Android · Troubleshooting
Restore default app settings without deleting apps
Re-enables previously disabled apps, resets default app choices, clears background data restrictions, and restores notification permissions to default, without uninstalling anything or deleting personal data.
How to open Reset App Preferences
- Open Settings → Apps
- Tap the overflow menu (three dots) → 'Reset app preferences'
- Confirm the reset
- Re-review default apps and permissions as needed afterward
What you should know
- Re-enables any apps you previously disabled
- Resets default apps chosen for actions like opening links or making calls
- Restores background data restrictions and permission preferences to default
- Does not delete any app data, accounts, or personal files
Why it matters
Over time, users often make small app-level configuration choices, like setting one browser as default or restricting a specific app's background data, that can be forgotten and later cause confusing behavior, such as links opening in an unexpected app. Reset App Preferences offers a lightweight way to clear out this accumulated configuration debt without the drastic step of uninstalling apps or wiping personal data, restoring a cleaner default state to troubleshoot from.
Best practices
- Use this reset if default app behavior (like which browser opens links) seems incorrect and can't be traced to a specific setting
- Try this before uninstalling and reinstalling an app that seems misconfigured
- Re-check default apps and permissions after performing this reset, since choices will need to be made again
Common problems and fixes
- A previously disabled app is now active again unexpectedly
- This is expected behavior, since resetting app preferences re-enables any manually disabled apps.
- Default app for calls or browsing changed after reset
- Re-select your preferred default app the next time you're prompted, or set it manually in app settings.
- Notification permissions reverted for several apps
- Review and re-grant notification permissions for apps where you want alerts restored.
Tips and tricks
- Use this as a lightweight troubleshooting step before more drastic resets when app behavior seems off
- Recheck default apps for browsing, messaging, and calling immediately after performing this reset
Frequently asked questions
Does this delete any app data or logins?
No, it only resets preference and permission settings, not app data, files, or account logins.
Will this uninstall any apps?
No, all installed apps remain installed; only previously disabled apps get re-enabled.
Is this reversible?
The reset itself can't be undone, but individual settings it changes can be manually reconfigured afterward.
Related settings
- App PermissionsApp permissions control what each app is allowed to access — camera, microphone, location, contacts, and more. You can review and change these at any time, per app or per permission type.
- Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile & BluetoothResets Wi-Fi networks, saved passwords, mobile network/APN settings, and Bluetooth pairings back to factory defaults, without erasing personal files, photos, or installed apps.
- Factory ResetFactory data reset erases all data on your device and restores its original settings — useful for resolving persistent software issues, or before selling or recycling the device.
More Troubleshooting guides for Android
- Safe Mode & RecoverySafe mode is a temporary boot state that disables all third-party apps, making it easy to tell whether a downloaded app is causing a crash, freeze, or battery drain. Recovery mode is a separate, more powerful boot menu — accessed with hardware buttons before Android fully loads — used for wiping the cache partition, sideloading an update, or performing a factory reset when the device won't start normally.
- Phone DiagnosticsPhone diagnostics tools — built into some manufacturers' software or provided by your carrier — run guided tests on hardware components like the touchscreen, speakers, cameras, sensors, and buttons to confirm they're working correctly.
- Send FeedbackSend feedback lets you report a problem straight to Google (or an app's own developers) with an automatically attached diagnostic report and, optionally, a screenshot with areas you can highlight or blur out.
- Battery UsageBattery usage breaks down exactly how much charge each app and system component has consumed since the last full charge, making it the go-to screen for diagnosing unexpectedly fast battery drain.
- Network & SIM DiagnosticsProvides tools to check SIM status, run network diagnostics, and reset APN settings to troubleshoot problems like no signal, failed calls, or data connectivity issues.
- App Crash & ANR ReportsShows a log of recent app crashes and 'Application Not Responding' (ANR) events, letting you identify which apps are unstable and access details useful for reporting bugs to developers.