The iParts4U technical team answer multiple questions from customers regarding common faults and features for their mobile device. A common query we often hear involves how to reset Samsung tablets. We thought we’d put a quick article together discussing the process for both hard and soft reset of these tablets.
When you first buy your new Samsung device, it may not occur that you’ll ever need to perform a system reset. Mainly because this is something you’d find yourself doing in the future, not when you first receive your device. However, as time passes and you operate your new device as normal, you slowly start to notice things that naturally come with time. Firstly, you will start using up storage space and as your storage space begins to deplete, you will begin to see a difference in the performance of your device. Knowing how to perform a reset is useful in this context (to name one), as it can help you to revive and keep life in a tablet that has been sluggish for a while. What if you buy a bigger, more powerful Samsung device while you’re old one still works? You may like to give your (now old) tablet to a family member or friend for their own use. That’s a great idea. Or, if it’s in great condition, you may even be able to sell the device to a new owner. However, a Samsung tablet, like a Samsung mobile, is often quite personalised. So, before handing over the device to someone, you’ll want to remove your personal data. The new user will want to personalise the device themselves and make it their own with their own look and feel. To remove your data and personalisations you perform something called a ‘factory reset’.
Why Resetting Is Necessary Or Beneficial
So let’s just summarise again the reasons for a reset on your Samsung tablet. You may want to reset when;
- After extensive use, the Samsung tablet may become slow and sluggish. This is often due to the reduction of free memory space due to installed software. This itself uses memory and runs in the background as a process.
- When the screen continues to freeze, often in the middle of work, causing inconvenience and loss of time.
- When the usage or ownership of the Samsung tablet changes to another user or owner.
There are other reasons but these are the most common.
Cautionary Things To Note About A Factory Reset
This reset will, in effect, give you a new tablet because it’s the nuclear option. The tablet will be a clean slate, ready for a new owner. A factory reset is also known as a master reset. But wait a minute. Do you really need to take this extreme step? You will definitely want to do this if you’re giving your tablet away to someone. Please bear in mind that it will wipe off all your data. Ebooks, PDF documents, so many personal items. There may be documents you’ve temporarily forgotten about and will need later.
OK, your email may be available also on your PC but there may photographs and soft copies of documents on the tablet. That will cause real trouble or heartbreak for you if lost. So if you’re selling or giving your tablet away. we’d advise you to make sure you’ve backed up all your data BEFORE resetting.
If you are simply resetting to try and get your device back to its original powerful configuration, then think long and hard. Do you want to get rid of all that data through a factory reset? In this case, a soft reset is generally all you need. For fixing the device for your personal use, a soft reset could be ideal. So we’ll check out the soft reset process first. Then we’ll move on to learn about exactly how to factory (hard) reset a Samsung tablet.
How to Soft Reset a Samsung Tablet
If you are trying to solve a sluggish or slow Samsung tablet performance, then a soft reset is the first thing action you should take. A soft reset closes all the apps in the device and removes data from the random access memory cache. Data in current use will be lost, BUT the hard drive of the device remains intact. Restarting the device is often just the action needed to get the device running efficiently again. Sometimes a soft reset is what’s required to get an application working properly after malfunctioning. It is also necessary sometimes when new software is being installed. It’s not an extreme step. Just close down your device completely, using the power key, then restart it again. That’s all it takes. Don’t rush to a hard reset.
How to Hard Reset a Samsung Tablet
If a soft reset is your first resort, a hard reset is very much your last. As mentioned earlier, it’s irrevocable, so before embarking on this, please make absolutely sure that all your data is backed up. Remember, many have thought they didn’t need any data only to find that nagging file they now need!. Bear in mind that the software on the tablet will revert to its original just installed configuration. That software may also need to be updated again to bring it up to the latest specifications.
Having decided to proceed, it’s worth remembering that there are two ways to do a factory reset. If you are doing a hard reset because you are selling or giving your device away, it should be quite straightforward. Switch on the tablet, go to settings and find the device management tab. From there, you can select the option to factory reset your device. Once the reset is complete and the device rebooted, you can hand over the tablet to the new owner.
If your device will not start and allow you to use the method above you need option 2. This can happen if you’ve forgotten the password of the device (for example).
These are the steps you should take to perform a hard reset on your Samsung tablet;
- Ensure that the device is completely switched off.
- Press the ‘Power’ key, the ‘Home key” and the ‘Volume Up’ key at the same time. Do not release these buttons until the Samsung logo appears onscreen.
- Now the Samsung tablet will go into ‘Recovery Mode’ and the screen should be available. You may then use the ‘Volume Up’ key to select the ‘factory reset’ option. You must also select ‘Yes’ to deleting all user data. Once the command is given, the operation will take a few minutes to complete.
- The ‘Volume Up’ key can now be used to select the option to ‘Reboot System Now’.
You have just performed the hard reset of your device. You have restored your Samsung tablet to it’s original ‘out-of-the-box’ configuration.
