Nexus 6: How to Factory Reset

Sometimes things can go wrong when we mod our Nexus 6 and thankfully there is a fail safe. If you ever get stuck you can simply do a Nexus 6 Factory Reset and everything should work again.

A factory reset is useful even if you have no desire to modify your smartphone. Sometimes it is required in order to fix an Android update that has gone wrong. Sometimes it is required because some data on the internal storage has become corrupt. More often than not though, we need to do a factory reset on the Nexus 6 because something we modified went wrong.

Unless you have a custom recovery installed(which I will show you how to do later), then you won’t have a way to restore from a previous backup.

This is why it is important to know how to perform a factory reset on the Nexus 6. If you have bricked your smartphone, or something just isn’t functioning properly then you might decide it is best to just take it to the carrier or retailer that you purchased it from. If they have a service center then they will most likely try to do a factory reset right there. If not, they’ll want to send it to the manufacturer where they will process to do a factory reset. So being able to do a factory reset on your Nexus 6 can save you a lot of time in the end.

There are actually two different ways to do a Factory Reset on the Nexus 6. Both will be covered here so you can scroll down to whichever one is best for you. If you are able to boot up into Android, then it’s probably best for you to do the Soft Factory Reset. If you are unable to boot up into Android(most likely because of a bootloop), then scroll down and do the Hard Factory Reset. They will both result in the same type of factory reset being done.

Nexus 6 Soft Factory Reset

1. Launch the Settings Application
2. Scroll Down and Tap on the ‘Backup & Reset’ Option
3. Tap on the ‘Factory Data Reset’ Option
4. Tap on the Reset Phone Button Toward the Bottom
5. Tap on the Erase Everything Button
6. Wait for the Nexus 6 to Shut Down and Erase Everything

Nexus 6 Hard Factory Reset

1. Power Down the Nexus 6
2. Boot the Nexus 6 into Recovery Mode
3. Press the Volume Down Button to Navigate the Menu
4. Highlight the ‘Wipe Data/Factory Reset’ Option
5. Press the Power Button to Select this Option
6. Press the Volume Down Button Until the ‘Yes – Delete All User Data’ Option is Selected
7. Press the Power Button to Select this Option
8. Wait Until the Factory Reset Completes
9. When Finished, Make Sure the ‘Reboot System Now’ Option is Selected
10. When Ready, Press the Power Button to Reboot the Nexus 6

Explanation

I understand that a lot of people want to avoid doing a factory reset if at all possible. Sadly though, sometimes a factory reset is just needed and it can sometimes be best to just get it out-of-the-way. Before you start this process, do what you can to backup as much of your data as possible. Make sure you have the backup options set within Android and you can use any external programs(or Android apps) to backup any additional data. When ready, you can start with the reset. The first factory reset method mentioned here is the ‘soft’ route and this is for when you can boot up into Android.

All it takes is to boot up into Android, launch the Settings application and then navigate through some of the menus. Once you confirm everything, then the Nexus 6 will reboot on its own and it will proceed with the factory reset. However, some things can get messed up while modding our devices and we can no longer boot up into Android. This is generally known as a bricked device or sometimes a bootloop, depending on what is going on. If that is what’s going on with your Nexus 6, then you should follow the second tutorial here, the ‘hard’ route.

The Nexus 6 hard reset method requires that you boot up into the Nexus 6 recovery mode so that you can select one of those options. Follow the tutorial linked in the guide above and that will get you into the recovery mode for your Nexus 6. Once there, you can come back here and follow the steps to actually perform the factory reset. It’s somewhat similar to the first method, except you need to navigate through the menus with the Power/Volume Up/Volume Down buttons instead of tapping on the menus. It still results in the same type of factory reset happening.

If you have any troubles or have any questions with these tutorials, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. I might not be able to answer all of your questions but I will see what I can do to help.