WARNING! When you factory reset your phone all of your personal data stored on the phone’s internal memory will be deleted, including ringtones, downloaded content, contacts and so on. Furthermore all of the phone’s settings will be restored to factory values.

NOTE: Before proceeding with the factory reset, you can visit this thread for a guide on how you can back up and restore data on the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL.

Master Reset from Settings:

  1. Swipe the Start screen left and go to “apps”
  2. Open “Settings”
  3. Swipe to and tap “about”
  4. Tap “reset your phone”
  5. You will receive a warning message. Read the information and tap “yes” to proceed
  6. Tap “yes” again to confirm and wait for the phone to reset

Master Reset Using Hardware Buttons:

NOTE: The method above is simpler but assuming that you are unable to use it (perhaps your phone crashes / freezes etc.) then alternatively you can reset your phone by performing a combination of hardware key presses. To do this:

  1. Turn off the phone
  2. Press and hold “Volume Down”
  3. Press and hold “Power” to turn on the phone
  4. Release “Power” when the phone vibrates once, but make sure “Volume Down” is still pressed
  5. Once the phone displays an exclamation mark, release “Volume Down” too
  6. Perform the following sequence (keep in mind that while you do so, the screen will not change):
    • Press “Volume Up”
    • Press “Volume Down”
    • Press “Power”
    • Press “Volume Down”
  7. Your device should now start the factory reset. This can take about 5 minutes, during which you should see two gears rotating on the screen

Check for OS Updates:

NOTE: After applying a factory reset you should always make sure that your OS version is up to date. To do this:

  1. Swipe left on the Start screen
  2. From the “applications” screen, go to “Settings”
  3. Tap “About” > “more info”
  4. Check the “Firmware version number” and assuming that a newer version is available, follow the on-screen prompts to download and install it on your device


› See More: Microsoft Lumia 640 XL: Factory Reset & Check for Updates