Configuring the settings of your 3D printer as best as possible is one of the most vital steps to obtain a successful print that is free of errors, as the printer can only print as well as the instructions we provide to it.
On the other hand, with so many variables to configure, the configuration process can sometimes go wrong and cause the printing process to fail entirely, especially considering that many parameters are pretty sensitive, where even very slight inaccuracies can lead to failure.
In today’s article, our topic is the process of factory resetting Creality’s Ender 3, a practical procedure that allows us to reset the printer’s settings to a state where it’s sure to work, which comes in primarily handy in scenarios where you end up misconfiguring the printer’s settings.
So, how to factory reset the Ender 3 (V2/Pro)?
You can factory reset your Ender 3 by executing the M502 (Factory Reset) G-code command, which resets all the configurable settings of the firmware to their original states.
As the Ender 3 will only store the changes made by the M502 G-code temporarily until a power cycle unless you save them to the EEPROM, you will also need to run the M500 (Save Settings) command afterward if you would like to keep the default settings permanently.
Moving forward, we will discuss the process of factory resetting the Ender 3 in more detail, find out how to reset the Ender 3’s EEPROM to factory settings, and finally, take a quick look at the Ender 3 restore failsafe feature.
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How to Factory Reset Ender 3 (V2/Pro)?
Factory resetting the Ender 3 is a pretty simple process that you can perform within a few seconds once you know the steps you need to take, meaning that you can get your printer up and running once again in no time.
All you need to do to factory reset your Ender 3 back to the configuration it ships with is to run the M502 (Factory Reset) G-code, which will automatically reset all the parameters you have altered to their factory defaults.
While this should be a straightforward process if you are familiar with sending G-code commands to your 3D printer directly, it can be pretty confusing if you have no prior experience with it.
If you have never sent G-code commands to your Ender 3 before, here are some methods you can use to do so:
- SD Card – As the factory reset command is a G-code, just like the G-code instructions you use for the printing process, you can create a G-code file that only contains M502 in it, put it into the SD card, and insert the SD card into the Ender 3.
- G-Code Sender Chrome Plugin – This handy Chrome plugin allows you to send G-code commands to your printer as long as the printer is connected to your computer with a USB cable.
- OctoPrint or Repetier – Both of these 3D printing interfaces offer a way to send G-code commands to the Ender 3 directly, but you will need to set them up first.
It’s worth noting that this process alone won’t save the settings to the permanent storage (EEPROM), meaning the printer will lose the factory defaults after a power cycle, which defeats the purpose of performing a factory reset in most cases.
With that, let’s move on to how we can store the factory defaults permanently by resetting the EEPROM.
How to Reset the Ender 3 (V2/Pro) EEPROM?
Resetting the printer’s EEPROM is a vital part of bringing your Ender 3 back to factory settings, as the factory settings you have restored will only persist through power cycles if you also reset the configuration in the EEPROM.
Considering that you have already executed the M502 G-Code to load the factory settings into the volatile memory of your Ender 3, all you have to do to reset the configuration in the EEPROM to the factory defaults is invoke the M500 G-code for storing the current settings into EEPROM.
If you would like to perform the task of resetting the EEPROM through the Ender 3 interface, you can use the Initialize EEPROM command in the Control menu, which will directly reset the EEPROM to the factory defaults regardless of your current settings.
Upon success, the Ender 3 should load the factory defaults whenever you boot it up, meaning that you have fully restored your Ender 3 to the factory settings.
What Is the Ender 3 (V2/Pro) Restore Failsafe Feature?
The Ender 3 menu features many options that correspond to some of the essential G-codes, allowing you to execute these commands directly from the printer screen instead of sending the G-code to the printer through an external source.
The Restore Failsafe feature included in the interface of the Ender 3 is essentially the same thing as the M502 G-Code command that performs a factory reset, meaning that you can use either method to bring the settings of your Ender 3 back to the factory defaults.
You can find the Restore Failsafe option in the Control menu of the Ender 3 interface.
If you would like to permanently save the factory settings you have loaded by restoring the failsafe, don’t forget to run the M500 G-Code or the Store Settings command in the Ender 3 interface for storing the current settings in the volatile memory into the EEPROM.
Wrapping Up
While not a process you will need to perform regularly, factory resetting your Ender 3 can be necessary when you cannot find the source of the misconfiguration to fix it manually, especially if the misconfigured setting is causing the printing process to fail entirely.
To quickly recap, the quickest way of resetting your Ender 3 back to the factory defaults is to invoke the M502 G-Code, which will reset all configurable firmware settings to their default values.
As the M502 G-code alone won’t save the factory defaults to the EEPROM, meaning that the changes will be gone after a power cycle, it’s vital to run the M500 G-code afterward to store the factory defaults into the EEPROM to save the factory settings permanently.
Happy printing!
Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.