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Last Updated on November 30, 2021
Tablets are wonderful pieces of technology. As they are bigger than a smartphone they make things such as playing games and watching movies a lot easier. They are great devices to own, but they do not come without their issues.
While regular software updates help to alleviate any glitches or issues, sometimes one or two will escape through the net and cause havoc with your tablet. While your Samsung tablet may not be experiencing huge issues, applications crashing while you are using them, or a tablet that is slow is something you will want to avoid.
If you are unsure of how to reset a Samsung tablet then this article is for you. We have discussed the different ways in which you can reset your tablet to help eradicate any ongoing issues you may be experiencing.
Force Restart/Soft Reset
When it comes to issues with a tablet, you have likely heard the phrase ‘factory reset’. While this is a sure fire way of helping to resolve any issues you may be having, your device may not need this. Ideally, a factory reset should be the last option you try.
If you are experiencing issues with the tablet not responding, freezing or crashing, the first step you will want to take is to force the tablet to restart. While this method does not always work, it is the best place to begin.
With all the Samsung Tablets, even the older models, the way in which you will do this is the same. You will need to press the power button and the volume down button (both of which are located on the right-hand side of the tablet) simultaneously.
You will want to hold the buttons down for around 10 to 15 seconds. After this, you will notice the tablet begin to reboot itself.
If this method has not worked, you will want to hold in the power button for two minutes. This will shut down the device completely. Once shut down you will want to leave the tablet off for one minute and then turn it back on again using the power button.
While this should work if there is nothing seriously wrong with the tablet, in some instances, the device will still refuse to carry out a force restart. If this is something you are experiencing, you will want to allow your device to run completely out of charge.
Once all the power has gone, place the device to change. You will want to leave the tablet charging for around 30 minutes before you try turning it back on again. This should resolve the issue.
If the tablet is still not responding after trying all of these force reset actions, it is likely that there is something more serious wrong with the device. In this instance, you will need to have the tablet checked over by Samsung to help locate the issue.
Software Updates
If you are experiencing some issues with the system of the Samsung tablet crashing or being significantly slower than usual, you should ensure that all the software is up to date.
Often tablets will become slower if they are running on an older software. Newer software is released by Samsung often and in the majority of cases bug issues and crashes are addressed and fixed.
Given this, you should always ensure that the tablet is fully up to date before you begin trying to resolve any issues that it has, as this may solve the problem for you.
To find the software update section, you will need to click on settings and then scroll down to software update. If there is an update available, there will be an orange icon next to the text. Click on software update and then on the next menu you will need to choose the download and install option. A long message will appear. After you have read this, you can either click schedule install or install now.
What Is A Factory/Master Reset?
If you are still experiencing issues, you will want to carry out a factory reset. This is a useful tool and will take the tablet back to how it was when you purchased it.
In doing so, it will remove everything from your device. Given this, if the tablet is responding, and it is possible, you will want to ensure that all the content you want to keep is backed up in either the cloud or on external memory.
All the content will be removed from the Samsung tablet, such as, images, apps, text messages, videos, and any downloads. Some people choose to do this if they are selling a phone or giving it to a friend, for example.
Regardless of the model of Samsung tablet you own, the master reset options remain the same to allow this to be carried out easily across the Samsung tablet devices.
How to Perform A Factory/Master Reset On A Samsung Tablet
Using The Settings
If you want to keep the data on your phone, the first step you will need to take is to back it the data before carrying out the master/factory reset.
Once the data has been backed up, you will want to locate the home screen and click on your applications. The application you will need to choose is settings. When the settings option load, you will want to click on personal. This will then give you the option to choose Backup and reset.
The backup option is useful as this will help to keep the data on your phone safe during the factory reset. However, you do not have to choose to back up your data if you wish not to. This can be changed with the ON and OFF slider featured. You can choose to restore the tablet if you want to use the ON and OFF slider too.
Next, you will want to choose Factory Data Reset. It will then lead you to the Reset device option, which is the button you will want to click. As this does reset the device, the Samsung tablet will ask you to confirm this by entering either your password or PIN. After you have entered this, you will want to click Continue and then delete all.
The device will then return to how it was when you first purchased it, if you have changed any of the settings, these will be back to what they were prior to you changing them.
Hardware Keys
If you are unable to use the hardware keys, if for example the screen has become unresponsive or frozen, you can also use the hardware keys, which is useful. This will apply to the majority of Samsung tablet models.
If you have the option to back up your data using the internal menu, you should do this beforehand. However, you may be unable to do this. Next you will want to turn off the Samsung tablet.
Once the tablet is off, you will want to press the volume up button, which is typically located on the right-hand side of the tablet, and the home key. You will want to hold these buttons for a few seconds. Once you have done this, you will want to hold the power button for a few seconds in addition to the other two buttons.
After a few seconds, the Samsung logo should appear in the middle of the screen. When this logo appears you can then release the three buttons you were holding in.
Next there will be a message that appears on the screen stating ‘Installing system update’. This will appear for around one minute. After this, a No Command message will appear, and this will lead you to the Android System Recovery Menu.
You will then want to use the volume down button until the factory data and wipe data options are chosen. To select this option you will need to press on the power button once. This will start the factory reset process that we have discussed in the previous section.
Once the reset has been completed, again you will need to press the power button, which will reset the Samsung Tablet for you. This will then take the device back to the settings that it had when you first purchased it.
Other Settings to Check
It is important to reset your Samsung tablet if it is experiencing serious issues or is beginning to glitch. However, there are a few other settings in addition to software updates that you should be aware of too.
On some occasions it is these settings that need to be changed and by doing this you can help prevent having to perform a soft or factory reset.
Memory Space
The memory space that is available on your Samsung tablet can have an effect on how well it is performing. For example, if there is a limited amount of memory space, this will cause the tablet to be significantly slower.
The best way to check this is to take a look at the storage options within the system settings. If they are full or are close to being full you may want to free up some space. You can do this by transferring files and photos, for example, to an external storage device or by putting them on a computer. It is worth deleting any of the applications that take up memory space that you do not use too.
Samsung Safe Mode
If your Samsung tablet is running slowly, you may have the device on Samsung Safe Mode without realizing this. The safe mode enables the tablet to work using the minimum amount of settings.
When Samsung Safe Mode is enabled, only the basic settings can be used and some applications will not load. The menus will be a lot simpler to use too.
If safe mode is enabled, you can disable it by pressing the power button and clicking restart. When the device has restarted, safe mode will be disabled.
Do I Need To Reset My Samsung Tablet?
Depending on how well your Samsung tablet is responding will determine if you will need to reset the tablet. However, before resetting it, we would always recommend checking all the setting and storage options prior to this.
While a soft reset will not cause you to lose any of your data, a factory reset will. As this is not ideal, you should only really use factory reset when absolutely necessary. In some cases the issue can be resolved without this.
Does A System Reset Work?
In the vast majority of cases, resetting your Samsung tablet will help to resolve any issues it has. However, if you have carried out a factory reset, and you are still experiencing issues with the Samsung tablet it will likely need to be checked by a professional.
In these instances the best option is to send the tablet off to Samsung, or take it into your local store to see if they are able to resolve the issue. This could be caused by underlying issues that will need to be resolved by the manufacturer.
Summary
We hope that you have found this article useful. As you can see, it is possible to reset a Samsung tablet. However, when it comes to factory resets, you should only do this when absolutely necessary as this is going to return your device to the settings it had when it was purchased.
It is always important to back up the device before resetting if you want to keep the data. We would always recommend checking your settings and carrying out a soft reset before carrying out a factory reset.
You should also check that all of your updates and settings are up to date and the tablet is using the newest software. If a factory reset was not successful, you will need to contact the manufacturer.
