Techlicious editors independently review products. To help support our mission, we may earn affiliate commissions from links contained on this page. Show When you operate your phone, it stores bits of data from the apps and features you use to help them run more smoothly. Over time, this data can pile up and cause multiple issues on your phone, including running slowly and becoming unresponsive. Sometimes freeing up space on your phone will help, but often, clearing the data by resetting your phone is the best way to address the problem There are two types of reset, a soft reset and a hard reset. To perform a soft reset, you power off your phone and turn it back on. Restarting your phone closes all the processes and apps running on your phone and loads all the system files from scratch. A soft reset does not come with the risk of losing your data. The second type of reset is a hard reset, also known as a factory reset. A factory reset removes all the files stored on your Android phone, including your data, and brings the condition of your device back to how it was when it left the factory. But if you follow these steps carefully, you can perform a factory reset your Android phone without losing your data. 1. Back up your authenticator appTwo-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring you to provide a one-time passcode in addition to your password. If you use an authenticator app to generate those one-time passcodes, you need to back it up separate from your phone backup. Most authenticator apps have the option to backup to the cloud, including Microsoft Authenticator (see how), Authy (see how), Duo Mobile (see how), and LastPass Authenticator (see how). Google Authenticator does not have a cloud backup option. Instead, you can create QR Codes that house your account information. Here's how:
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each account, and make sure you have the screenshots of the QR codes safely backed up. You'll be doing a complete phone backup in the next step, but I recommend saving an extra copy. 2. Back up your phoneThe only way to keep your data when doing a factory reset is to back it up and restore it when the reset is complete. Google's built-in backup feature is the easiest way to back up your data.
Note that it can take up to 24 hours to back up your data for the first time. When your data is saved, you'll see "On" below all of the data types you selected for backup. Now that you have created a backup of your data let us check out the steps to factory reset your smartphone. 3. Perform a factory resetIf you own an Android smartphone running plain Android, you can follow the steps below (steps may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer and version of Android).
If you own a Samsung phone, follow the steps below. If you have encrypted the microSD card, you must decrypt it before resetting the phone. Otherwise, your phone will not be able to read the data on the card. From Settings, search for and select “Decrypt SD card,” and then follow the on-screen prompts.
Now that you have factory reset your phone, the next step is to set up your phone and restore your data. 4. Restore your dataWhen you set up your device again, you'll be able to restore your data from the backup you just created.
[Image credit: Techlicious] Sagar Naresh Bhavsar has been writing about technology for more than two years. Previously, he was a staff writer at Guiding Tech and TechWiser. He loves working out, having a cup of coffee, and playing guitar. How do I reset my phone to factory settings without a password?Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button. Once the startup screen appears, release the Power button, and 3 seconds later release the Volume Up button. Your phone will enter recovery mode. Use the Volume buttons or touch the screen to select Wipe data/factory reset.
How do I restore my iPhone to factory settings?Tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device]
Then tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Does a factory reset delete everything?A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Learn how to back up your data.
How do I completely factory reset my phone?How to perform Factory Reset on Android smartphone?. Tap Settings.. Tap General & Backup and reset.. Tap Factory data reset.. Tap Reset device.. Tap Delete all.. |