How to Hard & Soft Reset a Galaxy Note8

If you’re experiencing problems with your Samsung Galaxy Note 8, you can try to reset it with these steps.

• Jump to soft reset
• Jump to hard reset from startup
• Jump to hard reset from menus

Soft Reset

If the phone is not responding or powering on, try a soft reset by using these steps. Data will not be lost from performing a soft reset.

1. Connect the phone to a power outlet using a power block and USB cable.
2. Press and hold the “Volume Down” and “Power” buttons at the same time for about 20 seconds.

Your phone should reset and allow you to use it as normal after these steps. If the phone is in a boot loop or displays “Downloading” and won’t go any further, let the phone sit and charge for at least 20 minutes before trying to power it on again.

Hard Reset

If you are experiencing consistent problems with your Galaxy Note 8, a factory hard reset may be the cure. A factory hard reset will wipe all data and settings from the device and return it to factory default settings.

Factory Reset – Option 1

1. Connect the phone to a power outlet using a power block and USB cable.
2. Power the phone completely off. Ensure that all notification lights are off before you try the next step.
3. Press and hold “Volume Up“, then press and release “Power“. If you did everything correctly, the Samsung Galaxy logo will appears, and it will say “Recovery Booting” in the upper-left corner of the screen.
4. Use the “Volume Down” button to toggle the selection to “wipe data/factory reset“, then press the “Bixby” button to make that selection.
5. Use the “Volume Down” button to toggle the selection to “Yes — delete all user data“, then press the “Bixby” button.
6. The factory reset process will begin. Once it’s finished, select the “reboot system now” option, and your device will restart in its factory reset state.

Factory Reset – Option 2

1. From the Home screen, select “Apps” > “Settings“.
2. Select “Personal“> “Back up and reset” > “Factory data reset“.
3. A warning will appear warning you that your data will be erased. If you’re sure you want to proceed with the hard reset, tap “Reset device“.

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 post applies to the SM-N950V, SM-N950A, SM-N950P, and SM-N950F versions of the device.