It’s Probably Not Dead
You pressed the power button. Nothing happened. You held it longer. Still nothing. The screen stays black and you’re already mentally tossing it in the recycling bin.
Hold on. Most of the time, an old Samsung tablet that won’t turn on isn’t actually broken. It’s either completely drained, stuck in a frozen state, or confused by a software crash it can’t recover from on its own. All of those are fixable.
I’ve seen tablets sit in drawers for months, get plugged in for thirty seconds, and then get declared dead when they don’t immediately respond. That’s not how deeply discharged batteries work. So before you give up on that old Galaxy Tab, work through these steps in order.
Charge It (For Real This Time)
The most common reason an old tablet won’t turn on is a battery that’s drained past the point where the device can even show a charging indicator. This happens all the time with tablets that have been sitting unused.
What to do:
- Plug it into a wall charger (not a laptop USB port – those don’t provide enough power).
- Use the original Samsung charger if you still have it. If not, any charger rated for at least 2 amps (10W) will work. The little 5W chargers that come with earbuds are too weak.
- Leave it plugged in for at least 30 minutes before trying anything. For tablets that have sat for months, give it a full hour.
- Don’t keep pressing the power button while it charges. Just leave it alone.
After 30-60 minutes, try turning it on. If you see the Samsung logo, you’re in business. If not, keep reading.
Check the cable too. Old micro-USB cables develop internal breaks that are invisible from the outside. The cable looks fine but doesn’t actually carry power. Try a different cable if you have one.
Force Restart
If the tablet has some charge but the screen is still black, it might be frozen. The operating system crashed and the device is stuck in a state where it can’t respond to a normal power button press.
For most Samsung tablets:
- Hold the Power button + Volume Down together for 10-15 seconds.
- Don’t let go when you see the Samsung logo. Keep holding until it restarts completely.
For older Samsung tablets (2015 and earlier) with a physical home button:
- Hold Power + Home button for 10-15 seconds.
This forces the hardware to reboot regardless of what the software is doing. It doesn’t erase anything.
Check for Signs of Life
Sometimes the tablet is actually on but the screen appears dead. Look for these clues:
- Does it make a sound when you plug it in? A chime or vibration means the internals are working but the screen isn’t displaying.
- Does it show up on your computer when connected via USB? If your PC or Mac recognizes the device, the tablet is running but the display has failed.
- Is there a faint image on the screen when you look at it under bright light? That means the backlight failed but the LCD itself still works.
If you’re getting sound or USB recognition with a black screen, the problem is the display itself, not the tablet’s electronics. A screen replacement might be worth it if the tablet is a higher-end model, but for a budget Galaxy Tab, it’s usually cheaper to just repurpose a different device.
Boot Into Recovery Mode
If the tablet shows the Samsung logo but then gets stuck or goes black again, the operating system is probably corrupted. Recovery mode lets you reset things without needing a working screen interface.
To enter recovery mode:
- Make sure the tablet is off (hold Power + Volume Down for 15 seconds first to force it off).
- Hold Power + Volume Up together.
- Release the Power button when you see the Samsung logo, but keep holding Volume Up.
- You should see a text menu (Android Recovery). Use Volume buttons to navigate and Power to select.
From here you can:
- Wipe cache partition – clears temporary files without deleting your data. Try this first.
- Factory reset – erases everything and gives you a fresh start. Last resort, but it works when nothing else does.
If you’re planning to repurpose this tablet as a kitchen display or photo frame anyway, the factory reset is actually the best starting point. Clean slate.
We have a more detailed reset guide that covers the process step by step (it covers iPads but the recovery mode concept is the same).
When It’s Actually a Hardware Problem
If none of the above worked, you’re dealing with a genuine hardware failure. A few things that go wrong with old tablets:
Swollen battery. If the back of the tablet is bulging, puffy, or the screen is lifting away from the frame, the battery has expanded. Stop trying to charge it. A swollen battery is a safety issue. Read our tablet battery safety guide for what to do.
Water damage. If the tablet was ever exposed to water (or lived in a humid bathroom for years), corrosion on the internal circuitry can eventually cause total failure. No fix for this one.
Broken charging port. The micro-USB port on old Samsung tablets is fragile. If the cable feels loose or doesn’t click in firmly, the port may be damaged. A phone repair shop can replace it for $30-50, but that only makes sense for a tablet you really want to keep.
It’s Working Again. Now What?
If you got your Samsung tablet running again, this is the perfect time to give it a dedicated purpose instead of letting it drift back into the drawer. Old Android tablets are surprisingly flexible once you stop expecting them to be general-purpose devices.
A few ideas that work well with older Samsung hardware:
- Kitchen display with calendar, weather, and grocery lists
- Digital photo frame connected to Google Photos
- Kids’ learning station loaded with educational apps
- Retro gaming console with a Bluetooth controller
We also have a full list of ideas specifically for old Android tablets if you want more options.
Your old Galaxy Tab doesn’t need to be fast. It just needs to do one thing well. And for that, it’s still perfectly capable.