Soft Reset vs Hard Reset – Real Differences
Overview: At first, you should know when there is a need of doing soft reset and hard reset. If you are normally resetting a device, then it can help fix your system performance or functionality issues. It’s becoming very important to know the real difference between them and choose the right one to perform. As, both can solve your problem, but they affect your device and data differently. This article will clear your thoughts on what soft & hard reset is, when you need to use them, and what’s the real difference between them.
What is a Soft Reset?
A soft reset means restarting a device without losing anything. It is also known as “soft reboot”. Mainly used to fix minor issues like glitches or corrupted apps.
- How to do it: You need to turn the device off and on or use the restart option.
- Examples: Such as restarting a phone, computer, or router.
- Effect: No data or apps stored on your system are lost.
What is Hard Reset?
A hard reset, on the other hand, is making a device erase everything and then restoring the factory settings.
- How to do it: It is done through system settings or hardware buttons.
- Examples: Resetting a phone when it is in recovery mode or a laptop to factory settings.
- Effect: Deletes all your personal data. So, make sure to take backup of your important files first before resetting your phone or device.
Soft Reset vs Hard Reset – Comparison Table
Here, in this section we are going to create a differentiation table to make you understand about both the resets.
| Aspect | Soft Reset | Hard Reset |
| Definition | Restarts the device without any data loss. | Restores the device to factory settings. |
| Impact | Retains apps, files, and settings. | Erases all data and customizations. |
| Need of Doing | Fix minor issues like freezing. | Solve major issues or prepare for resale. |
| Time Required | Quick (1-2 minutes). | Longer (5-15 minutes). |
| Ease of Use | Easy, requires minimal steps. | Requires careful steps or external tools. |
| Data Backup Needed | Not necessary. | Highly recommended. |
| Examples | Restarting a PC or smartphone. | Factory resetting a smartphone or tablet. |
As you can see we have covered various aspects to let you understand what & when to use both the resets.
Best Alternative to Reset Your Device – Automated Method
If you want to reset your device completely without leaving any data. Usual approach is to go with soft reset and hard reset. You may think that this would be enough. But, this is not the case as it leaves some data in your device and that can be dangerous to expose your identity and your sensitive information. Still, the data can be recover using recovery tools. So, to ensure that your data is safe and irrecoverable, then you can go with SysTools Secure Data Erasure Software which is the best option to go with.
It provides various data wipe methods to overwrite complete data, following standards like DoD 5220.22-M and regulations such as NIST 800-88 and GDPR for secure data erasure.
Conclusion
We have understood the difference between soft reset vs hard reset. A soft reset is the process to fix minor issues without deleting any data, while a hard reset resolves major problems but has the chance of erasing all data. As, some data can remain after the reset process. So, to ensure you can go with our automated tool to avoid any data risk and leaves no chance of recovery. But before doing all these, always Backup your files before a hard reset to avoid data loss. Use the right method to keep your device working smoothly and securely.