Meanings
plural factory resets
- computer hardwareA process that restores an electronic device to its factory setting by erasing all user data and personalized configurations.
A factory reset returns your Android device to “out of the box” condition. It deletes all user data and settings.
2014, Mark Edward Soper, The PC and Gadget Help Desk, Que Publishing, →ISBN, page 5901 more example
Even so, Ms. Rogers contended that Ms. Patterson’s guilt was apparent in the various layers of deception in which she’d engaged[…]. She also forced a factory reset on her phone multiple times, according to testimony.
2025 July 7, Victoria Kim, Livia Albeck-Ripka, “Erin Patterson Is Found Guilty of Murder in Australia Mushroom Poisoning Case”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: hard reset, master reset
present singular third person factory resets · participle present factory resetting
- transitivecomputingTo perform a factory reset of (a device).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA process that restores an electronic device to its factory setting by erasing all user data and personalized configurations.
Origin
So called because such a reset would revert a device back to its original state, as it would have been when it was assembled in a factory.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 返廠 /返厂, 返廠維修 /返厂维修
- 返廠 /返厂 (fǎnchǎng)full restore of an electronic device
- 返廠維修 /返厂维修 (fǎnchǎng wéixiū)full restore of an electronic device
- 恢復出廠設置 /恢复出厂设置 (huīfù chūchǎng shèzhì)full restore of an electronic device
Dutch fabrieksreset, fabrieksherstel
- fabrieksresetfull restore of an electronic device
- fabrieksherstelfull restore of an electronic device
Finnish tehdasasetusten palautus
- tehdasasetusten palautusfull restore of an electronic device
French retour aux paramètres d'usine
- retour aux paramètres d'usinefull restore of an electronic device
German Werksreset
- Werksresetfull restore of an electronic device
Greek εργοστασιακές ρυθμίσεις
- εργοστασιακές ρυθμίσεις (ergostasiakés rythmíseis)full restore of an electronic device
Korean 공장 초기화
- 공장 초기화 (gongjang chogihwa)full restore of an electronic device
Polish przywrócenie ustawień fabrycznych, przywracać ustawienia fabryczne
- przywrócenie ustawień fabrycznychprocess that restores an electronic device to its factory settings
- przywracać ustawienia fabrycznefull restore of an electronic device
- przywrócić ustawienia fabrycznefull restore of an electronic device
Russian сброс до заводски́х настро́ек
- сброс до заводски́х настро́ек (sbros do zavodskíx nastrójek)full restore of an electronic device
Spanish restablecimiento de fábrica
- restablecimiento de fábricafull restore of an electronic device
Vietnamese khôi phục cài đặt gốc
- khôi phục cài đặt gốcfull restore of an electronic device
Cite this entry
factory reset. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/factory%20reset
“factory reset.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/factory%20reset. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “factory reset,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/factory%20reset.
Source: factory reset on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.