General
Join or sign in
Sign in to save your progress and earn a certificate
Welcome to the "Resetting your pre-owned Android tablet" course. In this course, we'll look at how to reset a pre-owned Android tablet that might have been given to you by a family member or friend on a permanent basis.
A reset wipes the tablet's memory, so it thinks it's a brand-new tablet, ready for you to make your own. The steps in this video will also come in handy if you plan to pass your Android tablet on to someone else in the future.
[eSafety tip] If you plan to pass on your tablet to someone else permanently in the future, you should first reset it. This will protect your security and privacy.
There are many types of Android tablets. If your Android tablet is a different model to the one shown in this demonstration, the steps might be slightly different, but you can still follow along.
Let's get started. When a tablet is switched on but shows a black screen, we say the tablet is asleep. To wake it up, press the Power button. If your tablet displays a Start screen or asks you to choose a language, your pre-owned Android tablet is already reset and prepared for setting up, and you can exit this demonstration and go to the next course, called "Setting up your new Android tablet". If your tablet displays a Lock screen, however, you will need to reset it. Keep watching to learn how to do this, step-by-step.
To unlock the tablet, you will need the PIN number of the previous owner.
[eSafety tip] Of course, you shouldn't share your PIN with others, so ask your tablet's previous owner to enter their PIN onto the Lock screen for you. When it's fully reset, their PIN will be erased, and you will be able to create your own PIN to keep the tablet and your information secure.
Once you have unlocked the tablet, you will see the Home screen. Let's find the Settings options. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to show the Apps screen. Find the Settings app icon, which looks like a cog wheel, and tap it to open the Settings menu. Scroll down the list of options until you see General management. Your Android tablet might call it something slightly different, but it should have "general" in the name.
Tap General management to view the options on the right of the screen. Scroll down the list of options until you find Reset, then tap it. There are a few different kinds of reset. Tap the Factory data reset option. This reset will delete all data from your tablet, including the items listed here. If you are happy to proceed with the reset, scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Reset.
Now, ask the previous owner to enter their PIN number again, and tap Continue.
If you are happy for all the personal information and downloaded apps to be erased, tap Delete all. If the previous owner set up an account with the tablet's maker, you will need them to verify their password here. Ask them to enter their password to delete this account from the tablet and tap OK.
The tablet will restart and show either a shutting down animation, a manufacturer's logo, or an Android robot symbol. This part will take a few minutes. When the reset has finished, the tablet will show a Welcome screen, a Start screen, or a language selection screen. This means your pre-owned Android tablet is prepared for setup.
If you are unsure about any steps, you can rewind the video. Otherwise, you can begin the next course, "Setting up your new Android tablet", to complete the setup process. You'll find this and many other great courses on Be Connected.