Reset and restore Android even if your phone or tablet doesn't start

In the latest versions of Android you can restart your phone or tablet in safe mode which is useful for solving any problems, uninstalling applications that go wrong or fixing settings. However, it happens that you have to perform a reset to the factory settings of Android when there are errors that you cannot solve or in the unfortunate case in which the smartphone or tablet no longer starts . This can happen especially if you have an unlocked device with root permissions and you install experimental applications, but there can be many other reasons why the phone no longer starts and does not load the operating system.
In this guide we will show you how to reset and restore Android even in cases where the system no longer starts, so that you can recover the operation of the device. If the system starts but has errors or is strangely slow, we will also show you how to restore your smartphone quickly, saving all personal data.
READ ALSO: Restart Android if the mobile phone or tablet seems dead

Restore Android that starts

If it is possible to start the Android device normally or in safe mode we can perform the factory reset directly in the Settings menu and going to the Backup and restore section.

We tap on Factory data reset, we choose to reset the whole phone (there should be an entry All files on the phone or similar) then enter the security password, so as to start the procedure.
Before proceeding , however, we recommend that you make a backup of important data, photos and also check the credentials of Google Authenticator, which will be lost during the reset. If we don't know how to backup to Android, we recommend you read our guide How to backup Android, where we will find all the effective methods to save our personal data and restore it after reset. If, on the other hand, we only wanted to save the photos on the device, we recommend reading the article on the Automatic Photo Backup to keep them safe online .

Restore Android stuck or won't start

If it is no longer possible to start the mobile phone or tablet, if the device is planted on the boot logo, if it goes in a loop or if we see the android icon appear lying on the ground with the belly open, we will have to restore by entering in the internal recovery of the device.
To restore Android from a mobile phone that does not start, turn off the device completely and turn it on in Recovery mode ; each device has a different key combination for turning on in recovery mode. Below we can find the recovery access procedures of the main manufacturers on sale:

1. Samsung : press the Power + Home + Volume Up keys together; on new smartphones the combination is Power + Volume Up + Bixby Button.
2. Huawei : press the Power + Volume Up keys together.
3. Xiaomi : we press the Power + Volume Up keys together.
4. LG : press the Power + Volume Up keys together.
5. Motorola : Press the Power + Volume Down + Volume Up keys together.
6. Google Pixel : on smartphones produced by Google we press the Power + Volume Down buttons together.
7. Generic keys : for most of the smartphones not listed the keys to enter recovery are Power + Volume Up; in rare cases we will have to press Power + Volume Down and navigate in the bootloader to open recovery mode.

If we cannot find the suitable combination to enter recovery mode on our device (especially if we choose semi-unknown Chinese models), we look for the name of the device on Google with the addition of the string "recovery mode", so as to find it surely a suitable key combination. In the recovery menu that appears we use the volume up and volume down keys to scroll through the options while with the power button we confirm the choice.

Often the phone will show you a slightly different screen than the recovery (which is similar to the photo above): in this case we started the bootloader, a sort of "anteroom" where you can choose what to start on the device. In this case it is sufficient to always use the volume keys to select the Recovery item and use the power button to confirm the choice, so as to correctly start the recovery mode.
Once in Recovery Mode select the Wipe data / factory reset option, confirm with the power button, then select and confirm on Yes to start the total recovery of the device, all the apps, settings and all the data inside it, including installed applications, will be deleted.
The operation usually lasts a few minutes, after which we will have to go back to the recovery and select Power Off, so that we can turn off or restart the device. The next time the device is started, we will have a new phone as if it had just left the factory, we will only have to configure our Google account and recover the backups previously made in order to use the device again as if nothing had happened.
To be prepared for the eventuality that Android goes wrong and requires a recovery, you can use a specific application to make a full backup of the Android phone.

Conclusions

Unless the device has suffered internal damage, Android is a system that can always be restored to factory settings, so as to solve the vast majority of software problems.
If the factory reset process does not solve the problems or does not work at all it is likely that there is a problem with the device hardware and therefore something is broken inside it.
If the smartphone remains slow even after restoring all data and backups, we recommend you read our guide on How to speed up Android on each smartphone . If instead we want to completely change the operating system on the smartphone, we recommend you read our guide on How to install a Custom Android ROM .