Safe Mode lets you check whether a downloaded app is causing crashes, freezing, or lag on your Samsung Galaxy phone. While Safe Mode is active, some apps appear grayed out and certain phone features are unavailable. You can enter it from the power menu, then leave it when you finish checking the problem.
Video Tutorial
What Safe Mode does on a Samsung phone
Safe Mode starts your phone with downloaded apps prevented from running. This gives you a cleaner version of the phone to test. If a problem stops while you are in Safe Mode, a downloaded app may be the cause.
After your Samsung restarts into Safe Mode, look in a corner of the screen for the Safe mode label. When you unlock the phone, you may also notice that some apps are grayed out. That is expected. Those apps are disabled temporarily while Safe Mode is on.
Safe Mode is not permanent. Restarting the phone normally turns it off.
Turn on Safe Mode
You first need to open the power menu. Holding the physical power button may open the power menu on your phone. On some Samsung phones, holding that button can bring up Gemini instead. If that happens, use the Quick Settings method below.
- Open the power menu by holding the power button. If that does not open the power menu, swipe down from the top right of the screen, then tap the power icon at the top.
- In the power menu, press and hold Power off.
- When Safe mode appears, select it.
- Wait while your Samsung phone reboots.
- After it starts again, check for Safe mode in a corner of the screen.
You can now unlock your phone and test it with downloaded apps disabled. If the issue you were having does not happen in Safe Mode, think about apps you installed or updated before the problem began.
Turn off Safe Mode from the notification panel
The quickest way to leave Safe Mode is usually through the notification panel. This option is available after the phone has started in Safe Mode.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel.
- Look for the notification that says Safe mode is on.
- Tap the notification.
- Let the phone reboot.
When the restart finishes, the Safe mode label should be gone. Your apps should no longer be grayed out, and the phone will be back in its normal mode.
Restart your Samsung if it is stuck in Safe Mode
If you do not see the Safe Mode notification, restart the phone from the power menu instead. This is also the method to use if the notification panel option does not turn Safe Mode off.
- Open the power menu by holding the power button.
- If needed, swipe down from the top right and tap the power icon instead.
- Select Restart.
- Select Restart again to confirm.
- Wait for the phone to reboot normally.
After the restart, check the corner of the screen. If the Safe Mode label is gone, your Samsung is no longer in Safe Mode. Unlock the phone and confirm that your normally installed apps are available again.
What to check before leaving Safe Mode
Use the time in Safe Mode to narrow down the source of the issue. Test the part of the phone that was acting up. For example, see if the phone still freezes, lags, or crashes while downloaded apps are disabled.
If the problem is gone in Safe Mode, restart normally and pay attention to when the issue returns. An app that you recently added or updated is a reasonable place to start checking. If the same problem continues even in Safe Mode, the cause may not be a downloaded app.
Do not be concerned if your usual apps are gray or unavailable while testing. That is the point of Safe Mode. Once you turn it off through the notification panel or a normal restart, your Samsung Galaxy phone loads those apps again.
Quick Safe Mode checklist
- Open the power menu with the power button, or swipe down from the top right and tap the power icon.
- Press and hold Power off, then select Safe mode to enter it.
- Confirm Safe Mode is active by looking for the label in a screen corner.
- Tap the Safe mode is on notification to exit, when available.
- Use Restart from the power menu if the notification is not there.
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