Menu names depend on your One UI version
Samsung's software, One UI, changes with each major update, and menu names and locations shift between versions and models. The paths below follow Samsung's current guides, but an older Galaxy may show slightly different wording. If you can't find an option, tap the search icon at the top of the Settings app and type its name, such as Find My Mobile or Factory data reset. Do the steps in the order shown here: back up first, then turn off Find My Mobile, then remove your accounts, and reset the phone last of all.
Back up with Smart Switch
Smart Switch is Samsung's tool for moving your data to a new phone. It comes preloaded on most newer Galaxy phones and can usually be found under Settings → Accounts and backup → Smart Switch. If your new phone is also a Galaxy, you can transfer wirelessly or with a USB cable; Samsung notes that a cable transfer supports the most types of data. If you aren't moving straight to a new phone, install Smart Switch on a Windows PC or Mac, connect the Galaxy with its USB cable and back it up to the computer. Apps such as WhatsApp have their own chat backup setting, so check those separately.
Back up to Samsung Cloud or Google
For a cloud backup, Samsung's current guide uses Settings → [your Samsung account name] → Samsung Cloud → Back up data, then Back up now. On some older versions, Samsung Cloud backup sits under Settings → Accounts and backup instead. Samsung also notes that Samsung Cloud features may differ depending on the device, software and country. For a Google backup, go to Settings → Accounts and backup and tap Back up data under Google Drive, then Back up now. Whichever you use, check that your photos, contacts and messages have actually been backed up before you move on to the next step.
Turn off Find My Mobile
Find My Mobile lets you locate, lock or erase the phone remotely, and it's linked to your Samsung account. On recent One UI versions, go to Settings → Security and privacy → Lost device protection → Find My Mobile and turn off Allow this phone to be found. On older versions, the switch is under Settings → Biometrics and security → Find My Mobile. You may be asked for your Samsung account password or your screen lock. If you've used Samsung Find or SmartThings Find to keep track of your devices, this is the setting that decides whether this Galaxy can still be found, so make sure it's off.
Remove your Google account
Go to Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts, select your Google account, tap Remove account and confirm. If you've added more than one Google account, repeat this for each one. Samsung notes that if Google's device protection features are turned on, you may be asked to verify your identity before the account is fully removed, so keep your Google password handy. This is the step that stops Factory Reset Protection from locking the phone later. Removing the account from the phone doesn't delete the account itself: your email, photos and backups stay in it and remain available on your other devices.
Sign out of your Samsung account
Go to Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts, select your Samsung account and tap Remove account, then tap Sign out and enter your Samsung account password. Samsung points out that this only removes the account from the phone, and the device still needs to be unregistered from the account to remove it completely, so check your Samsung account's device list the next time you sign in on another device. Do this before the reset. If a Samsung account is still on the phone, the reset will ask for its password, and Samsung notes a network connection is needed to log out of the account.
Remove your SIM, eSIM and microSD card
Eject the SIM tray and take out your physical SIM card. If you use an eSIM, remove or transfer the profile before selling, and check with your telco if you're not sure how. Only some Galaxy devices have a microSD slot: the Galaxy S series dropped it from the S21 series onwards, and the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip range has never had one, while some Galaxy A models and tablets still do. If yours has a card, take it out. If you encrypted the card, Samsung advises decrypting it before a factory reset, otherwise the phone won't be able to read the data on it afterwards.
Factory reset the phone
With everything backed up and your accounts removed, go to Settings → General management → Reset → Factory data reset, review the list of what will be erased, then tap Reset. Enter your screen lock if you're asked for it. Keep the phone connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data during the process. When the reset finishes, the phone restarts to its initial setup screen. Leave it there rather than setting it up again, because signing back in with your accounts would undo the work you've just done. A phone sitting at the setup screen with no accounts attached is exactly what we expect to see at inspection.
What Factory Reset Protection is, and why it matters
Factory Reset Protection, or FRP, is a Google security feature on Android phones. Samsung describes it as preventing other people from using the device if they reset it without your permission: after a reset, only someone with the Google account that was on the phone can set it up again. That protects you if your phone is ever stolen, but it also means a phone still under FRP can't be used by anyone else, so we can't buy it and won't try to bypass it. If a reset phone asks for your old Google account, sign in with it, remove the account properly and reset again.
