Factory resets can be achieved in a variety of ways depending on the electronic device. For some devices, this could be done by going into the device's
Service Menu. Other devices may require a complete
re-installation of the software. The following section lists a few common electronic devices and how they can be reset to factory settings. Computer factory resets will restore the computer to its original
operating system and delete all of the user data stored on the computer. Microsoft's
Windows 8,
Windows 10 and
Windows 11, and Apple's
macOS have options for this. On devices running the
Android operating system (mobile telephones, tablet computers, television receivers, etc.) there is a factory data reset option in Settings that will appear to erase all of the device's data and reset all of its settings. This method is typically used when the device has a technical problem that cannot be fixed using other methods, or when the owner wants to remove all their personal data before selling, giving away, returning, or disposing of the device. Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a security feature implemented in Android devices starting from
Android 5.1 Lollipop and later. Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized access to a device that has been lost, stolen, or reset to factory settings. If the user does not recall the
Google account information, alternative methods such as FRP bypass are utilized to unlock the Android device. After performing a study,
Avast reported that the data is recoverable using
forensics software that is fairly generic and publicly available. On
Samsung smartphones, a factory reset operation does not affect the
Knox Flag, and consequently does not reset the device to its original factory settings and is not a way to return the device to a state compatible with the manufacturer's warranty. Data on the
SIM card and the microSD
memory card is not erased. Many electronic devices have a menu with tools and settings called the service menu, which commonly includes a tool that performs a factory reset. This tool is most common in devices with
displays, such as television sets and computer monitors. These menus are usually accessed through a sequence of button presses.
Game cartridges, particularly ones designed for
Nintendo handhelds that maintain
save data, may feature a factory reset option that can instantly delete all of such data from the cartridge, initiated either by selecting a particular setting in an
options menu or by inputting a particular button combination during startup. == See also ==