How to Factory Reset Your Samsung Galaxy Phone Without Losing Data

Mar 31, 2025

Factory resetting your Samsung Galaxy phone always brings the fear of losing important data. But you don't have to back up to your computer or pay for an expensive cloud service when Samsung’s temporary cloud backup offers a perfect solution.

Before factory resetting your Samsung Galaxy phone, you’ll want to ensure that all your data, including images, videos, apps, settings, and more, is backed up. While Samsung Cloud already backs up essentials like contacts, call logs, SMS messages, and apps, it does not store your photos, videos, and device documents.

To create a complete backup, you need to use third-party cloud storage services like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. However, since both offer limited free storage—15 GB for Google Drive and 5 GB for OneDrive—you may need to purchase additional space. Alternatively, you can use a PC or external storage to back up your phone.

With Samsung's temporary cloud backup, you don't need to worry about these things. This feature lets you securely store all the data on your Samsung Galaxy phone for free for up to 30 days. All you need is a Samsung account and a Galaxy phone running One UI 6 or later.

With this feature, you can safely back up your phone, perform a factory reset, and then restore the data effortlessly. This is especially useful when switching to a new device or resetting your phone for troubleshooting purposes.

Using the temporary cloud to back up everything on your Samsung phone is fairly straightforward. However, before you begin, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Here's how to use the temporary cloud backup feature to back up everything on your Samsung Galaxy phone:

The backup process may take some time, depending on your internet speed and the size of the backup.

Your Samsung phone will require enough storage space to compress data locally before uploading it to the cloud. If you see a "Not enough space on phone to create backup" message, try freeing up some storage first.

Once the backup is complete, you can safely factory reset your Samsung phone as usual. During the setup process, you'll have the option to restore your data after signing into your Samsung account.

However, if you skip the restore option during setup or want to restore data on a Galaxy phone that’s already set up, use these steps:

That’s it! Your Samsung Galaxy phone will be back to normal with all your important data restored.

There are several useful Samsung Galaxy phone features I’d love to see on other brands, but this one is perhaps the most valuable. So, the next time you factory reset your phone, whether you're selling it or troubleshooting, be sure to take advantage of this handy feature.

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Your comment has not been saved

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.

Money can't buy everything.

Extend your potential.

It's just hard to justify their existence.

More is better.

Because an easy life is a good life.

It's easier than you think.