Factory Resetting an Android Phone from a Computer

When your Android phone becomes irrevocably unstable, corrupt or bricked, often the only option for recovery is to restore your phone to factory defaults. Usually, the way to factory reset the phone is to use the factory reset option in the Settings menu, or to boot the phone in recovery mode. If neither of these options are available, you'll need to use your computer to reset the phone. The Android software developer kit, or SDK, includes a debug tool which will enable you to do just that.

Step 1

Download and install the Android SDK (see Resources).

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Step 2

Press "Windows-X" on your keyboard to open the Power User menu, and select "Command Prompt."

Step 3

Navigate to the folder containing the Android Debug Bridge or ADB. This is done using the change directory command, as follows: "CD ." Typically, the folder containing the ADB system will be in the Program Files folder. For example, the ADB system may be located at C:\Program Files\Android\Android-SDK\Platform-Tools. Your installation may vary, so check for Adb.exe inside your SDK's file folder.

Step 4

Connect the device you wish to restore to the computer via USB cable. Disconnect any other USB devices.

Step 5

Type the following command, exactly as depicted:

adb shell recovery --wipe_data

Your phone will immediately begin the factory reset. When it next boots, it should be restored to factory defaults.

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