How to Reset Samsung Phone When Locked: A Complete Guide

Forgot PIN, pattern, or password to your Samsung phone? You have to reset the device to regain control of it. Here's how to factory reset a Samsung phone that's locked using different options.

Katrin Gray

Updated on Oct 22, 2025

Being locked out of a Samsung phone is stressful. You lose access to contacts, messages, banking apps, photos, and two-factor authentication. The immediate task is obvious: reset the locked Samsung phone to regain access.

There is Samsung official tool to help you complete the factory reset task, and other practical approaches you can take. If you haven't yet been introduced to Samsung phone reset when it's locked, or it's been a while since you've reset a Samsung device to its factory settings, we'll walk you through it.

If you happen to be at home or in the office and there is a computer nearby, you may use the reputable Higospot Android Unlocker to quickly reset your Samsung Galaxy phone when locked to be able to use it again.

Table of Contents

Try Extend Unlock and biometrics (Preserves data)
Reset via Samsung's SmartThings Find
Third-party unlocking tool
Reset via Google Find Hub
Reset a locked Samsung phone via Recovery Mode
Post-reset best practices

Try Extend Unlock and biometrics (Preserves data)

Why try it first? If Extend Unlock (formerly Smart Lock), fingerprint, or face unlock were configured previously, these can bypass the lock without erasing the phone.

1. Try biometric unlock: simply place the registered finger correctly or present your face in good lighting.

2. Trigger Extended Unlock: move to a trusted location (home), connect a trusted Bluetooth device (watch/car), or keep the phone on-body if that mode was enabled.

Once the Samsung phone is unlocked, immediately go to Settings > Security and change the forgotten PIN/pattern/ password. Even if you're unable to change the lock screen, you should enable backup.

Next, use one of the following solutions to factory reset locked Samsung phone.

Reset via Samsung's SmartThings Find

New to reset your Samsung phone when locked? Samsung's official SmartThings Find comes into play. Baked into the Android system on every Samsung and enabled by default, SmartThings Find allows you to easily perform a full reset on the locked phone remotely. Having another Samsung device makes things easier, but you can also reset the Samsung phone that's locked by logging into the SmartThings website from a computer.

Requirements:

The phone is registered to a Samsung account and has internet access. You can log into SmartThings Find to confirm the phone appears online.

Precautions: If you can't remember your Samsung account credentials, use account recovery options before attempting a reset.

Steps to reset a Samsung phone that is locked through SmartThings Find:

1. On another Samsung device, Android device, or a computer, open a web browser and go to smartthingsfind.samsung.com.

2. Log in with your Samsung account and password. If it's not your phone, make sure to use an incognito mode or remember to sign out when you're done.

3. On the next screen, you should be able to see a map with all the Samsung devices linked to the same account.

4. Select your locked Samsung phone.

5. On the next menu that opens, click "Erase data." You can take several other actions to locate or control your device, which is mainly used when it's missing or stolen.

6. Follow prompts to verify identity.

7. Wait for it to perform a full reset on your phone. Everything on it will be deleted permanently.

Third-party unlocking tool

The beauty of using third-party unlocking tools when it comes to factory-resetting a Samsung phone that is locked is they don't require prior setup of account or that the phone is online.

One of the most used tools is Higospot Android Unlocker. It's capable of unlocking Android devices locked by PIN, password, pattern, fingerprint, or face recognition—even without knowing the credentials, and offers feature to bypass Google's Factory Reset Protection (FRP) on Android devices without needing a Gmail account or PIN.

The software has a broad support of a wide range of brands including Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, LG, HTC, Huawei, Xiaomi, VIVO, OPPO, OnePlus, and more.

Win Download

How to factory reset a locked Samsung phone using Android Unlocker.

Step 1. Install and launch the program on your PC. From its interface, select "Remove Screen Password."

Step 2. Select your device brand if prompted. We're going to do Samsung factory reset locked phone, so here pick "Samsung."

Step 3. Use a USB cable to connect your phone to your computer. Follow on-screen instructions to enter Recovery Mode or Download Mode, depending on your device.

Step 4. Click "Remove Now" to begin the reset process.

The tool will remove the screen lock and return the phone to factory defaults in a few minutes.

Once complete, your phone will reboot without a lock screen. You can now set a new password or pattern.

Reset via Google Find Hub

Google official remote unlock option requires a preconfigured Google account and the device is online. It does a same job as SmartThings Find does, allowing you to perform a factory reset on locked Samsung phone to remove the lock screen.

The Google unlock feature can be found at Find Hub network in a browser or a dedicated app preinstalled on an Android device.

1. After signing in with your Google account, you will see all your devices shared with the same account in the left sidebar.

2. Select the Samsung phone that's locked, and you'll see when it was last detected, the network it's on, and how much battery is left. The location of the device is also shown on the map.

3. To erase everything remotely, click "Factory reset device." This will ask you to enter the Google account password to confirm.

4. Follow the prompts to complete resetting a Samsung phone that is locked.

After the process, the phone will need to be set up from scratch again, or sign into your account to recover data from a Google backup.

Of course, all of these things rely on your locked phone can be tracked by Find Hub network. You won't be able to remotely factory reset a locked Samsung phone if it's offline.

Reset a locked Samsung phone via Recovery Mode when accounts or online options are unavailable

A hardware Recovery Mode reset always resets the Samsung phone lock but erases local data. You can resort to this route when no account recovery or remote options are possible and you accept that data will be erased.

It's worth noting that different Samsung models and Android versions use different button combinations to enter recovery screens, so a single universal command can fail.

Here's how you can factory reset Samsung phone when locked via Recovery mode.

1. Power off your phone completely.

2. Connect it to your computer.

3. Press and hold the Volume Up + Power buttons.

For older models with Home button, press and hold Volume Up + Power + Home buttons. For some models, you may press and hold Volume Up + Power + Bixby button instead.

4. Release only when the Samsung logo appears.

5. Use the Volume buttons to navigate to Wipe data/factory reset.

6. Press the Power button to confirm.

7. Select Yes to confirm data wipe and Samsung phone factory reset.

After reset, choose Reboot system now to restart your phone. You're ready to go through the same steps you did previously to set it up.

During initial setup sign in with the Google account previously registered to the device. If credentials are missing, use Google recovery or prepare to provide proof of purchase to the authorized service center.

Post-reset best practices

After resetting your Samsung phone that's locked, there are a few things you can do to ease the anxiety of using your phone:

Immediately enable SmartThings Find (Samsung) and Find Hub (Google). This can erase all personal data and reset the device completely to prevent unauthorized access.
Turn on automatic backups: Samsung Cloud and Google backups for photos, contacts, and app data.
Add at least two recovery methods: biometric unlock and a memorable passphrase stored in a password manager.
Record account credentials and keep proof of purchase securely for future verification.

Resetting a Samsung phone when locked is rarely one single "best" step. Start with non-destructive routes (Extend Unlock, biometrics, Samsung SmartThings Find), prepare account recovery details, and use Recovery Mode only as a last resort. Afterward, you'd better enable backups, register accounts, and configure multiple recovery options so the next time you search "how to reset locked Samsung phone" the solution is preventive rather than reactive.

FAQs

Can I reset my Samsung phone without erasing data?: Unless you preconfigured Extend Unlock before you forgot your password, the only way to regain access is to erase the device, which deletes all data. You can restore from a backup afterward if available.

What does "locked Samsung phone" mean?: It means you can't access the Samsung phone because you've forgotten the password or entered it incorrectly too many times, triggering a security lockout.

Can I reset a locked Samsung phone without a computer?: Yes, if Find My Device is enabled, you can sign into SmartThings Find or Google Find Hub through a mobile browser to reset the device remotely.

How do I use Recovery Mode to reset my Samsung phone?: Connect your Samsung that's locked to a computer and power it off. Then enter Recovery Mode (button combo depends on model), choose "Wipe data/factory reset" to erase and reset the device.

Do I need my Samsung or Google account to reset the phone?: If you know your account details and the phone is online, you can log into SmartThings Find or Google Find Hub with your credentials to reset the Samsung phone completely. Or use a dedicated tool like Higospot Android Unlocker to reset the device on a computer without using account.

What if I don't remember my Samsung account?: You'll need to recover your account at https://account.samsung.com/. Without it, you won't be able to factory reset your Samsung phone when locked remotely and activate it after reset.