How to boot Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in Safe Mode, wipe Cache Partition, perform Master Reset, etc

If you got yourself the new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Samsung #GalaxyNote5) or planning to get one, then read on as I will teach you some really, really basic troubleshooting procedures that may come in handy in the future.

The things I will discuss in this post are how to forcibly reboot your Note 5, boot it in safe mode, wipe the directory that contain cached files clean, clear both cache and data of any app, download and uninstall apps, perform factory and master reset procedures.

Whatever problem you may encounter in the future, you can use one or all of these troubleshooting procedures. Here’s a short list to make it easier for you to find a guide. Click on the link to jump to that section.

Force Reboot
Safe Mode
Wipe Cache Partition
Clear Cache & Data
Install & Uninstall Applications
Factory Reset
Master Reset

Before we go any further, if you found this post because you were trying to find solutions to your problems, then try to visit our Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Troubleshooting page as it contains solutions to problems we already addressed. Find a problem related to yours and try the solutions we provided. If they won’t work, then feel free to contact us by filling up this form accurately. Please provide more details in the description field so that we can provide accurate solutions or suggestions.

How to Force Reboot Galaxy Note 5

Unlike the previous models of Galaxy devices, the Galaxy Note 5 doesn’t come with a removable battery, so if it froze and became unresponsive, you can’t just pull the battery out to turn the device off. Samsung engineers, of course, already thought of this, so they added one key combination that when performed correctly, the device will perform a simulated battery disconnect that will forcibly reboot the phone.

To do this, simply PRESS and HOLD the Volume Down and Power keys together for 20 to 30 seconds or until the phone reboots.

Among the problems that may be fixed by this procedure are:

Frozen phone
Unresponsive device
Very sluggish performance due to constant freezing
Unresponsive due to app crashes
Got stuck during boot up and became unresponsive, etc.

How to start Galaxy Note 5 in Safe Mode

The Safe Mode is the first fail-safe procedure you can use to diagnose a problem. Once the device has booted up in this mode, all third-party or downloaded apps would be temporarily disabled leaving pre-installed and core services running.

Turn off the phone completely.
Press and hold the Power key.
Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
The phone will restart but keep the Vol Down button pressed.
Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
You may now release the Volume Down button.

Now that the phone is in safe mode, you can…

Continue your troubleshooting
Use your phone without third-party apps
Backup your data to the cloud or through a computer
Observe your phone for firmware-related issues

How to Wipe Cache Partition on Galaxy Note 5

During the first boot up, just after you bought the phone, the system will create files for each app and service. These files will be stored in a certain directory only the system could access; the directory is called cache partition. Over time, some of the files get corrupted especially during updates. If the new system tries to use them, conflicts may occur. Hence, you need to delete the obsolete files so that the new system will create new ones but since you don’t have access to those files, you need to use the procedure that Android developers setup for you–wipe cache partition via Recovery Mode.

So, you need to boot the phone up in Recovery Mode first before you can wipe the cache partition. Here’s how…

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5′ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Among the issues that may be fixed by this procedure are…

Phone got stuck in the logo during boot up
Device entered the boot loop or can’t boot up successfully
Phone randomly reboots after an update
Device can’t get out of Safe Mode
Phone always freezes, lags, or becomes unresponsive from time to time

How to clear App Cache & Data on Galaxy Note 5

Regardless whether an app is a pre-installed one or third-party (downloaded), once it crashes the first thing you have to do is clear its cache and data. More often, these files get corrupted so you need to get the system create a new cache. Deleting the data files, however, will reset the app back to its default settings and delete all data accumulated over time.

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and tap Settings.
Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
Find and tap the app that has issues.
Touch Clear cache to delete its cached files.
Touch Clear data and then OK to delete downloaded data, login information, settings, etc.

This procedure will fix the following problems:

App crashes
Freezing and lagging apps
Random shut downs and reboots due to app incompatibility
Sluggish apps
Other conflicts brought by the new system after a firmware update

Install & Uninstall Apps on Galaxy Note 5

Installing apps on your Android phone is very easy but finding one that may be useful to you can sometimes be difficult especially if you don’t know the name of the app. For the benefit of those who are still starting out to use Android, here’s how to install an app…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and touch the Play Store app.
Once inside the Play Store, you can search an app by category, or if you know the name of the app, just type it in the search field.
Once you found the desired app, tap on it.
Now touch the Install button, and then Accept.
For paid apps, tap the price and follow on-screen instructions.
Depending on the size of the app and the speed of your internet connection, it may take a few to several minutes for the app to be downloaded and installed.
The installation will be automated and you will be notified once finished, then you can use the app.

There are two ways to uninstall apps you don’t want to use anymore. The first procedure is via the Play Store while the second is through the Application manager.

Uninstalling an app via Play Store

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and touch the Play Store app.
Touch My Apps.
Tap on the app you want to uninstall.
Touch Uninstall, then OK to confirm.

Uninstalling an app via Application Manager

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and tap Settings.
Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
Find and tap the app that has issues.
Touch Uninstall, then OK.

Note: Only third-party or downloaded apps can be uninstalled. Others can only be disabled and some apps must remain running for your phone to work properly.

Third-party apps that may cause problems immediately after the installation should be uninstalled immediately to avoid further conflicts with the system or other apps.

How to Factory Reset Galaxy Note 5

Factory Reset simply means to bring the phone back to its factory settings or defaults. Almost all firmware-related problems and errors can be fixed by this procedure but you should also know that all your files, data, settings, apps, ringtones, accounts, etc. will be wiped out and it is impossible to retrieve them after the reset. Therefore, it is imperative you back up every bit of data you don’t want to lose before following the steps below…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and tap the Settings icon.
Under the ‘Personal’ section, find and tap Backup and reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.
Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Touch Delete all to confirm your action.

Beyond this point, lost data will never be retrieved if you haven’t backed them up.

How to perform Master Reset on Galaxy Note 5

There’s a little distinction between a Factory Reset and Master Reset, although the results may be the same. The latter, aside from doing what the former can do, will reformat the data partition where all system files and important app files are saved. It will also come in handy if the Android system itself keeps crashing and the user can’t access Settings.

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Factory reset is easier to perform than this so you can use the previous procedure as long as there are no other serious issues with your phone. If you have one of the following, you better use Master Reset if…

Your phone reboots randomly
It’s freezing from time to time
It’s lagging so much
It takes ages to load apps
The Settings app crashes as characterized by error “Unfortunately, Settings has stopped.”
The system itself crashes, often characterized by the error “Unfortunately, Android system has stopped.”
It can’t boot up successfully or got stuck in the logo, etc.

We hope that these guides can help you one way or the other. Thanks for reading and we wish you all the best.

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