How do I factory reset my Samsung without a password?

I just got a Samsung Galaxy S8+ from my awesome brother in law, for testing and development work. But, when I charged it up and it turned on automatically, it was still set up with all his data, his PIN, etc, so I was locked out. I could have sent him a text to ask him for the PIN info, but not only was it 6am, it would also be a missed opportunity to see if I could factory reset the S8+ without the lock screen PIN.

Unfortunately, to factory reset an Android device, you need to boot to the system menu, but booting to the system menu requires the device to be powered off. But, to power off, you need the lock screen PIN. If I had the PIN, I probably wouldn't need to factory reset it!

How to turn off a Samsung Galaxy without the PIN:

1. Hold the volume down + power buttons for 10-15 seconds, until you feel it vibrate. I held it a lot longer than necessary, that's ok. The galaxy will then show a system menu with instructions how to use the menu. For my phone, it was to use volume up down to change menu selections, and the Bixsby key to select.

2. Use the volume down button to move the selection down to the "Power down" choice.

3. Use the Bixsby button to select/confirm "Power down".

Then the Samsung Galaxy S8+ turned off, and I was able to then boot to the system menu, which we'll cover in another blog post.

Depending on the current phone configuration, you may see a factory reset option in this maintenance menu as well, which may be a quicker choice if that is your goal.

Another reader with a Samsung Galaxy A5 (Thanks Richard!) provided his steps to successfully power down the A5. I found a video demonstrating most of these steps in case that is helpful as well.

How to turn off a Samsung Galaxy A5 without the PIN:

1. Hold power + volume down buttons to do a hard reset, until you feel the phone vibrate.

2. Quickly switch and hold volume up + power + home.

3. You should see a blue Android screen saying "updating".

4. When you see the Android "no command" screen, hold power and press volume up to boot into recovery mode.

5. Use the volume down button to move the selection down to the "Power down" choice.

6. Use the Power button to select/confirm "Power down" or "Factory reset" if resetting is your goal.

You might need to factory reset your phone when you forget the lock screen PIN. Although resetting will delete your entire personal data, you can unlock it and save yourself from buying a new one. But how do you reset it without the password?

Luckily for Android users, you can use Android Device Manager if you have turned on Find My Device. It will help to track your phone and wipe data. Similarly, you can hard reset your Android phone using the power buttons.

In this article, we will learn how to factory reset your Android phones without a password.

If you don’t know the phone password, you can factory reset your Android device using the volume and power buttons. The process of hard resetting a locked Android phone differs between the brands. So, I have mentioned each step to wipe all data on various Android mobile phones below.

Samsung

Depending on the Samsung phone model, there are different steps to factory reset on Samsung without a password. I have mentioned the steps for two different Samsung models.

Without a Power Button and Bixby

These are the steps for Samsung phones without a physical Home Button/ Power Button and Bixby.

1. On your phone, press the Volume Up Button and Side Buttons together and hold. Release the button once the Samsung logo shows on the screen
2. You will see the Android Recovery menu on the screen. Press the Volume Down Button to go to Wipe Data/ Factory Reset
   
3. Click the Side Button to open it
4. Choose Factory Data Reset and wait till the process completes
5. Again, the Android Recovery menu shows on your screen. Choose the Reboot System now to reboot your phone

With a Power Button and Bixby

Check out the steps to erase data on a Samsung phone with the Power button.

1. Long press the Volume Up Button, Power Button, and Bixby Together and hold them until the Samsung logo shows on the screen
2. The Android Recovery Menu displays on your screen
3. Press the Volume Down Button to navigate Wipe Data/ Factory Reset
   
4. Press the Power Button to open it
5. Choose Factory Data to reset and wait for the process to complete
6. After the completion, the Android Recovery Menu shows on your screen. Choose the Reboot System Now to reboot your phone

Note: If you didn’t remove the Samsung or Google account before resetting your device, you would need to log in to the account to continue after the system reboots.

OnePlus

To erase all data on OnePlus phones, follow the given steps.

1. Long press the Power Button and Hold It for a few seconds to switch off your OnePlus device
2. Now, simultaneously press the Volume Down Button and Power Button or Volume Up Button and Power Key Button, depending on your device model. Release it once the OnePlus logo displays on the screen
3. Choose and tap on the preferred Language from the option
4. On the Recovery Menu, tap on Wipe Data
5. You will need to type the Verification Code that will display on the screen to confirm
6. Once the Format Data menu appears on your screen, tap on Format and wait for the process to complete 
7. Tap on the Ok button

LG

 Check out the steps to wipe data in LG phones.

1. Switch Off your LG phone
2. Long press the Volume Down and Power Button at once and hold the button until the LG logo displays on the screen
3. As soon as the LG logo displays, Leave the Power Button and Press and Hold It again.Do Not Remove Your Fingers From the Volume Button During This Process
4. Release both buttons only when Factory Data Reset appears on the screen
5. Use the Volume Button to select the Yes option and press the Power Button to activate it
   
6. Once the phone reboots, the system will ask you to enter your Google Account Password to restore data or continue. However, you can skip this process.

Xiaomi

Here are the steps to Wipe Data on Xiaomi phones without a password. 

1. Long press the Power Button of your phone to Switch It Off
2. Now, press the Volume Up and Power Button in sync and hold it until the Mi Logo appears on the screen
3. You will see a Main Menu on the screen
4. With the help of the Volume Button, select Wipe Data and press the Power Button to activate
   
5. Once Wipe Data appears on the screen, press the Volume Up/ Down to select Wipe All Data. Again, press the Power Button to enter the settings.
6. Press the power button again to access ‘Confirm Wipe of All Data’

How to Reset Stolen Phone Using Android Device Manager 

If your phone is stolen, you can use Android Device Manager to locate and reset your phone data. But, before that, you need to sync your google account to turn on Find My Device on your phone. Check out the given steps.

1. Open a Web Browser on your phone and go to android.com/find
2. Log In to your Google Account and select the preferred Android Phone for the factory reset
3. Now, to reset your phone, click on Erase Device
4. Again, tap on Erase Device to confirm and Log In to your Google Account
   
5. On the Erase All Data Menu, tap on Erase button to reset 

How to Factory Reset Android With Password

You can wipe all data on Android from the phone settings if you know your lock screen password. However, you must be sure before resetting your device, as this setting will delete the entire data. The steps to reset are quite similar on all Android phones. Check out the steps below.

Note: Your phone must have a good battery percentage during the process. If not, plug your device into the charger before starting.

1. On your phone, Navigate to Settings > About Phone
   
2. Tap on Factory Reset Option
   
3. Click on Erase All Data to factory reset
   
4. Click on Erase All Data to continue
5. Again, to confirm, tap on Erase All Data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Factory Reset Delete Everything?

Factory Reset deletes all your data on your phone. So, factory reset your device only after confirming it. However, if you backup everything on your google account, you can still restore the data even after a factory reset.

How Do I Bypass the Previously Synced Google Account on Android After Reset?

After resetting, your device still asks to enter the google account details if it is synced. So, if you wish to reset your phone completely, remove your Google account first. Here are the steps to remove from Settings below.

1. On your phone, go to Settings > Users & Accounts
2. Tap on your Google Account 
3. On the top-right of your screen, tap on Three Dots to open the menu
4. Select the Remove Account option

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