How-To Geek
How To Boot Your Android Phone or Tablet Into Safe Mode
On your Windows PC, you can boot into safe mode to load Windows without any third-party software. You can do the same on Android with Android’s safe mode. In safe mode, Android won’t load any third-party applications.
This allows you to troubleshoot your device – if you’re experiencing crashes, freezes, or battery life issues, you can boot into safe mode and see if the issues still happen there. From safe mode, you can uninstall misbehaving third-party apps.
Booting Into Safe Mode
To reboot into safe mode on Android 4.1 or later, long-press the power button until the power options menu appears.
Long-press the Power Off option and you’ll be asked if you want to reboot your Android device into safe mode. Tap the OK button.
On older versions of Android, long-press the power button and then tap Power Off to turn off your device. Turn on the phone or tablet by long-pressing the power button again. Release the power button and, when you see a logo appear during boot-up, hold down both the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons. Continue holding the two buttons until the device boots up with a Safe mode indicator at the bottom-left corner of its screen.
Troubleshooting in Safe Mode
While in safe mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear at the bottom of your screen.
In safe mode, you’ll only have access to the apps that came with your device. Apps you’ve installed will be disabled and any widgets you’ve added to your home screens won’t be present. Try using your device normally after booting into safe mode. If your issue – freezing, rebooting, crashes, battery life issues, or bad performance – is solved in Safe Mode, the problem is with a third-party app you’ve installed.
While apps are disabled, you can uninstall them normally. Open the Settings screen, tap Apps, locate the app you want to install, tap it, and tap the Uninstall button. if you’ve installed any apps recently, you should probably try uninstalling those apps first.
After uninstalling the apps, you can try installing them one at a time to identify which app is causing you problems.
If you’re experiencing major problems with your device, you may want to skip all the troubleshooting and restore your device to its factory default settings. You’ll lose all the data on your device – so make sure you have everything backed up – and you’ll have to reinstall any apps you’ve installed. To do this, open the Settings screen, tap Backup & reset, tap Factory data reset, and follow the instructions on your screen.
To exit safe mode, restart your device normally. (Long-press the power button, select Power Off, and then long-press the power button again to turn it back on.) Your Android phone or tablet will boot and load third-party software as normal.
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Comments (48)
Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.
- Published 12/2/12
Oh hell i had no idea you could do that.. Thanks mucho
helpful!! have to try it
Awesome. Android is taking over the world. :D
Ditto everyone above! Thanks!
On most stock Samsung devices/roms, power off as normal. Then as you power on long press on the menu key (lower left) starting when you see the AT&T splash screen, and you will boot into Safe Mode.
Really didn’t know the green bot had such an facility, awesome article! Kudos… Thumbs up for your effort mate!
Almost everyone know that!
Thought it would be a good idea to lknow how to boot into safe mode on my new RAZR i phone running 4.01. Did as you said – no safe mode prompt appeared but the phone now has a bar along the top of the screen with various numbers and letters on it and whenever I drag my finger over the (still there) icons, I leave a blue line behind.
HELP!
On my Samsung Galaxy S3 running stock Android 4.1.1, this is not working. Even after Long-pressing the Power Off option for quite some time, nothing happens. Neither is the method suggested by Dave is working for me.
Me too–none of the described methods work, on Verizon Galaxy S3.
Didn’t work for Tablet Vox Model V100. running Android 2.2
To enter in to safe mode in Galaxy S3
Switch off your phone Completely
Switch it on using power button
once you see Samsung logo start pressing the the left touch button at bottom..
Droid 4: (hold OK key as it powers on)
http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=53953
RAZR: (Both volume keys as booting)
http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=50079
Sorry. Didn’t work with Xperia S LT26i with Android 4.0.4.
I booted into safe mode and its has the safe mode text at the bottom of my screen however all of my 3rd party apps are still here and work. Sprint Gnex.
Thank you for the information, very useful.
My phone yesterday crashed and booted itself into safe mode… I was so confused at first.
Did anyone read that it was for 4.1 or later? Just sayin’ is all.
oops sorry my bad
whbs: somehow you’ve activated the developer function for tracking touch screen activity. Go into Settings->Developer options and uncheck the input option “Show pointer location” (not sure how you activated it, but that’s what that is…)
Does not work on my HTC ONE V. after long pressing on power off button, nothing come as like safe mode.
please tell me any alternative
Thanks for the How-To!
This might be helpful in future.
It did not work on a Nexus 7 either.
Don’t know about other phones, but the Samsung Galaxy S Plus (I9001), on *all* android versions, you just press the ‘menu’ (touch key thingy), while booting, to boot into safe mode.
found this accidentally. For some reason it removes your widgets.
Does not work on Samsung Galaxy S Plus
For Samsung Galaxy S Plus you need to tap the menu button every half second while booting.
Then it works.
For PS.
Many thanks. Spot on! Back to normal now.
Works great on my lg optimus one but had to use the older method of holding volume up and down buttons.Thanks
Just how much earlier is “earlier versions”? Android ver 2.3.5 in my HTC Desire S does not respond to this (depressed the rocker bar at a both ends simultaneously- no seperate volume up/down buttons). I have also found a variation where the volume down only is pressed but no success there either. Thanks for any info.
The steps are wrong. After the power button long-press to see the menu you need to long-press the “Reboot” option and not the “Power Off” to be promped to reboot to safe mode.
For those who have problems, try long-pressing the “Reboot” button instead of the “Power Off” one.
In my CM10-based ROM this works
I did this a while back to troubleshoot my GNex, very handy, but be warned I lost all my widgets off the home screens although the icons were all still there. Very annoying and about time Google included a way to save these as well.
I have not been able to get it to work on my S III.
I have Samsung Galaxy Tab II on an Ice Cream Sandwich (4.1) platform and IT DOES NOT WORK!
4.1 or later? i remember this so that in 2 or 3 years when more than 30% of people have it, ill know what to do
gd1 :)
Does not work on my xperia U
The instructions given did not work on my HTC Amaze 4g, although they were close; what DID work was resetting the phone, rather than powering off, and then holding the volume buttons when the logo appeared.
Has any of the many testing shops verified this? Should be simple. They all talk hardware but don’t we all…
It’s probably important to mention that system apps that have been flashed via recovery on rooted devices will not be disabled in safe mode. That’s because safe mode is meant to disable user apps only. Most Android users who have rooted their phones will know this already. Otherwise, this is a great solution to a common problem.
Nice piece of advice written. I never know my phone can be boot to SAFE mode after reading this article.
cu sa ies din mod de siguranta android 4 de pe telefonul Sony ericson Xeperia pro MK16i, va rog ajutor,to get out of safe mode android 4 on Sony ericson Xeperia pro MK16i, please help
dont work with power bottom
Doesn’t work on Galaxy Nexus 4.2.1
The things were very helpful ..Thank u..
Yay you were a lifesaver!
also have note ll but after long press only shows power off airplane snd restart, no asking about safe mode sprint. would appreciate advice
I have galaxy s3 and its not working they way you are telling
About booting Samsung devices in safe mode, I noticed that instead of the half-second vibrate, it was a longer vibrate.