The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a foldable running One UI 6.1.1 on Android 14, and like any phone it can freeze on the cover screen, get stuck after a software update, or need a clean wipe before resale. This guide covers all three reset paths, ordered from safest to most thorough. The last two erase everything on the device.

⚠ Back up first. A factory reset wipes photos, messages, app data, and accounts. Open Settings → Samsung Cloud and confirm a recent backup, then check that your Google account is syncing contacts and calendar. Google Photos handles your camera roll separately. If the phone won’t boot, you’ll have to accept the data loss.

Watch the procedure (video tutorial)

Method 1: Force restart (no data loss)

Try this first when the screen is unresponsive or the phone is frozen but otherwise functional — it forces a restart without touching your data.

Press and hold the **Side button** and **Volume Down** at the same time.
Keep holding both for about 7-10 seconds, until the screen goes black and the Samsung logo appears.
Release both buttons and let the phone boot normally.

Method 2: Factory reset from Settings (when Galaxy Z Flip 6 works normally)

Use this when the phone works normally and you want a clean wipe — selling, trading in, or fixing persistent software issues.

Open **Settings**.
Tap **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 reboots and begins the wipe.

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

Use this if the phone won’t get past the lock screen, won’t boot to Android, or Settings is unreachable. This wipe triggers Factory Reset Protection — you’ll need the Google account that was signed in before the reset to set up the phone again.

Power off the phone completely. If it’s unresponsive, hold **Side + Volume Down** for 10+ seconds first.
Connect the phone to a computer or wall charger using a USB-C cable. Recent Samsung devices require an active USB connection to enter Recovery.
Press and hold **Volume Up + Side button** at the same time.
Keep holding until the **Android Recovery** menu appears on the cover or main screen, then release both buttons.
Use **Volume Down** to highlight **Wipe data/factory reset**, then press the **Side button** to select it.
Highlight **Factory data reset** and press the **Side button** to confirm.
When the wipe finishes, select **Reboot system now**.

After the reset

The phone boots to the Samsung Welcome screen, same as out of the box. You’ll be prompted to sign back into the Google account that was previously signed in — this is Factory Reset Protection, and there’s no way around it from the device itself. Once you’re past setup, you can restore from a Samsung Cloud or Google backup, or start fresh. End-to-end encrypted chats and some game saves won’t come back from cloud backup.

Troubleshooting

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

Recover it at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery using your backup email or phone number. Samsung Support cannot bypass FRP. If the phone was previously owned by someone else, only the original owner can remove it from their account via android.com/find.

The phone keeps booting normally instead of entering Recovery.

You either released the buttons too early or the USB connection dropped. Use a known-good USB-C cable plugged into a wall charger, not a laptop, and keep **Volume Up + Side** held firmly through the Samsung logo until the Recovery menu draws.

The Z Flip 6 is stuck in a boot loop after the reset.

Re-enter Recovery (Method 3, steps 1-4) and run **Wipe cache partition** first, then **Wipe data/factory reset** again. If it still loops, reflash the stock firmware using Samsung Smart Switch in Emergency Recovery mode on a Windows PC.