How to run Samsung Galaxy Note8 in Safe Mode, Recovery Mode, wipe cache partition & perform Master Reset [Tutorials]

If you are a new owner of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, there are basic troubleshooting procedures you need to learn to help you fix minor and even serious issues with it. While it is one of the most powerful smartphones in the market today, you can’t deny the fact that there will always be instances wherein you will encounter a hiccup or two while using it. Some of those issues may seem complex but based on our experience, they can be fixed by doing some basic troubleshooting procedures.

So, in this post, I will walk you through in running your Galaxy Note8 in Safe Mode, which temporarily disables all third-party apps; starting it up in Recovery Mode, which gives you options to wipe cache partition and even do Master Reset to bring your phone back to its factory default settings. These procedures are the most important ones you need to learn as they’re always very effective when used properly to fix most issues with your device. So, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

How to run your Galaxy Note8 in Safe Mode

As I mentioned earlier, when you boot your phone in this mode, all third-party apps are temporarily disabled. However, running your phone in this mode alone doesn’t fix the issue but will give you an idea what the problem is all about or what causes it.

If one of the apps you downloaded and installed from the Play Store is causing the problem, there’s a higher probability that the problem won’t occur while your phone is in this mode. However, you still have to continue your troubleshooting to determine which of those apps is the culprit.

Here’s how you make your Note8 run in Safe mode…

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Once in this mode and the problem doesn’t occur, then it’s obvious that one or some of the third-party apps you installed is causing the problem. If you don’t have a clue as to which app is the culprit, try updating apps that need to be updated…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Play Store.
3. Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
4. Choose one of the following options:
   • Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
   • Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

On the other hand, if you already have some apps in mind, then try clearing their caches and data to reset them. You need to do the same procedure for every app you suspect…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear cache.
6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, then start your phone in normal mode and uninstall those apps one by one until the problem is fixed…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap the desired application.
5. Tap Uninstall.
6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

How to boot your Galaxy Note8 in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

There are times when issues occur without apparent reason at all and most of the time, these issues are due to some corrupt system caches. A system cache is actually a temporary file created and used by the system. It’s temporary because it can be deleted and replaced without much of an impact on the overall performance of your phone. However, when they become corrupt or obsolete and the system continues to use them, that’s when issues come out and they usually affect the performance of your device. The most common signs of performance-related issues are lags, freezes, frequent reboots and even random shutdowns.

When these things occur, you just have to delete the caches so that they’ll be replaced with new ones that don’t have issues with the system. But since you don’t have access to individual caches, you need to delete all of them at once and you can do so by starting your phone up in Recovery mode and wiping the cache partition…

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. 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).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Your Note8 will take a little time rebooting after wiping the cache partition as it will rebuild deleted caches. Soon after it becomes active, try to see if the still persists because if so, then the next procedure may be able to help you.

How to perform the Master Reset on your Galaxy Note8

The Master Reset will bring your Note8 back to its factory default settings or configuration. It’s the most effective troubleshooting procedure that addresses almost every problem with your phone provided the issue isn’t due to physical or liquid damage. For users who have encountered issues that occurred without apparent cause, a reset will always be able to fix them. However, this always comes at the end of every troubleshooting because of the hassle in backing up your files and data. Remember, a reset will delete every bit of data or file in your phone’s internal storage so make sure to make a backup before you actually reset your device.

We also suggest that you take note of your Google ID and password that you use in this phone so that you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset. If you’re not sure about your login credentials, it’s better that you disable the Factory Reset Protection of your Note8 prior to the reset and here’s how it’s done…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Accounts.
4. Tap Google.
5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
6. Tap 3 dot icon.
7. Tap Remove account.
8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

Once you’re ready to reset your phone, follow these steps to bring your phone back to default settings…

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. 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).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Alternatively, you can also reset your Note8 from the Settings menu…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Backup and restore.
4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
6. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
7. Tap Reset.
8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
9. Tap Continue.
10. Tap Delete all.

I hope that this tutorial can help you fix the problem with your Samsung Galaxy Note8.