How to Factory Reset Samsung S8 [2023]? (6 Methods)

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 is an absolute classic, despite being one of the older members of Samsung’s Galaxy S series.

Its sleek design, capable hardware, and excellent camera make it unlikely that anyone who owns one will want to part with it anytime soon.

However, a phone begins to slow down as it ages, and if you don’t plan on replacing it, this will become very annoying very quickly.

Fortunately, there are methods for speeding up a phone’s recovery, one of which is a factory reset.

A full reset clears out all the cobwebs that have accumulated over time and can significantly speed up a phone.

On the other hand, you may be selling or giving away an old Galaxy S8 — in which case, a factory reset is even more important, as it ensures that your valuable data does not fall into the hands of a third party.

But, no matter why you’re doing it, a factory reset is simple.

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on a Samsung Galaxy S8.

You need to Back-Up Your Data First

Make a backup of your device.  

Please keep in mind that all apps can be re-downloaded after logging back into your Google Account.

A factory reset will delete the following data from your phone permanently:

• All personal information
  
• Settings that can be changed
  
• Applications obtained from the Google Play Store
  Messages
  
• Contacts \sPhotos
  
• As a result, it is recommended that you back up your data before performing a factory reset.

Protection against factory reset

Factory Reset Protection (FRP), a security feature introduced by Google in Android 5.0 Lollipop, is intended to prevent thieves from wiping your device and then using or selling it.

However, if you do not disable it, it may interfere with a factory reset.

When you reset a phone with FRP enabled, it will prompt you to enter the user name and password for the last Google account registered to the device.

That’s fine if you’re the owner, but it’s obviously problematic if you’ve sold or given it to someone else.

Fortunately, you can disable it to prevent this from happening.

Here’s how to turn off Factory Reset Protection on the Samsung Galaxy S8:

1. First, log out of your Google account.

Navigate to Settings > Cloud & Accounts > Accounts and select Google.

Then, in the upper right, tap the three vertical dots, or More > Remove account.

Make a point of deleting any Google accounts you come across.

2. The next step is to deactivate your Samsung account.

Navigate to Settings > Lock screen and security > Find My Phone.

Enter your password, then select More > Remove account from the menu at the top.

5 Different Methods To Do It

Method 1: How to Perform a Factory Reset on a Samsung Galaxy S8 Using the Settings Menu:

1. Make a backup of your data on the internal memory.

2. You have activated Anti-theft if you have signed into a Google account on the device, and you will need your Google credentials to complete the factory reset.

3. Swipe up on an empty spot on the Home screen to open the Apps tray.

4. Select Settings.

5. Select Cloud and Accounts.

6. Select Backup and restore.

7. Tap Back up my data if desired to toggle the slider to ON or OFF.

8. Tap Restore to toggle the slider to ON or OFF.

9. To return to the Settings menu, press the back button.

10. Invoke General Management.

11. Tap the Reset button.

12. Select Factory data reset.

13. Tap the Reset device button.

14. Enter your credentials if you have a screen lock enabled.

15. Continue by pressing the Continue button. Select Delete all.

Method 2: Using hardware keys to perform a master reset

It does not erase any data on the SIM card or SD card.

If the device menus are frozen or unresponsive, you can use hardware keys to perform a master reset.

1. Make a backup of your data on the internal memory. You have activated Anti-theft if you have signed into a Samsung account on the device, and you will need your Samsung credentials to complete the master reset.

2. Turn the device off.

3. Hold down the Volume Up and Bixby keys, then press and hold the Power key.

4. Release all keys when the green Android logo appears (‘Installing system update’ will appear for about 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear).

5. To highlight ‘wipe data/factory reset,’ press the Volume down key several times.
To select, press the Power button.

6. Hold down the Volume down key until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data is highlighted.
To select and begin the master reset, press the Power button.

7. When the master reset is finished, the option to ‘Reboot system now is highlighted.
To restart the device, press the Power button.

Method 3: Using Find My Mobile, you can perform a factory reset.

 Find My Mobile, among other things, allows you to remotely locate, lock, and/or wipe your device.

To use Find My Mobile to factory reset your device, follow these steps:

1. Your device must be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or a mobile network.

• Your Samsung Account must be linked to your device.
• Settings for remote control
• Remote unlock must be enabled.

1. Navigate to the Find My Mobile website.

2. log in to your Samsung account.

3. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a list of all the devices that are linked to your Samsung Account. Choose the device to be factory reset.

4. Select Erase data.

5. You may be asked to provide identification. If this is the case, a pop-up box will appear asking you to enter the verification code that was sent to your Samsung phone or tablet. Enter the code, then press the Verify button. Once your identity has been verified, click Erase data once more to proceed.

NOTE:

If you do not receive a code, you can verify using another method. Choose between Verify with text message and Verify with backup code. Click Verify with a text message, then Verify with another Galaxy device if you want to use another Galaxy device to verify your identity.

6. A pop-up box will appear asking for your confirmation to wipe your device. To confirm, click Erase.

7. A new pop-up message will appear, requesting that you confirm your Samsung Account password. Enter your password, then press the Next button.

8. Your device will be factory reset, and you will no longer be able to remotely control it.

Method 4: Reset network configurations if necessary.

The process of resetting network settings restores all data connections to their original factory settings.

There are several changes that will occur when you perform a network settings reset, as follows.

• Wi-Fi networks that have been saved will be removed from the list.
• Bluetooth devices that have been paired with a computer will be removed from the system.
• The background data synchronization settings will be enabled by default.
• In applications where the customer has manually turned on or off data restrictive settings, these settings will be reset to their default state.
• The network mode will be set to “automatic” in this instance.

Device connections will be set to their initial state when the device is first powered on in the following section.

• Airplane mode is turned off on this device.
• Bluetooth has been deactivated.
• The data roaming feature has been disabled.
• OFF for mobile hotspot, The VPN service has been turned off.
• The mobile data connection has been enabled.
• The Wi-Fi network has been turned off.

To perform a network reset, follow the steps outlined below.

• Swipe up on an empty spot on the Home screen to reveal the Apps tray, and then swipe down to close it.
• Reset network settings by selecting Settings > General Management > Reset from the main menu.
• By pressing the Reset button, you can restore the default settings.
• If you have a PIN, please enter it here.
• By pressing the Reset button, you can restore the default settings. A confirmation window will appear once the work is completed.

Method 5: Soft resetting via hardware keys

A soft reset simulates the removal of the battery.

When the screen is frozen or unresponsive and the device has an internal battery that cannot be removed, this is used to turn it off.

It does not result in the loss of any personal data on the device.

1. Hold the Power and Volume down keys down for up to 45 seconds.
2. Wait for the device to restart.

Method 6: Reset your Galaxy S8 with the help of Samsung’s Smart Switch PC software.

To reset the Galaxy S8, you can use the Smart Switch software provided by Samsung, which is simple to use.

It will guide you through the factory reset process, install the most recent firmware on your Galaxy S8, and completely erase all of your apps, settings, and personal data from your device.

There are, however, a few prerequisites to meet.

You’ll need to connect the Galaxy S8 to one of your PC’s USB ports with a USB-C cable, and you’ll also need to download and install the Smart Switch software from Samsung’s website before you can use the feature.

From there, it’s a downhill slide.

Wait for the necessary drivers to be installed on your Galaxy S8 when you first connect it.

This will take some time.

After that is completed, you can move on to the next step.

1. The Samsung Smart Switch software that you previously installed should now be activated.

Devices such as your phone will appear on the list.

2. Emergency Software Recovery and Initialization can be found in the top-right corner of the screen, followed by More in the top-right corner of the screen.

3. Device Initialization can be found in the drop-down menu. Please click OK a second time to confirm the initialization, and a third time to ensure that you have read the list of precautions.

4. Choose whether or not you want to create a backup. If you prefer not to, you can choose to skip the backup.

5. Yes, should be selected when a User Account Control dialog box appears.

Your Galaxy S8 will be updated to the latest firmware by Smart Switch, which will download and install on your device. When it’s finished, press the OK button.

Bonus: Tablet Factory Reset

Perform a factory reset on a tablet computer by pressing the appropriate buttons.  

If you are able to access the screen on your tablet, you should reset it using the settings menu on the device.

In order to use a smartphone or a tablet, the same procedure must be followed on both devices.

Using the buttons on the device, you can force a factory reset on your device if you are unable to log into it.

1. Disconnect the device from the power source.

The device will not be turned off automatically if it is locked.

You will be prompted to enter your PIN, password, or pattern to unlock it.

The battery will run out before your device will shut down if you forget your PIN, password, or pattern.

2. To do this, simultaneously press and hold the volume up, power, and home buttons on your phone.

Please keep in mind that if your device does not have a home button, you can substitute the volume up and power buttons for this function instead.

3. When the screen menu appears, take your fingers away from the buttons and place them elsewhere.

4. Continue to hold down the volume down button until the Wipe data/factory reset option appears on the screen.

5. To select, press the power button on your keyboard.

Maintain pressure on the volume down button until the word Yes appears highlighted.

7. To select, press the power button on your keyboard.

Any unusual behavior on your Samsung smartphone, tablet, or wearable device should be reported to us via the Samsung Members app, which allows you to submit an error report and ask a question.

This enables us to get a better understanding of what is going on.

It is understood that the information will be kept anonymous and will only be used for the duration of the investigation.

Find out more about submitting an error report using the Samsung Members app in this article.

Our Final Thoughts

After few years of using our phone, it will really cause problems.

Or sometimes you need to sell your phone, so you need a factory data reset.

So was this article helpful? Let me know your answer in the comment section!

Frequently Ask Questions

How do I restore the factory settings on my Samsung phone?

Turn your phone off, then press and hold the Power/Bixby and Volume Up keys, followed by the Power key.

When the Android mascot appears, let go of the keys.

When the Android system recovery menu appears, press the Volume Down key to select “Wipe Data/Factory Reset” and then press the Power/Bixby key to continue.

Reset Your Galaxy S8's Factory Data (Erase Everything)

You can do a “Factory Data Reset” on Android phones, which is similar to reformatting a hard drive on a computer, and it’s very simple. This step erases everything and restores the device to its factory-fresh state.

How do I avoid a factory reset on the Galaxy S8 Plus?

Press the Volume down key several times to bring up the option to “wipe data/factory reset.”

To select, press the Power button.

Hold down the Volume down key until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data is highlighted. To select and begin the master reset, press the Power button.

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