How to Hard Reset the Samsung Galaxy S

Is this reset different to doing

Settings>Privacy>Factory Data Reset?

Mark

Hello Mark,
The solution you suggest might not erase all data from your device. You could still end up with some leftovers such as, apps or even pictures that will not be deleted. The solution I describe is more drastic and erases everything (passwords, Wi-Fi settings, google account, apps). Besides, you get more options: Fastboot, Recovery, Clear Storage and Simlock.

I tried this, and it doesn't work. It just starts normally. Searching online, others also report it doesn't work.

(I did "Settings>Privacy>Factory Data Reset" once, but can't do it again as I get an error.)

Those who are having problems to * reset the i9000 use this :-

Shut your droid.
Now press Volume up, Home and Power together.
When Samsung Symbol shows up release the power.
Then there is a boot Menu. Use the volume up/down to choose and home to select.

it is shoking i can not get it to work it is crap

this worked but one problem.....my home key isn't working so cant select the option to reset to factory settings???? any ideas???

Thanks a lot.. :) worked like a charm

sameehkan:

YOU ARE A GOD SEND!! Thank you from a mom of four kids who just had to fish her phone out of a toilet bowl.... I dried it out, no damage thankfully... But it did have some trouble booting up. I tried your resetting, and it WORKED!!! WAHOOOO!! Thank you soooo much!! You just made my day!!

Sincerely,
A VERY HAPPY MOM!!!

This didn't work :(

this doesnt work at all, only thing it does is start up the normal way, you cant choose any option and the device is not resetted

does it require data plan like G1 when you reset it?

Ass kickage! Volume up Power Home button worked like a charm!

i did this and it worked but now it says external sd card and only lets me make emergency calls/ how can i fix this???

just throw your phone in bin as there is no way in getting it bk go get yourself a nokia 3210

This does not work on more recent Galaxy. Try this...

Volume UP Home Power

and you should get to the reset option menu.

Volume UP Home Power doesn't bring up any reset menu, it only shows a message "Forced Uploading by Key Pressing", then just hangs there.

it does not work, how to resolve the locking, when you have error like too many pattern attempts! and followed up by asking to unblock, sign in with your google account.tried so many time tried but still failed. So please somebody help

I've got the same problem, and stil not a solution!!! does anyone have the answer? I would be very thankfull!!!

Try this... while device is powered down... hold down the volume up button and the home key; then press and release the power button. Once the device powers up... release both volume up button and the home key. You should be able to get the factory reset menu

I have the same problem. Talked to sprint for 30mintues. they told me to take it to the store. any other tips? please?

Hello guys!I have the same problem as well!Locked by the motive thing:)
The volume down button combined with the home key worked fine!
I selected reset user data but the google connection appeared again!
Then i pressed down volume button home and it is still digging with (do not turn off target)
like the friend said!How long it takes?

Dropped my galaxy GT-19000 in bleach water twice (I know!) Anyway, trying to reset it as it is flashing the galaxy screen. Tried your guide but keep getting digging android pic in a triangle stating 'do not turn off target' but then it goes back to flashing galaxy screen. Any ideas please as only had it two weeks on contract and can't afford another one?

best not dropping it in water....sorry buddy

Hee Bernice i know it is an old post but does your phone work again and when what did you do to get i to work i hav th esme problem

i have done something that doesnt allow me to connect to internet or the market..any idea what i need to do to solve this?

Mine locked up. Blank screen. A hard reset returns me to the same dark screen, even after I select a reboot from the menu. Bell Canada help desk has no fix, suggests I take phone to retailer for repair. Called retailer - he says he will replace the phone. Says he has only had 3 like this out of 50 to 60 units sold. (YIKES! 6% fail?!?!?!?) This phone is only 3 weeks old. After 30 days I won't get another replacement. This is terrible. FAIL. DO NOT PURCHASE.

I did the instruction and it did not work. :-( My Galaxy S Vibrant (GT-I9000M) will boot up but after the logo show-up, it will stop and will just show a blank (black) screen.

Mine was doing the same exact thing... I found the solution though...if you wait about 3 seconds after it turns on and then let go of all the buttons (power, volume, and home button) it will take you to the master reset options screen. :) happy reseting

thank u worked a charm :)) now i cant recieve ne reception from my network :( can ne one help me pls xx

Doesn't work! Never boots to opening screen have tried for over 1/2 hr Phone died with TWlauncher error in 4 hours NICE

try plugging in your phone usb turn off the phone then hold down volume down button home key and power button when logo for your battery to charge release power button for half a sec the press again badda bing

mine is better
i did this and all my phone said was
Downloading...
Do not turn off the Target!!!
last i checked my droid wasnt a target... yet

Did your phone ever download, I have the same problem, how long did you have to wait?

volume up home n power worked 4 me, thanx a million

i need helpppppp :/

How to Hard-Reset the Samsung Galaxy S i9000
First method:

1. From the main home screen, tap menu
2. Tap Settings, then Privacy
3. Tap Factory data reset
4. Tap Reset phone
5. Enter your password, then tap Yes to confirm

Second method:

1. Turn the power off.
2. Hold down the Volume Up, Power and Home (bottom center) buttons.
3. When the "Galaxy S GT-i9000" startup screen show, release all the buttons.
4. Use the Volume Up/Down button to navigate to "wipe data/factory reset"
5. Press the Home button to confirm.

My phone forced closed when starting up after a charge. It wouldn't go past the Galaxy flash screen.
I just tried the factory reset - and it's now a black screen - it has a yellow caution triangle with an android shoveling inside the triangle. Underneath it says "Downloading... Do not turn off Target!!!"
It's been about 20 minutes. Should I be waiting for this? All I wanted was the reset

I have the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant - Bell Version. (2.2)

It works perfect on my Galaxy S GT1900. Hold three buttons and release them all then Galaxy screen shows

thank you verry much ! it works just good !

Second method:

1. Turn the power off.
2. Hold down the Volume Up, Power and Home (bottom center) buttons.
3. When the "Galaxy S GT-i9000" startup screen show, release all the buttons.
4. Use the Volume Up/Down button to navigate to "wipe data/factory reset"
5. Press the Home button to confirm. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This was fantastic, had been trying to unlock my phone for nearly 6hours, rang samsung and they wanted me to pay £16, pffftt rip off. Thankyou so very much!!

My galaxy s was recently stolen but i recovered it and now its telling me to enter my gmail account and password. the problem is i forgot it and i didnt enter a secondary email what do i do now?

It was fantastic! it did open. it saved almost 50 dollars for me. thank you all.

my phone won't even turn on what's the problem

how we can setting internet connection samsung gt-19000
when we open internet no network connection show on screen please send me internet sitting


regards/sunny

i have the samsung galaxy s and the only way i could bypass the password was to hold the volume button UP AND DOWN...not just up or down....anyway hold it up and DOWN and hit the power button when it starts to load let go of the volume keys

I found a samsung vibrant galaxy s and it had a passcode on it. after trying to unlock it numerous times it went into freeze mode and says i have to unlock it using the gmail account. Can anyone help me unlock it and restore it back to factory defaults?

i tried this but the screen just says >>LK (little kernel) ver Jan 19 2011

what to do next?? no other options.

Well, this happened to me also, have you found any solution yet?

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!! :'(
when i try the down (volume) home power it says "downloading do not turn off target" and when i press up (volume) instead it says "Forced Uploading by Key Pressing", then just hangs there.

PLEASE HELP ME!!! :'( :'(

OK SO I RECENTLY HAD THIS ISSUE WITH THE LATEST GALAXY S
1. HOLD BOTH THE VOLUME UP/DOWN AT THE SAME TIME
2. WHILE HOLDING THOSE TWO BUTTONS PRESS/RELEASE POWER BUTTON

works perfectly I swear it you just have to wipe the users cache at the prompt.

it dose not work

Hi,

I tried it with my S i bought in Germany and it doesnt work.
is there any other way to do it?

@cosminVasile

I have the tried the instructions as u said it but it doesnt work.

my ex boyfriend had this phone on my verizon account wouldnt give me his password i tried so many times it said pattern attempt after googleing this and trying many attempts i finally found the system restore that over rode this! alot of ppl dont want to do a system restore but i was at the point i didnt care what was on his phone i wanted to be able to sell it out. i did the power off then did volume up,home & power together when it said samsung i released the power button only and the restore screen popped up with 4 options i did factory restore and after that was complete i restarted the phone & it froze at the verizon screen for about 3 minutes then completly turned on and when the home screen appeared it was the puzzle lock i got scared but i moved the puzzle piece and its allowed me to access everything! WORKED LIKE A CHARM. thanks.

I tried multiple times using the volume up button home and power, but it didnt work. Then i had the bright idea of trying it with the volume down key, power and home releasing the power key when the samsung appeared. i could get into the boot menu that way but im not sure it worked properly because the phone is still stuck on the enter your gmail acct...

didn't work

If you have a Samsung Galaxy S D700 (you can find the model number under the battery) this is how you perform the hard reset:
1.Power off the handset.
2.Hold the Vol Down + Camera Button + Power Key until the Samsung system recovery screen appears.
3. Using the Volume Keys to scroll to “wipe data/factory reset”
4.Press the (Capacitive) Home Key to select.
5. Device will display yellow text with a warning of the reset that will take place. Press the volume key up to continue. (Press volume key down to exit and not complete the reset)
6.After the software wipe, use the (Capacitive) Home Key and select reboot system now. The phone will power cycle and come back to normal.

Dude, your instructions were PERFECT!!! Thanks a lot, been screwin with the phone for over 2 hours! Thanks for the info :)

i did it and it worked but now it says external sd card and only lets me make emergency calls???

Thanks really worked

ok. My phone drop in alil bit of water and now my phone goes on but it doesnt past the vibrant screen. What can i do or can i get my info from my phone and then by a new one

tried it didnt work didnt get any options what so ever

how do u do a factory reset if your phone is locked

I have the new Samsung Galaxy 4G and I'm wondering if it'd still work with these procedures? I tried multiple times, but nothing happens .. or sometimes my phone turns on normally after I press and release the power button

awesome!! safe my phone!!
Thanks so much for sharing!!

My unlock pattern was tried too many times and now im stuck on the email+password screen , It says my username or password is invalid when its 100 % correct . I followed the instructons of Volume up , power and home buttons , I reset to factory settings which worked fine , However im still stuck on the email+password screen after my phone has been reset to factory settings , HELP ?

Or, just simply remove your SIM and memory card, power off, power back on, replace SIM and memory card...DONE!

I tried this. It just goes to the charging screen, even if the phone isn't plugged in.

if its asking you to enter your gmail account and password
ring the phone, answer, push the back key and you are in!!
you will need to fatory reset through menu for it to not ask again

I tried too call myself, but when i touch the "back" button it just lockes the screen and when i open it again.. and then it asks for my googleaccount and pw that i have no clue about what is...

i call myself and it doesnt ring goes to answer service
any other ideas

It doesn' t work on my phone. I have not found anyway to get it to reset. All I continue to get after trying all type of resets is the google sign in request and a statement that there are too may pattern attempts. It will not even allow me to wipe the data. On it says that it has, but when you reboot, it goes back to the google screen and too many pattern attempts.

same here what do i do

I locked myself out my samsung galaxy s and its not even asking me my google account like usualy ( which i know ) and i need to figure out how to reset it without haveting to get into it cause i cant!

did not work.

pressing and releasing power button, then holding down both up and down volume button worked for me!! Thanks bunches for all your help!! I had to work at it to reset, but if you have enough patence you can figure it out....

For the T-Mobile Galaxy S4G, you have to hold both the up and down volume buttons, and the power buttons - for roughly 10 seonds.
http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2405

too many pattern attempts are on the screen and my glaxay gt 1900 is blacked
please help me

my galaxy is turning on but once the S comes up on the screen it stops and screen goes blank but the 2white lights stay on what do i need to do please HELP

it comes on after about 3min but i still cant unlock mine :(

Thats a lie it didnt even work

kids struck again and blocked my phone
by pressing volume(up+down)+power +home finally managed to wipe all data and reboot but still comes back to asking for google a/c(cant remember as too many a/cs) if all wiped how can it still ask for google pls help i want my phone back

i have just done the holding down three buttons and went to the "wipe data/factory reset" and pressed home and all that has happened is a picture of a hat popped up can anyone help please

The process above did not work. However the process described in Comment # 3 worked. You must release the power button when the Galaxy logo first appears to get the menu. Using the Volume Up/Down buttons to navigate and then Home to select worked like a charm... Thanks!

outstanding if only i had known earlier but never mind thanks heaps great work

i reset the phone and now it wont connect to my network.. help please

my phone just keeps saying downloading with the android shoving te trash and its been like this for 45 min what should i do?

ITS TEH POWER BOTTON AND BOTH OF THE VOLUME KEYS!!!

i have a samsung galaxy s gt-i9000 and when i did the hold volume,power, and home key it dosen't do nothing but comes on when i release the power key PLEASE HELP ME

so do i and i itreid that cause i locked myself out and nothing happend..what do i do :/

wha is downloading....do not turn off target!!!!

By the way, it doesn't work, thanks

I locked myself out my phone using a password and its not asking me my google account info, which i know and i have bee locked out for 9 hours now. how do i reset my galaxy s?

Master reset using the hardware keys - Samsung Galaxy S 4G
VERSION 4 Created on: Aug 15, 2011 10:40 AM by tmo_brian - Last Modified: Jun 5, 2012 12:57 PM by tmo_ryan Back up all necessary data on the internal memory.


If the handset is locked, frozen, or unresponsive, you can hard reset it using the hardware keys instead of the menu.


A hard reset restores the original factory settings and erases content, including downloaded ringtones, images, programs, and contacts stored in the internal memory. This feature allows for resetting of sound profiles, display settings, and phone or memory card settings.


To perform a hard reset using the hardware keys, follow these steps:


Save any open files, and back up all necessary data on the internal memory if the device is responsive and can synchronize files. See: Prepare for a master reset and back up data on Android
Turn off the phone.
Note: If the phone is unresponsive and does not turn off, remove the battery and then re-insert it.
Hold down the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power keys simultaneously.
Continue to hold the keys until the master reset menu appears.
Press the Volume Down key to select Delete all user data when the Android master reset menu appears.
Press the Power key to confirm your selection.
Press the Volume Down key to select Yes – delete all user data.
Press the Power key to confirm your selection.
Press the Power key to select reboot system now.



I tried what you posted and it did not work for me but when i went to the tmobile website this was listed and it worked for me

I have tried everything i have read on this problem of how to hard reset your galaxy s i9000. Nothing has worked...Argh!

my phone does not power up at all. the only thing going on is the samsung symbol flashes and thats it. what is the problem?????

it didn't work

i have a samsung galaxy s and i try to reset the phone but it didn't work. like you said, hold down the power and volume down.
not working. Need another solution to the problem. and my lock pattern is not working even if i enter my google account and pw.

That worked.
HOME+power+volume up
letting go of power when samsung shows up
and using the volume key to press manual reset
use the photo button for the enter key
thanks sarah

It still goes to the password screen when I hold volume down then power up.any ideas :(

too many pattern tries unlock and unfortunately I forgot my gmail username and password and still not rebooting using the [hold] volumedown+power on.

Didn't work