account password, wait 24 hours before you perform a factory reset.

Back up your data to your Google Account

A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled.

To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Find out how to back up your data.

Charge and connect

A factory reset can take up to an hour.

  1. Charge your phone to at least 70%.
  2. Connect your phone to Wi-Fi or your mobile network. When the factory reset completes, you must be connected to sign in to your Google Account.

Factory reset your phone

On most phones, you can reset your phone through the settings app. If you can't open your phone's settings app, you can try factory resetting your phone using its power and volume buttons. 

We recommend checking your manufacturer's support site for device-specific instructions.

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