If you need a fresh start and erase everything on your OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, you can follow these steps to perform both a soft and a hard factory data reset.
There are plenty of reasons why one would like to factory reset their OnePlus 5 and erase everything. This is something you will want to do if you ever decide to sell your phone, give it to a friend or loved one, or just get a fresh start with a clean Android OS. Whatever the case is here, there are a couple of different methods you can follow in order to do this.
One method is referred to as a soft factory reset while the other is referred to as a hard factory reset. Both of these methods will result in the exact same type of OnePlus 5 Factory Reset actions.
Neither of these are better than the other, and it’s just the method of getting the phone to reset itself that is different. The soft factory reset is great for when you can boot into Android because it’s quick and easy to access. But if you ever run into a bootloop, or for some reason cannot boot into Android, then you’ll want to follow the steps for the hard factory data reset.
Naturally, all of your data will be lost when doing a factory data reset, so be sure to backup as much of your apps and data as possible before proceeding.
OnePlus 5 Factory Reset (Soft)
- Launch the Settings application
- Scroll down to the System section
- Tap on the Backup & Reset option
- Tap on the Factory Data Reset option
- Choose if you want to delete data from the internal storage (optional)
- Tap on the Reset Phone button
- Tap on the Erase Everything button
- Wait for the OnePlus 5 to reboot, erase data on the phone, and boot back into Android
OnePlus 5 Factory Reset (Hard)
- Boot the OnePlus 5 into Recovery Mode
- Tap on the English option
- Tap on the Wipe Data and Cache option
- Tap the Erase Everything option
- Tap on the This Cannot Be Undone option
- Wait for the OnePlus 5 Factory Reset to complete
- Then tap the Reboot option to boot back into Android
Explanation
Again, I just want to emphasize that both of these factory reset methods will result in the same type of data being delete. One method is not better than the other so there isn’t a need to follow the steps in the second guide if you are able to boot into Android. You will really only need to boot the OnePlus 5 or OnePlus 5T into Recovery Mode to do a factory reset if you are unable to boot into the Android OS. But either way, the method you choose is entirely up to you.
If you’re able to boot into Android then start by launching the Settings application and then scroll all the way down to the bottom. From here, you’ll want to tap on the Backup & Reset option that is in the System section of the Settings application. In the next screen you’ll want to look for and tap on the Factory Data Reset option and then you will get to choose if you want to erase all of the data in the internal storage of your OnePlus 5.
If you want to keep the data in your internal storage (downloaded pictures, and stuff), then leave the toggle alone. But if you want to erase everything (like if you plan on getting rid of the phone), then toggle this option on. You can then tap on the Reset Phone button, tap on the Erase Everything button after that and enter any PIN, pattern or passcode prompts if you see them. Your phone will reboot and the OnePlus 5 Factory Reset stuff will be done once you boot back into Android.
Alternatively, you can boot into Recovery Mode on the OnePlus 5 or OnePlus 5T and then go into the Wipe Data and Cache option after you choose a language. Again, you can choose if you just want to erase the system data or if you want to erase everything. Choose wisely and just like with the soft method, you’ll want to wait for the format to be completed. You’ll then tap on the Reboot option and wait for the OnePlus 5 boots back into Android (this first cycle will take longer than normal).
You can then activate Android just like you did when you first got the phone and then you’ll want to restore any data if you have a backup on hand.
