How to Factory Reset a Samsung Galaxy Before Selling

Step 1 — Back up your data

Use Settings → Accounts and backup → Back up data (Samsung Cloud or Google), or move everything to your new phone with Smart Switch. After the reset there's nothing left to recover.

Step 2 — Remove your Samsung account

Go to Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts, tap your Samsung account, and choose Remove account. You'll need your Samsung password — this is what releases the phone from Find My Mobile.

Step 3 — Remove your Google account

In the same Manage accounts screen, tap your Google account → Remove account. This is the step that matters most: it's what prevents the FRP lock after the reset. If you have more than one Google account on the phone, remove them all.

Step 4 — Factory data reset

Open Settings → General management → Reset.
Tap Factory data reset, scroll to the bottom, and tap Reset.
Confirm with Delete all and let the phone restart to the welcome screen.

Step 5 — Pull your SIM card

Eject the SIM tray and keep the card (or make sure your eSIM has been moved to your new phone through your carrier).

Step 6 — Verify

Tap through the first setup screens: the phone should offer a fresh start and should not ask for a previously synced Google or Samsung account. That's the check we run at your appointment, so doing it now means no surprises later.

Ready to sell it?

See what we look for in Samsung phones, or go straight to the quote form — offers come by text, and payment is cash at your appointment or within 2 business days for mail-in.

Samsung reset questions.

Factory Reset Protection is Android's anti-theft lock. If a phone is reset while a Google account is still on it, setup demands that account's password afterward — and until it's entered, the phone is unusable and unsellable. Removing your Google account before the reset is what prevents it.

Go through setup and sign in with the same Google account when it asks — that clears FRP. Then remove the account in Settings and reset again. If you can't remember the password, recover it at accounts.google.com before anything else.

Yes — unlocked or carrier-locked. The quote form asks which carrier the phone is on so your offer is accurate — and if you genuinely don't know, it has a 'not sure' option too.

Recent Galaxy S and Z series phones — flagship models in sellable condition. Tell us the exact model in the quote form and we'll text you a number.

Reset your Samsung Galaxy without the FRP trap.