The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL runs stock Android, which means resets are clean and predictable — but the phone still freezes, refuses to boot after a system update, or needs a wipe before resale. This guide walks through all three reset paths, from the safest force-restart to a full recovery-mode wipe that erases everything on the device.
Watch the procedure (video tutorial)
Method 1: Force restart (no data loss)
Try this first if the screen is frozen or the phone is unresponsive — it’s the Pixel equivalent of pulling the battery.
- Press and hold the **Power button** for about 30 seconds.
- Keep holding through any menus that appear on screen.
- Release when the screen goes black and the Google **G** logo reappears.
- Let the phone boot normally.
Method 2: Factory reset from Settings (when Pixel 9 Pro XL works normally)
Use this when the phone works but you want to wipe it — selling, trading in, or troubleshooting deep software issues.
- Open **Settings**.
- Tap **System**.
- Tap **Reset options**.
- Tap **Erase all data (factory reset)**.
- Tap **Erase all data** at the bottom. Enter your PIN, pattern, or password if prompted.
- Tap **Erase all data** again to confirm. The phone reboots and begins the wipe.
Method 3: Hard reset via Recovery Mode (when locked or won’t boot)
Use this when the phone is locked out, stuck on the Google logo, or Settings is unreachable. Warning: this triggers Factory Reset Protection (FRP). After the wipe, the phone will demand the Google account that was previously signed in — without it, the device is unusable.
- Power off the phone completely. If it’s unresponsive, hold the **Power button** for 30 seconds first.
- Press and hold **Power + Volume Down** together until the bootloader (Fastboot) menu appears with an Android lying on its back.
- Use **Volume Down** to scroll through the options until **Recovery mode** is highlighted.
- Press the **Power button** to select it. The phone reboots and shows a Google logo, then an Android with an exclamation mark.
- Press and hold **Power**, then tap **Volume Up** once and release Power. The Android Recovery menu appears.
- Use **Volume Down** to highlight **Wipe data/factory reset**, then press **Power** to select.
- Highlight **Factory data reset** and press **Power** to confirm. When the wipe completes, select **Reboot system now**.
After the reset
The phone boots to the Pixel welcome screen, same as a brand-new unit. You’ll be prompted to sign back into the Google account that was previously on the device — this is FRP, and there’s no bypass. Once you’re in, you can restore from a Google Drive backup or set up as new. Note that end-to-end encrypted messages (Signal, encrypted RCS history) and some app data won’t restore from cloud and are permanently gone.
Troubleshooting
I forgot the Google account that was signed in before the reset.
Recover the account at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery using your recovery email or phone number. Google will not bypass FRP, and neither will Google Support. If the phone belonged to someone else, only they can remove it from their account in Find My Device.
I ended up in Fastboot mode instead of Recovery, or I see a red exclamation-mark Android that won’t respond.
From the Fastboot (bootloader) screen, use **Volume Down** to scroll to **Recovery mode** and press **Power** to confirm. At the red exclamation-mark screen, hold **Power** and briefly tap **Volume Up** — this is the step most people miss, and releasing Power too early sends you back to the boot loop.
The Pixel is stuck in a boot loop after the reset.
Re-enter Recovery (Method 3, steps 1-5) and run **Wipe cache partition** before doing another **Factory data reset**. If it still loops, use Google’s official Android Flash Tool at flash.android.com to reflash stock firmware over USB — it’s the same tool Google’s own support uses.
