
Step 3: Perform Reset from Within Settings, Not Recovery Mode The backup runs silently in the background, and it can take a while, so I'd recommend enabling this setting at least 24 hours before performing a factory reset. To enable the feature, head to the "Backup & Reset" entry in Settings, then select "Back up my data" and turn the option on. If your device is running Android 5.0 or higher, there's a built-in feature that can handle this. For photos, and videos, I'd recommend installing the Google Photos app, which will guide you through backing your media up to the cloud.Īside from files, there are other bits of data like apps and Wi-Fi passwords that you might want to save. For documents, connect your phone to your computer with a USB data cable, then simply drag and drop files to save them (Windows), or use the Android File Transfer program to do the same (Mac).

Step 1: Back Things Up Firstīefore you do anything else, you should definitely make sure all of your important files and photos are backed up. So if the time has come to perform a factory reset on your Android device, fret not, because the tips I'll cover below will ensure that the process is as quick and painless as it can be.

Sure, it seems like a simple task on the surface, but if you're not careful, you could end up wasting a lot of time or losing precious data.ĭon't Miss: 6 Easy Ways to Increase Battery Life on Android Whether you're performing a factory reset to get your device ready for sale or trade-in, or you're wiping your device in the hopes of fixing software issues, there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
