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How to factory reset the Galaxy Note 4 for better performance

androidpit Samsung Galaxy Note4 1
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The Galaxy Note 4 is a beast, plain and simple. But that doesn't mean it can't still benefit from the occasional refresh. Knowing how to factory reset the Galaxy Note 4 is essential to keeping your beloved Note 4 running smooth and fast. Here's how to do it.

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Make a backup before you reset your Galaxy Note 4

A word of caution: Before you reset your phone, it's always important to do a backup. Performing a factory reset returns a device to the way it was when it came out of the box. That means no apps, no data, no preferences. Before you hard reset the Galaxy Note 4, make sure you have a full backup of all your apps and data. Follow our guide on how to back up Android if you need help.

AndroidPIT Galaxy S4 Lollipop settings factory data reset
It's a good idea to do a factory reset after an Android update to clear out any bugs or problems. / © ANDROIDPIT

As a quick recommendation, if you are not rooted, we recommend ClockworkMod's Carbon. Just download the app from the button below and download Carbon (aka Helium) for your PC and follow the steps. If you are rooted, you can take your pick of backup options.

How to factory reset your Galaxy Note 4

There are two methods to factory reset the Note 4: a simple version that uses your Note 4's settings menu, or a slightly more complicated way that uses the device's hardware buttons. This is useful to know if your device won't boot up or the display won't come on. You can even do the steps from memory if the screen is broken.

Factory reset using the Settings menu

1. Go to Settings > Backup and reset.

2. Select your options for Google backup at the top.

3. Tap Factory reset at the bottom and confirm your selection.

4. Your Galaxy Note 4 will reboot and reset itself.

5. When your Galaxy Note 4 reboots, you can then restore your apps and data.

androidpit samsung galaxy note 4 28
Once you factory reset your Note 4, you can restore your apps and data. / © ANDROIDPIT

Factory reset using the hardware buttons

1. Turn off your Galaxy Note 4.

2. Press and hold PowerVolume Up and the Home button until you see Recovery booting in blue at the top of your screen. Release the buttons.

3. You'll now be in Recovery Mode. Use the volume buttons to scroll up and down and the Power button to confirm. It's not a bad idea to wipe the cache partition while you're here, but it is not essential.

4. Scroll down to Wipe data/Factory reset and press Power to confirm.

5. Scroll down to Yes and press Power to confirm.

6. You'll see a notification in yellow at the bottom of the screen to confirm the reset has been completed. Scroll to Reboot system now and hit Power to confirm.

7. Your Galaxy Note 4 will now reboot. Once it has rebooted, you can restore your apps and data.

Is your Galaxy Note 4 a little smoother now? How else do you care of your Note 4? Let us know in the comments.

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Kris Carlon

Kris Carlon
Senior Editor

Kris is a former AndroidPIT Editor who came to the team via a lengthy period spent traveling and relying on technology to keep him in touch with the outside world. He can usually be found juggling three phones at once and poring over G+ posts, Reddit and RSS feeds.

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21 comments
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  • 1
    Kenneth Deal Dec 27, 2018 Link to comment

    My Note 4 would not power on Christmas morning , tried the Factory reset , now it is stuck in the Boot Loop also !!! any thoughts ? I bought it new 4 months ago , Samsung no longer offers support for it .


  • 1
    Daniel Wayman Mar 23, 2018 Link to comment

    I have a question about after the factory reset. I think I got a bad or corrupted update that is causing my Note 4 to crash and randomly reboot. I say this because it was just fine before the update. So I wonder what the phone does after the reset. Does it go back to the factory installed version of Android? Or does it automatically look for and download the latest version of Android and install it? Which could potentially put me right back where I am now?

    Thanks
    DW


    • Robert Roller 1
      Robert Roller Apr 3, 2018 Link to comment

      Same problem. Started Friday, March 29th for me. Hoping somebody knows what's going on, and can help.


      • 1
        x-force Aug 25, 2018 Link to comment

        its the battery. mine would crap out randomly and restart when using anything that used a lot of power, ie snapchat or using the camera while on a call. it would also show 100% then drop to 15% randomly then restart. then when it restarts it would show like 70%. crazy. aftermarket batteries will not solve the issue as i had a bunch of them. buy a factory samsung battery from samsung (they had a sale at the time, $25'ish i think). they were out of stock while the sale was going and i finally got mine 3 weeks later after ordering. problem solved, factory battery life restored, no crashes or reboots.


  • Arcie Pogie Domingo 1
    Arcie Pogie Domingo May 16, 2016 Link to comment

    When u forgot ur password pin num on ur phone. Hows can u take it off? Or reset ir again aass normal?


  • 12
    Emma William May 15, 2016 Link to comment

    How To Clear Cache On The Galaxy Note 4.


  • 2
    Julie Hall Apr 17, 2016 Link to comment

    My multi window on my note4 is on the left hand side of the screen. How do I get it back to the right hand side?


  • 2
    Cb Ren Feb 8, 2016 Link to comment

    When all else fails, do the old "factory reset"....These technicians do this because they are too incompetent to actually troubleshoot and find out anything. Anymore, they don't try to troubleshoot it seems. Automatically, it's: "Factory Reset". Hang your heads in shame. I'm not paying any technician (nor are you earning your paycheck) to do that. Way too often, this is your go-to. Because you're LAZY. You're being PAID far more than to tell clients to just do these master resets with their devices (not just phones and tablets, but computers too).
    You are truly worthless pieces of shit in my eyes....

    godless heathen


    • David G 1
      David G Feb 21, 2017 Link to comment

      And you sir are an angry asshole. No wonder IT people probably hate you. So disrespectful. Did you even read the article or did you just come in here to bitch and moan?


    • 1
      godless heathen Mar 29, 2017 Link to comment

      @Cb Ren - I agree 100%. Factory reset should be a last resort but most tech support reps go to that immediately. If anything, THAT'S what's disrespectful - when you don't even care one bit about the customer's data or time.
      It's like killing a fly with a sledgehammer. Lazy and uncreative.


  • 1
    Said Abid Feb 1, 2016 Link to comment

    I factory reset my note 4 using hardware buttons but when I want to start my phone it asks me email (ID+Password)
    Help please


  • 1
    Amit Kapokr Jan 29, 2016 Link to comment

    I recently hard reset my note 4 with the buttons and managed to restore all data and apps except the smart manager provider..my device came with 5.0.1 preloaded and this app was there when I got it.
    How do I get this app back ??


  • 2
    Brian Kedersha Dec 3, 2015 Link to comment

    Hint, it does not work. Samsung screwed us by not QAing their software update. You know how I fixed my Note 4 problems, I got a Note 5. My Note 4 broke and the insurance company sent me a Note 5, otherwise I would have gotten a V10

    Davio Tran


  • 6
    Rob Clancy Nov 12, 2015 Link to comment

    Hey, I got the pop up survey about this article, and I indicated it wasn't clear why you recommended root access. But I went back (I was distracted when first reading) and it's clear it was for ease of backup. So, the article is a 10, if that can be amended. And on another complimentary note, it was because you wrote the article, Kris, that I thought it must be me. I enjoy the clarity and focus of your writing, and that you clearly proofread. Thanks for that. Most of the writing on AndroidPit is very good overall.


  • 1
    Parimal Patel Nov 10, 2015 Link to comment

    I have issue on my galaxy s6 edge with surround shot after updating whenever I open surround shot it showing " unfortunately surroundshot2 has been stopped"" please fix this issue


  • 1
    kyle Sep 25, 2015 Link to comment

    went through steps for factory reset, now im stuck in a boot loop.


  • 1
    shah j Jun 17, 2015 Link to comment

    really shouldnt recommend such a garbage app to do something important. "successfully" backed up to my SD card, removed card before fac reset. went to restore and...nothing. apparently backup via cloud is the only reliable way to use this app. I know its not yours, but you should research these things before making recommendations.


  • 1
    jeff jones May 5, 2015 Link to comment

    If you have a note 4 from verizion you will need to factory wipe it using this method ...

    Ensure the device is powered off.

    Simultaneously press and hold the Power button (located on the upper-right edge) + Volume Up button (located on the left edge near the top) + Home button (located at the bottom in the middle) until recovery booting appears in the upper-left part of the screen.

    Note If the Android system recovery screen doesn't display, refer to the alternate button method.

    From the Android system recovery screen, select wipe data/factory reset.
    Note Utilize the volume up/down keys to highlight and the power button to select.

    Select Yes -- delete all user data.
    Note Allow several seconds for the factory data reset to complete.
    Select reboot system now.

    Note Allow several minutes for the reboot process to complete.


  • Lee 16
    Lee Feb 25, 2015 Link to comment

    wtf! Spam reported 👆

    Lalit


    • Mary Mod 23
      Mary Mod Feb 25, 2015 Link to comment

      Thanks Lee, it has been deleted ;)

      Lalit

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