How to reboot a frozen Samsung Galaxy device

Last Update date : Jul 28. 2022

If your Galaxy phone screen freezes or your device becomes unresponsive during use, you can force reboot it by holding both the Side key and Volume down key simultaneously. If the issue persists after restarting the device, you may try other methods such as freeing up storage space.

Before you try the recommendations below, be sure to check if your device's software and related apps are updated to the latest version. To update your mobile device's software, follow these steps:

Step 1. Go to Settings > Software update.

Step 2. Tap on Download and install.

Step 3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Soft Reset Your Phone

If there is an issue with your device, the first solution you can try is to force restart or soft reset your phone.

Press and hold the Power key and the Volume down key simultaneously for more than 7 seconds to restart it. 

Force reset device

If your device is still slow or unresponsive after restarting, you can try the following solutions below.

Your device may freeze or become unresponsive due to insufficient Memory and Storage space. If this is the case, try the following steps.

First, check your device's Memory and Storage space.

Step 1. Go to Settings, then select Battery and device care.
Step 2. Check the remaining storage space by selecting Storage and memory space by selecting Memory.

Check remaining storage and memory space

If there is insufficient space on your device, you can clear the cache by optimising your device. Optimisation closes apps running in the background, manages abnormal battery usage, and scans for crashed apps and malware. Follow the steps below to optimise your device.

Battery and device care Battery and device care

Step 1. Go to Settings and select Battery and device care.

Device care Optimize Now Device care Optimize Now

Step 2. Tap Optimize now.

Tap Done to finish Optimization Tap Done to finish Optimization

Step 3. Once optimized, tap Done to finish.

Third-party apps may be the cause of your device becoming unresponsive. Since all third-party apps are disabled in Safe mode, you can check if a third-party app is the reason why your device keeps freezing. First, enable Safe mode to see if your phone becomes unresponsive. If your device does not freeze in Safe mode, it means a third-party app is the cause of the issues you are experiencing.

Press and hold Volume down and Side key Press and hold Volume down and Side key

Step 1. Press and hold the Volume down key and the Side key.

Select Power off Select Power off

Step 2. Select Power off.

Press and hold Volume down and Side key Press and hold Volume down and Side key

Step 3. After the screen turns off, press and hold the Volume down key and the Side key at the same time.

Release Side key while holding Volume down key Release Side key while holding Volume down key

Step 4. Once the Samsung logo appears on screen, release the Side key, while holding the Volume down key.

Update in Safe mode Update in Safe mode

Step 5. When Safe mode appears on the lower left corner of the screen, release the key.

If your device has started becoming unresponsive recently, identify apps that you have downloaded lately and remove them in Safe mode. Follow the steps below.

Apps Apps

Step 1. Go to Settings and select Apps.

Identify recent or unknown apps Identify recent or unknown apps

Step 2. Identify any apps that you recently downloaded or don’t recognise.

Uninstall app Uninstall app

Step 3. Select Uninstall.

Tap OK to uninstall Tap OK to uninstall

Step 4. Tap OK.

You can switch from Safe mode to normal mode by following the steps below.

Step 1. Press and hold the Volume down key and the Side key simultaneously.
Step 2. Select Restart.

Switch from Safe mode to normal mode

If your screen keeps freezing or you continue to experience issues with your device, you can try performing a Factory data reset. A Factory data reset will restore your device to its original settings and will completely erase all of your data.

General management General management

Step 1. Go to Settings and select General Management.

Select Reset Select Reset

Step 2. Select Reset.

Select Factory data reset Select Factory data reset

Step 3. Select Factory data reset.

Reset phone Reset phone

Step 4. Tap Reset.

Delete all Factory data reset Delete all Factory data reset

Step 5. Tap Delete all.

Enter password for verification Enter password for verification

Step 6. Enter your password and follow the
on-screen instructions.

Note:

  • Before performing a Factory data reset, make sure you have your device's data backed up. Data deleted during a Factory data reset cannot be restored.

Note:

  • If you followed the steps listed above but the issue persists, your device may be physically damaged. Please check the Support Centre for relevant information.
  • Device screenshots and menus may vary depending on the device model and software version.
  • Volume and Side key locations may vary depending on the device model.

How to use the Samsung Members app

If you are experiencing difficulties with your Samsung mobile, tablet, or wearables, you can send us a question in the Samsung Members app. Find out more about sending an error report.

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