The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a flagship Android phone, but even flagships need an occasional reset — whether it’s frozen at the lock screen, stuck in a boot loop after an update, lagging from years of accumulated app cache, or you’re handing it off to someone else. This guide covers all three reset paths, from the safest (no data loss) to the most thorough (full factory wipe).

⚠ Back up first. A factory reset wipes everything: photos, messages, app data, accounts. Open Settings → Samsung Cloud and confirm a recent backup, and check that your Google account is also syncing photos and contacts. If your phone won’t boot far enough to back up, skip to Method 3 — but accept that the data is gone.

Watch the procedure (video tutorial)

Replace x_6c-EtDRiA with the 11-character ID from a chosen tutorial video URL (e.g. for youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ, the ID is dQw4w9WgXcQ).

Method 1: Force restart (no data loss)

Try this first if the screen is unresponsive but the phone is otherwise functional. It does not erase any data — it’s the equivalent of pulling the battery on an old phone.

Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down button at the same time.
Keep holding both for about 7 to 10 seconds until the screen goes black and the Samsung logo reappears.
Release both buttons. The phone will boot normally.

Method 2: Factory reset from Settings (when the phone works normally)

This is the standard factory reset. Use it when you’re selling the phone, troubleshooting persistent software issues, or just starting fresh.

Open Settings.
Scroll to General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset. Enter your PIN, password, or pattern if prompted.
Tap Delete all to confirm. The phone will restart and begin the wipe — this can take several minutes.

Method 3: Hard reset via Recovery Mode (when the phone is locked or won’t boot)

Use this if you can’t get past the lock screen, the phone won’t boot to Android, or Method 2 isn’t accessible. Note: after this reset, the phone will require the Google account previously signed in to bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP) — make sure you remember those credentials.

Power off the phone completely. (Hold the Side button + Volume Down, tap Power off, confirm.) If the phone is unresponsive, hold Side + Volume Down for 10+ seconds until it shuts down.
Connect the phone to a computer or charger via USB-C cable. The S25 Ultra requires an active USB connection to enter recovery mode — this is a change Samsung introduced in recent One UI versions to prevent accidental wipes.
Press and hold Volume Up + Side button simultaneously.
Keep holding both buttons. After the Samsung logo appears, the screen will go black briefly and then the Android Recovery menu will load. Release both buttons.
Use the Volume Down button to navigate down to Wipe data/factory reset. Press the Side button to select.
On the confirmation screen, navigate to Factory data reset and press Side to confirm.
When the wipe completes, the menu returns. Select Reboot system now.

After the reset

The phone will boot to the Samsung Welcome screen — same as it was the day you opened the box. You’ll be asked to sign back into the previously-used Google account (this is FRP, the anti-theft measure). Once signed in, you can choose to restore from a Samsung Cloud or Google backup, or set up as new. Note that some app data (game progress, end-to-end encrypted messages) does not restore from cloud backup and is permanently gone.

Troubleshooting

The phone is stuck in a boot loop after the reset

This usually means the wipe was interrupted or a system file was corrupted. Re-enter Recovery Mode (Method 3, steps 1-4) and run Wipe cache partition first, then Wipe data/factory reset again. If that fails, the phone needs a firmware reflash via Samsung Smart Switch on a computer — bookable through Samsung Support.

I forgot the Google account that was signed in before the reset

This is FRP lock and Samsung will not bypass it. Your options: (1) recover the Google account via accounts.google.com/signin/recovery using your recovery email or phone, or (2) bring the phone with proof of purchase to a Samsung service center — they can reset FRP with proof of ownership.

Recovery Mode menu won’t load — phone keeps booting normally

Most likely the USB cable isn’t carrying enough power, or you released the buttons too early. Use the official Samsung USB-C cable that came with the phone (or a known-good USB-C PD cable), plug into a wall charger rather than a computer, and hold Volume Up + Side firmly for the full duration through the Samsung logo flash.