Prevent factory reset on fully managed Android devices

Learn how to prevent users from resetting their fully managed Android devices to factory settings.

Resetting fully managed Android devices to factory settings removes management from them. With Miradore's Restrictions configuration profile, you can deny this action on the device.

Note: In the case of devices that do not support Android Direct Boot mode, there is no way to reset, restore, or continue using the device if the passcode has been forgotten and factory reset is denied. If the device supports Direct Boot mode, the passcode can be reset via Miradore.

Preventing factory reset on Android devices

1. Navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and select Add.
2. Select Android, then select Next.
3. Select Restrictions, then select Next.
4. On the Fully managed tab, select Denied from the Factory reset drop-down list, then select Next.
   
5. Enter a name and description for the configuration profile, and select Create to finish the configuration.
6. Select Close to exit the wizard.
7. Deploy the configuration profile to the managed Android devices as described in Deploying a configuration profile.
   Tip: Consider adding the configuration profile to a business policy to automate deployment.

Preventing factory reset on Samsung devices with Knox enabled

Important: Denying factory reset on Samsung devices that have Knox enabled also denies hard reset. Because of this, device users must always remember their device's passcode. If factory reset is denied, there is no way to reset, restore, or continue using the device if the passcode has been forgotten.

1. Navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and select Add.
2. Select Android (Knox), then select Next.
3. Select Restrictions (Knox), then select Next.
4. On the Administration tab, select Denied from the Factory reset drop-down list, then select Next.
   
5. Enter a name and description for the configuration profile, and select Create to finish the configuration.
6. Select Close to exit the wizard.
7. Deploy the configuration profile to the managed Android devices as described in Deploying a configuration profile.
   Tip: Consider adding the configuration profile to a business policy to automate deployment.

Monitoring

You can monitor the progress of the action either on the Management > Action log page or on the individual device's Device page available under Management > Devices.