How to Factory Reset or do the Master Reset on Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and when to use them

The Factory Reset is one of the most important things you should know if you own a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. You may not use it more often but it’s actually pretty handy when you badly need it. Another term for it is Master Reset but in this post, I will be using these terms as if they’re totally different just to make a distinction.

For us here are at TheDroidGuy.com, we use Factory Reset when we suggest to our readers to reset their phones through the Settings menu. While we use Master Reset if it’s done through the Recovery Mode using the hardware keys. That’s the main distinction I’m talking about a while ago.

Another distinction I want to to make clear here is when to use these processes. They may have similar benefits and effects to your phone but the thing is that you may use them differently. If you own the Galaxy S9 Plus and want to learn more about these reset procedures, continue reading.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 Plus troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.

When to use Factory Reset and how to do it?

You can use this method to reset your phone is you can still access the Settings menu; meaning, your phone should be running without any problems. It deletes all your personal files, information, data and other files you saved or got saved in the phone’s internal storage so make sure you can make a backup before following these steps:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts > Backup and restore.
3. Tap the following sliders to desired setting:
   • Back up my data
   • Automatic restore
4. Tap the Back key (bottom right) until you reach the main Settings menu.
5. Tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the screen, then tap RESET > DELETE ALL.
7. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
8. If prompted to verify your Samsung account, enter the password, then tap CONFIRM.
9. Wait for the device to reset.

You need to set your phone up from the scratch after the reset and retrieve your files and other things you want saved in your phone. It’s a very effective procedure to address almost all firmware issues and some minor hardware related problems.

When to use Master Reset and how to do it?

You use Master Reset if your phone won’t boot up properly or if you get stuck during the boot process. It basically has the same effects and benefits as with the Factory Reset only that it’s a bit more thorough as it doesn’t just delete the contents of the data partition but reformat the partition itself.

It will also delete all your files and data and if not done properly, you may be locked out of your device. So, make sure you make a backup of your files and data before doing this. After the backup, remove your google account from your phone so that you won’t be locked especially if you’re not really sure about your password or login credentials. Once everything is set and ready, follow these steps to reset your phone:

1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Samsung account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Samsung credentials to finish the master reset.
2. Turn off the device.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
6. Press Power button to select.
7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Your phone may take a little while to boot up successfully after this but you have to wait for it to become active. You will also need to set your phone up from scratch after doing this.

I hope that this tutorial can help you one way or another. If you have other concerns you want to share with us, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below.

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