How to Reset Raspberry Pi 4
If you are finding it hard to reset the Raspberry Pi 4 system then you are at the right place because in this guide, we have mentioned the two ways in which a Raspberry Pi can be reset:
Users can opt for any of these methods, let’s discuss each of these in detail.
1: Reformatting the SD Card
The only possible way for a Raspberry Pi to reset to a factory version is by reformatting the SD card. If some problem occurs in your Raspberry Pi system simply remove the SD card from the Raspberry Pi device and reformat it. But remember by this method all of your data will be lost as this will convert the device to a new system just like the factory version of it.
To reformat the SD card, follow the article.
2: Hardware Reset
If your Raspberry Pi system got hung or stuck due to some reason and you don’t want to lose any data by reformatting the SD card then, in that case, use the hardware reset method. For hardware reset simply remove the power plug, as a result, the system will be off, then wait for 15 seconds and re-plug the power. The system will restart and start functioning normally. But remember this method is not to reset the Raspberry Pi to a factory version it won’t remove any of the data or applications from the system. This method is only used to resolve temporary issues in the system’s working.
Reformatting the SD Card or Hardware Reset – Which One is Better?
A hardware reset can be used anytime to reset the Raspberry Pi system even if the system is hung or stuck. This is the best method in case the system is crashing or is stuck due to some reason. This method won’t delete any of the data, it would just restart the system to start functioning normally. The reformatting method will reset the system to a factory-like new version. This will result in losing the entire data and the operating system too. So, if a problem occurs it is better to go for the hardware reset method first, and if still, the problem persists, go for the reformatting of the SD card.
If a user does not want to lose any data and only wants to restart/reset the system then the software reset can also be used in which a “sudo reboot” command is used. But this is only possible if the system is not hung and it is possible to open a terminal to run the reboot command.
This method is just for normal rebooting and not for the proper reset of the system.
Conclusion
To reset Raspberry Pi 4 there are two methods: one is reformatting the SD card and the other one is a hardware reset method. Both ways are discussed in the article. The hardware reset method is best to be used if the system is stuck and the user does not want to lose any data. The reformatting method is used to completely reset the system to a factory version. For minor issues where the system isn’t stuck using the reboot command will work fine too to restart the system.
