How to reset a Samsung Galaxy Tablet [tutorial]

There are two types of reset that you can perform an any Samsung Galaxy Tablet — soft reset and hard reset. Soft reset is a fancy term for what common folks refer to as restart. Restarting an electronics is usually used to fix minor bugs or performance issues. Restarting or soft resetting a device clears an electronic device’s memory or Random Access Memory. When we say memory, we don’t mean the storage device but the RAM. Restarting a device wipes the RAM but your personal data stored in your phone’s internal storage device remain as they are. Soft reset is usually effective in solving problems involving slow apps or operating system. Hard reset, on the other hand, refers to factory reset or master reset. This basically means wiping the phone’s internal storage and reverting all software settings to their defaults. All settings, app data, and user customizations will be deleted by hard reset. If you don’t want to lose your files such as photos, videos, music, documents, etc., be sure to back them up ahead of time.

If you want to know how to soft reset and hard reset your Samsung Galaxy Tab, check the steps below.

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How to soft reset a Samsung Galaxy Tablet

Soft reset can fix issues like sudden or unexplained reboots, app crashes, freezing, slow performance, or unresponsive Android or screen. To soft reset your Samsung Galaxy Tablet:

1. Press and hold the Power button.
2. Tap Restart.
3. Tap OK.

If your Samsung Galaxy Tablet is unresponsive/frozen, press and hold the Power button for approximately 10 seconds or until the device restarts.

How to hard reset a Samsung Galaxy Tablet (Factory Reset)

Hard reset is often reserved as the ultimate software solution. This means that you only want to do it if you’ve already exhausted all software troubleshooting steps before. As mentioned above, hard reset will wipe the phone and return all its software to their defaults. You want to back your files up before you do it.

If you’re ready, follow the steps below to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Tablet:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Tablet.
2. Press the Power and the Volume Up button together until the device shows the start-up logo.
3. Once the logo is displayed, release the buttons and wait till the device enters the Android system Recovery Mode.
4. On the displayed screen, use Volume Down button to go to the wipe data/factory reset option (Volume Up and Volume Down buttons are used to highlight the displayed options on the Android system recovery screen).
5. Once the option is highlighted, press the Power button to select the option. (Pressing the Power button in Android system recovery mode selects the highlighted option.)
6. On the next screen, press the Volume Down button multiple times till the Yes — delete all user data option is highlighted.
7. Press the Power button to hard reset the Samsung tablet device.

Alternatively, you can also factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Tab via the Settings menu. You can do this if you have no problem accessing the Settings icon or menu. If not, then factory reset will only be available via Recovery Mode.

To factory reset via Settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Backup and reset.
3. Select Factory data reset and then confirm device reset.
4. Wait for the procedure to complete.

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