Android 11: Hard Reset - how to reset your smartphone

If you have problems with your Android smartphone or tablet that are not solved by a soft reset, you can reset the device to factory settings. Android 11 also provides two procedures for this, as you are used to from older Android versions.

How to perform a hard reset on Android 11

If you want to completely reset your Android device to factory settings, this also works on Android 11 via the device settings.

1. Open the settings and tap in the overview on the menu item "System".
2. Select there "Reset" and then the option "Reset to factory settings".
3. You must enter your PIN for security reasons. Only after entering it, you can proceed and perform the reset.
4. Finally, the device restarts and you can set it up.

Reset using recovery mode Alternatively, you can also reset your Android 11 device via recovery mode. Depending on the device, the key combinations and the procedure differ. The procedure described here refers to Google Pixel devices.

1. Turn off the device.
2. Hold down the power button and the volume down button until the boot menu appears on the display.
3. Navigate to the menu item "Recovery Mode" using the volume up and volume down buttons. Bestätigen Sie die Eingabe mit der Power-Taste.
4. Das Gerät startet dann neu. Halten Sie erneut die Power-Taste gedrückt und drücken Sie kurz auf die Lauter-Taste.
5. Wählen Sie im Recovery-Menü den Punkt „Wipe data/factory reset“ und bestätigen Sie mit der Power-Taste.
6. Wählen Sie „Ja“ aus und bestätigen Sie erneut mit der Power-Taste, um den Reset durchzuführen.
7. Wählen Sie abschließend die Option „Reboot system now“.