At some point, you’re probably going to have to reset your Samsung Galaxy S8+ smartphone. When it’s frozen and not responding, you will want to soft reset it. If you are having major issues with the device that normal troubleshooting doesn’t fix, you may want to hard reset it to factory defaults. Here’s how you can do both.
Soft Reset
Whenever the device is frozen or doesn’t respond to commands, simply press and hold the “Power” and “Volume Down” buttons on the device for about 10 to 20 seconds. Eventually, the screen should turn off. You will then be able to turn the device back on and resume normal operation.
Hard Reset
There are two ways you can perform a hard reset on the Galaxy S8. One procedure can be done from startup, the other from within the Android OS. These steps will wipe all data from the device, so be sure to have a backup in place if you wish to keep your data. Also, if you have encrypted the data on your SD card, be sure to disable encryption before these steps. Otherwise, you will never be able to view your encrypted files again.
From Android OS
- Tap “Settings” > “Backup and reset” > “Factory data reset” > “Reset” > “Delete All“.
From Startup
- With the device powered off, press and hold “Volume Down“, “Bixby” and “Power“.
- Continue to hold both buttons until you see the Recovery screen.
- From the recovery screen, use the “Volume Down” button to toggle the selection to “Wipe data / factory reset“.
- Press the “Power” button to select the highlighted option.
FAQ
How do I disable Factory Reset Protection?
Factory Reset Protection prevents access to your device without your permission. It locks the device to your Google account. If you’re changing ownership of the phone, you will want to turn this feature off.
You can disable Factory Reset Protection by removing your Google account from the device before the factory reset. This can be done under “Settings” > “Accounts and cloud” > “Accounts” > “Google” > select the account > 
> “Remove account“.
This tutorial applies to the Samsung Galaxy S8+ models SM-G955 and SM-G950.
Darren Easterbrook says
May 4, 2019 at 4:43 amSince last update my s8 doesn’t show all text message conversations. You have to press down on the last message just to view that message. I have tried everything. Please help
jenna says
March 30, 2019 at 2:01 pmmy s8 is frozen. tried pressing all button combinations suggested on sites and it keeps coming back to the same black screen with Samsung galaxy s8 on. I cant do anything on it I cant even turn it off. any help would be great please. it wont even register on a computer
Kelly says
January 5, 2019 at 12:13 amHow can I remove the frp if my phone has been hacked
Mitch Bartlett says
December 2, 2018 at 6:33 pmTake the phone to an authorized Samsung dealer along with your receipt.
Shannon Perry says
December 1, 2018 at 7:16 pmIs there a way to get into the S8 if you bought the phone from someone who didn’t remove their Google account. Keeps asking to sign into account that was synced to phone before factory reset
Christina says
November 8, 2018 at 12:12 amHow do I charge my Samsung S8+ when it keeps saying I have moisture in my charging port but it hasn’t been exposed to any moisture? It won’t charge without beeping or vibrating constantly.
jules says
August 2, 2018 at 3:09 ambigup!!!! soft reset
Frank says
February 28, 2018 at 7:44 pmI actually held bixby, vol down and power now phone keeps rebooting. Can you help me please?
Caroline wheelhouse says
January 13, 2018 at 6:03 pmYes very helpful tho annoyed my brand new S8 keeps freezing
Laurie E says
January 12, 2018 at 3:35 pmMy galaxy S8 required the lower left (Bixby) button to be pushed to reset, not the power button. Other wise, spot on!
leena says
November 29, 2017 at 12:48 pmIt’s telling me to wait for 24 hours,it’s really frustrating can I please get help on this.
Reynaldo says
October 30, 2017 at 8:13 amIt works!, thank you very much.
JAELA says
July 15, 2017 at 7:15 amPERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!