How To Reset Samsung Tablet to Factory Settings

Get your Samsung tablet back to fully working order

how to reset samsung tablet

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Whether you want to send your tablet for repairs or give it as a gift to your children or parent, or maybe you even want to start fresh, knowing how to perform a Samsung tablet reset on your device is a valuable piece of information. Below you will learn how to Reset a Samsung Tab device to its Factory settings.

Note: all your personal information will be deleted and can’t be recovered, so be aware to save any important info before restarting the device.

Step

1

Set it up

Make sure you are signed in to your main account on the Samsung Tab.

Step

2

Find the option

Go into the settings and find “General Management,” then tap “Reset” and choose Factory Data Reset.

Step

3

Read

You’ll see a list of items that will be deleted. Read carefully and be sure you don’t miss anything, then tap “Reset” when you are ready.

Step

4

Security comes first

The system will require you to enter your password (if you have one set).

Always have a password for your Samsung tablet, just in case it gets lost or stolen, and make sure it’s something difficult to guess.

Step

5

Read again

It will ask you one last time if you are sure you want to reset the Samsung tablet. Hit “Delete all” if you are sure, and the process will begin immediately.

Samsung tablet reset password issues

Sometimes the Samsung tablet does not accept your password and you can’t access the device and factory reset options at all. If this is the case, you’ll need to do a hard reset process, thus bypassing the steps explained before. Follow the steps below to factory reset your Samsung tablet without a password:

Step

1

Turn off the tablet

Just hold on to the power button and turn the device off.

Step

2

Access BIOS

With the tablet turned off, press and hold the power, volume up, and the home button all at the same time. 

If you don’t have a home button, press the power, volume up, and volume down buttons.

Step

3

Keep pressing

You’ll first see the startup screen of the Galaxy, but keep holding the buttons until you see a black screen with a bunch of text on it.

Step

4

Reset the tablet

Using the down volume key, navigate to the option “Wipe data/factory reset,” then press the power button. 

And there you go, your Samsung Galaxy tab should reboot and be fully reset.

Find more Tablet how-tos and step-by-step guides across PCGuide, including How to screenshot on a Samsung Tablet and how long a tablet will last.

Camilo is a contributor for PC Guide. He's been into tech since he was a teen, surfing through the web and local stores trying to find the cheapest way to play the latest Half-Life on his old Windows