My Galaxy smartphone has frozen, how do I restart it?
If your device is frozen and unresponsive, press and hold the Power button and the Volume down button down simultaneously for more than 7 seconds to restart it. When your phone resets, you will feel it vibrate.
Please note: Depending on your device your power and volume down button may be found in different places to the image below.
What to do if your phone frequently freezes
If after restarting the device you still find your device sometimes freezes or is unresponsive, follow the steps below.
Free up memory and storage space
It could be that your device is running low on memory space required to run applications. Below are ways to check the amount of space available on your device and how to free up memory space.
Please note: If your screen is broken or your touchscreen is unresponsive you can access your device by connecting it to a USB mouse or TV screen.
Check the amount of storage space remaining on your device
Please note: this option may look different depending on your device. On older devices you will see the option Device care. Find out more about device care and how to use it.
Create memory space by clearing the cache on your device
Please note: this view may look different depending on your device. On older devices you will see the option to Fix now.
Check for software updates for your device
Software updates are regularly released by Samsung and can solve a range of device software problems.
Your device will check for available updates. If there is an update for your device, you will be asked to download and install it. If there are no updates available your device will display that 'Your software is up to date.'
Check your device in Safe mode
Safe mode lets you run your Android device using its basic interface, with simplified menus and without most third-party applications. You can use it to help identify whether a third-party application is causing the problem
Perform a Factory reset
A factory reset, sometimes called a hard reset or a master reset, will remove all personal information, changes, and data from your device, returning it to the same settings and data that it had when it left the factory.
This should only be used as a last resort.
Find out how to perform a factory reset on your mobile device.
Please note: Before performing the factory reset, remember to make backup copies of all important data stored in the device. Find out more about how to back up and restore date on your galaxy device.
For further support, please visit Samsung Support.
If you're experiencing unusual behaviour on Samsung mobiles, tablets or wearables, you can send us an error report or ask us a question in the Samsung Members app.
This allows us to a closer look at what is happening. The data is anonymised and only held for the duration of the investigation. Find out more about sending an error report through the Samsung Members app.
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