Delete Data on Samsung Galaxy S3
Edited by Leomar Umpad, Debbie, Fabian John Andan, Eman and 20 others
There are times when you want to clean all data from your phone. It might be because you plan on selling it, giving it to someone, or you just want to start clean. You may be able achieve this by resetting your Samsung Galaxy S3. Below are the instructions so you can delete all of your phone's data by using the reset.
- 1 HOW TO ERASE ALL FILES ON Samsung Galaxy S3
- 2 HOW TO DELETE AN APP FILE FROM Samsung Galaxy S3
- 3 HOW TO RESET APP DATA FROM Samsung Galaxy S3
- 4 HOW TO CLEAR THE NAVIGATED PAGE HISTORY IN Samsung Galaxy S3
- 5 Tips Tricks & Warnings
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6 Questions and Answers
- 6.1 What does the icon look like for the internet?
- 6.2 I do not have the option that says "Erase Everything" on my phone
- 6.3 How do I clear out unwanted data without deleting it all? And is there data stored in cache or other places that's simply not needed?
- 6.4 My Samsung Galaxy S3 LCD screen is broken and will not light up and I can't use the touch screen. I want to unlock my phone so that I can backup all my information to my computer and wipe it clean. How can I do that if I cannot unlock the phone or sync it to the Kies software?
- 6.5 How do I reset my late husband's phone so I can sell it. I've already had the service discontinued?
- 6.6 Just about to Factory Reset for re-sell, then realized I needed to save contact's details: where does they save to?
- 6.7 I just fixed it but thank you a lot?
- 7 Comments
- 8 User Reviews
HOW TO ERASE ALL FILES ON Samsung Galaxy S3
This method is called the soft reset. We use the term, soft reset, because you are accessing the settings on your phone, and use the reset to erase all the files on your phone. Check the steps below regarding how to perform a soft reset.
- 1On your phone's Home screen, tap the soft Menu key on the phone located on the bottom left side of the phone - right next to the home button.Advertisement
- 2You will see a pop up menu on your phone screen. Select the last option on the list - Settings. This is the short cut to get into the settings of the phone. But you can always go to Apps then look for the "Gear" icon or the equalizer for Settings.Advertisement
- 3Once the Settings menu is on screen, just scroll down and look for the "Back up and Reset". Tap "Back Up and Reset" to bring up the next settings menu on screen.
- 4On the "Back up and reset" menu, tap the option that says "Factory data reset" then on the next screen, tap the "Reset device" and the "Delete All"
Now you need to wait until it is finished resetting your phone back to factory settings. Reboot your phone and it will be like a brand new phone, running more efficiently. Although this process will delete all your phone data storage, all of the contents on your SD card will not be affected, and left in tact. All of the Apps, pictures and videos that you've saved on your SD, will still appear on your Samsung Galaxy S3.
Another method to reset the Samsung Galaxy S3 is by dialing a combination of numbers, pound sign and the Asterisk. It has the same effect - to wipe or erase all your data. You may check the steps below on how to:
- 1On your phone, simply launch the dialer application.
- 2On the dialer screen where you see all the numbers, asterisk and the pound sign. Dial this combination code: *2767*3955#. You will receive a message on your screen that says "Factory Format". Do not press any buttons on your phone - just wait. Your phone will now restart itself and when it reboots, it will return to factory settings - be the same as when you first got the phone. Now you will be able to configure the phone and input all the information that you need.
The last method would be for you to do a Hard Reset on your mobile phone. To do this, you need to press a combination of buttons while the phone is off to boot it in the stock recovery. This is a useful method, especially if you forgot the phone lock pattern or password to unlock your phone. Again, this process will delete all the internal storage on the phone, but the contents on your SD card contents will remain intact. The steps are as follows:
- 1Simply shut the phone off. Press and hold power then tap Turn Off or remove the battery and insert after waiting for 5 seconds.
- 2On your Samsung Galaxy S3, press and hold the Volume Up button, the physical Home button then the power at the same time and wait till you have the Android logo on screen or a blinking blue message that will appear on the top left of the phone screen then let go.
- 3On your Samsung S3, use the volume down key to highlight the "Wipe data/ reset" then press Yes, to start the process. Use the home button to select.
- 4Go back to the previous menu then select Reboot and wait until the phone is ready. Now it will be on Default Values.
HOW TO DELETE AN APP FILE FROM Samsung Galaxy S3
There are two ways to delete/uninstall an application file from your Samsung Galaxy S3.
To do this, follow these methods:
Method 1
- 1From your Home screen, tap Menu button to see options.Advertisement
- 2Go to "Settings" (an application with a gear icon).
- 3Scroll down and tap "Application".
- 4Tap "Manage Application" to see all the applications.
- 5Find the application that you want to delete.
- 6Tap the application (Example: Fruit Ninja).
- 7Tap "Uninstall" to delete the application file.
- 8You're done! That application on your Samsung Galaxy S3 has been successfully deleted/uninstalled.
Method 2
- 1From your Home screen, tap "Application" or open your "Application drawer".
- 2You can see all the applications installed on your Samsung Galaxy S3. Find the application you want to delete or uninstall.
- 3Press and hold the application that you want to Uninstall.
- 4You will see an option at the top of your screen "Uninstall".
- 5Drag the application to "Uninstall icon"
- 6You're done! This application on your Samsung Galaxy S3 has been successfully deleted/uninstalled.
HOW TO RESET APP DATA FROM Samsung Galaxy S3
- 1From your Home screen, tap Menu button.
- Take note: If you clear the data of your application, all of the saved data will be reset.***
HOW TO CLEAR THE NAVIGATED PAGE HISTORY IN Samsung Galaxy S3
- 1From your phone home screen, Tap the "Menu" button.
- 2Then tap your web browser application or the internet icon.
- 3While your browser opens, tap on the soft button that is located on the lower left corner of your screen.
- 4Then scroll down and tap on "Settings".
- 5Tap on "privacy and security".
- 6Tap on "clear history".
- 7Tap "OK" to confirm.
- 8Now you have cleared the 'navigated page history' in your Samsung Galaxy S3.
Tips Tricks & Warnings
- Reset will only delete your phone's data, not your SD card's data
- If you want to retrieve the files in the future, make sure to backup before doing the reset.***
Questions and Answers
What does the icon look like for the internet?
The internet browser icon for Android devices looks like our planet earth. That icon is noticeable when you first held the phone, as it is present in the home screen. It also depends on the phone themes you have applied to the phone. There are a lot of themes that can be downloaded and installed on your phone to obtain a different look to your phone's applications appearance, but the default looks like the planet earth. Double check your phone's app drawer as it is present there
I do not have the option that says "Erase Everything" on my phone
When you tried to reset the phone by going to the Settings, if you are not seeing an option that says "Erase Everything" you should be able to see there an option that says "Delete All". They may look different but it is just the same as to erase everything on your phone's content. If you cannot find the "Delete All" or "Erase Everything", you can do a Hard Reset on your phone instead that is equivalent to the soft reset from the steps you are following. If you want to save the contents to a computer, just use the Samsung Kies to back up your data - then restore later. See the steps how to: Use the Volume keys later for you to highlight then the home button to select the one you highlight.
1. Turn off the device and wait for 10 seconds before doing a Hard Reset.
2. Press and hold Volume Up + Home Button then the Power on your phone. Wait for an Android logo to appear on your Samsung Galaxy S3 phone screen and let go of the buttons.
3. Select Wipe Data and Reset then YES to start. After the process, go back to the previous menu and select Reboot to restart the phone and restore all the files
After, your backup.
How do I clear out unwanted data without deleting it all? And is there data stored in cache or other places that's simply not needed?
I am running out of space on the hard drive and don't have enough space to download a new app.
VisiHow QnA. This section is not written yet. Want to join in? Click EDIT to write this answer.
See more questions like this: Why won't my Instagram reinstall on my phone after it disappeared
My Samsung Galaxy S3 LCD screen is broken and will not light up and I can't use the touch screen. I want to unlock my phone so that I can backup all my information to my computer and wipe it clean. How can I do that if I cannot unlock the phone or sync it to the Kies software?
My Samsung Galaxy S3 LCD screen is broken and will not light up and I can't use the touch screen. I want to unlock my phone so that I can backup all my information to my computer and wipe it clean. How can I do that if I cannot unlock the phone or sync it to the Kies software
VisiHow QnA. This section is not written yet. Want to join in? Click EDIT to write this answer.
How do I reset my late husband's phone so I can sell it. I've already had the service discontinued?
How can I delete his information?
VisiHow QnA. This section is not written yet. Want to join in? Click EDIT to write this answer.
Just about to Factory Reset for re-sell, then realized I needed to save contact's details: where does they save to?
Just about to Factory Reset for re-sell, then realized I needed to save contacts details: where does it save to? I have it plugged into my PC but cannot find the .vcf file?
VisiHow QnA. This section is not written yet. Want to join in? Click EDIT to write this answer.
I just fixed it but thank you a lot?
Thank you, I just fix it, I was trying to reset it to factory settings
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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
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