As time passes, the devices we use every day (phones or tablets) accumulate all kinds of information, suffer internal failures or perform tasks over and over again, consuming their useful life. It's useful to know how to format an android tablet to its factory state because that way the storage is thoroughly cleaned of any corrupted files or, in some cases, computer viruses.
This is not something that happens only in Android, also in Windows, over time, "garbage" files are created that overload the storage little by little, making the system slower. The only way to fix this is to deep clean the device, and the preferred method for this is to return a device to the factory (format it).
In this article we will see all the methods that Android has to format a device, either from the same interface or by more extreme means such as when turning on the tablet. The latter is useful when a software problem cannot start the operating system.
How to format a tablet on Android
We will proceed to return the tablet to a factory state taking into account that there is no software problem that prevents unlocking the device and accessing the Settings application.
Before trying this you should consider doing a backup of important information. In the latest versions of Android it is very simple: just have enough space in your Google account linked to the tablet in the Drive app so that you tell it before formatting, to save all the important information.
How to backup Android with Google Drive (optional)
If you are interested in seeing how to backup android step by step, just make sure of two things first: how many GB you want to back up and how much space is in Google Drive account.
Unfortunately, if the tablet fails to start Android, you cannot use this method to backup important data on the tablet. Already with this data, in case you do not have storage or software problems, you can follow these to create the backup:
- Unlock the device.
- Find and tap the Settings app on the tablet.
- Among the list of options, tap on the “Google” section.
- Tap on “Make a backup”.
- Proceed to create a backup linked to Google Drive and wait for it to finish uploading. This will depend on both the transfer speed of the tablet and the upload speed of the Internet.
After this, check that everything is in your Drive account before continuing with this tutorial.
How to format an Android tablet
The simplest method and known by most users. In a matter of minutes you can go to have an “like new” Android system. To do this you just have to access the system settings and look for the option return the tablet to its factory state.
This process is usually quite fast. It depends on the speed of the processor that the device has. Perhaps what's later is the setup walkthrough when you “first turn on the tablet, because all the factory apps are reinstalled and Google starts re-linking your account.
To format a tablet from system settings, you have to do the following:
- Unlock the device.
- Find and tap the Settings app.
- Among the options, touch the “System and Updates” option.
- Tap where it says “Reset” (it may also have a similar name).
- Once inside, tap on “System Reset”.
- It will ask you one last time if you are sure you want to reset the system, press confirm.
A few minutes later, the tablet will reboot. But the process is not over. Make sure you have the tablet connected to its charger to prevent it from shutting down while it powers on and resumes the OS reset.
Format a tablet using Hard Reset
This method is useful when you need format the tablet because Android does not turn on. As the tablet powers up, you need to press a specific button combination to access the recovery options.
On most Android devices (tablets and phones included) you have to press a volume button (or two) followed by the power button. This would be the step by step:
- Turn on the tablet (it has to be completely off).
- Before the manufacturer's logo appears (or just when it appears) press the volume up button and the power button at the same time.
- Keep the buttons pressed for about three seconds, when you release them the tablet will go from the logo to the recovery menu.
- You can navigate between the options by using the volume buttons up or down. Hover over the one that says “Factory Reset” and press the power button to run it.
- If it asks you to confirm the action, press the power button again. This option will factory reset your tablet, deleting all data inside it.
When this process is finished, you can turn on the tablet again. The first steps will be executed (like the first time) for you to set up a Google account again and activate (if you managed to save the information) a backup of Google Drive.
Format a tablet from the computer
If you have a Windows computer you can try format a tablet with Android Device Manager tool. This is a service offered by Google to help its users with the task of moving their information between different devices that run Android.
This way we can format a tablet in which we have previously logged in with our Google account. Just do the following:
- Open your favorite browser.
- Accesses Android Device Manager website.
- Sign in with your Google account.
- Select the tablet (it should appear in the list of devices).
- Click on the option of “Enable Lock & Erase Completely Wipe the Data”.
After this the tablet will be formatted. If it had been stolen but was still connected to the Internet, the information will be safe from the wrong hands.