How to Set Up Your Android Tablet: Complete Guide

The first half hour with a new Android tablet decides a lot: whether your old apps and photos come across, whether the tablet is backed up and protected if it is lost, and how comfortable it is to use every day. This guide follows the setup steps in Google’s Android and Pixel Tablet help pages and Samsung’s support pages. Screens differ between brands, so treat the wording below as a guide rather than an exact script.

Before You Start

Charge the tablet, and the old device too if you plan to copy data from it. Google’s transfer guide asks for both devices to be charged.
Have your Wi-Fi password and Google Account details ready. You need an internet connection to copy data, and your Google Account and password to restore a backup.
Keep your old phone or tablet nearby and unlocked if you want to transfer from it, and check that the new tablet has enough storage for what you are moving.
Set aside time. Google says a transfer can take from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on how much data you copy.

Step 1: Turn On the Tablet and Pick a Language

Press and hold the power button until the screen lights up, then tap Start. Google notes that you can change the language and vision (accessibility) settings on this first screen, which helps if you need larger text or a screen reader before going further.

Step 2: Connect to Wi-Fi

Choose your network from the list and enter the password. Google recommends connecting both the old and new devices to Wi-Fi if you plan to copy data. A cellular tablet can use mobile data instead, once its SIM or eSIM is set up.

Step 3: Copy Apps and Data (Optional)

If you are replacing another device, the setup wizard offers to copy your apps and data. Google says you can only perform this transfer once and recommends doing it during setup, because the option may not be available afterwards.

From an Android phone or tablet: tap Copy on the new tablet and connect the two devices with a cable, which Google recommends, or choose Transfer wirelessly and enter your old device’s PIN when asked. You can choose which apps and data to copy. According to Google, the transfer includes apps and certain app data, photos, text messages, contacts and most settings, but not photos or music in hidden folders, apps that are not from the Play Store, data from apps that don’t use Android backup, or accounts other than Google Accounts.

On a Samsung tablet, you can also use Samsung’s Smart Switch, which Samsung says moves contacts, photos, music, videos, messages, notes, calendars and more from an older phone or tablet.

From an iPhone or iPad: turn off iMessage on the iPhone first. Google’s guide offers a cable transfer and a wireless one using the Switch to Android app, which requires Android 12 or later. Free apps that are available on Google Play are installed for you; paid apps and in-app purchases do not transfer, and Google suggests contacting the app developer about subscriptions. You can move WhatsApp history after setup.

If you start fresh instead, skip this step.

Your Google Account connects the tablet to the Play Store, your backups, Gmail, Calendar, Contacts and Photos. Google says that adding a Google Account also turns on Find Hub automatically, which lets you locate, lock or erase the tablet remotely if it is lost.

If you have not already, turn on 2-Step Verification for the account. Google’s steps are to open your Google Account, select Turn on 2-Step Verification under “How you sign in to Google,” and follow the prompts. Samsung tablets also offer a Samsung account; if you add one, you will need its password later to complete a factory reset, according to Samsung.

Step 5: Set a Screen Lock

Choose a PIN, pattern or password, and add a fingerprint or face unlock if your tablet supports them. The screen lock protects more than the tablet itself: Google says some of the data in your Google backups is end-to-end encrypted with your device’s screen lock PIN, pattern or password. If you share the tablet with children, our parental controls guide explains how to set up supervision.

Step 6: Install Updates

New tablets often have an update waiting. On most Android devices, open Settings > System > Software update, as Google’s help pages describe. Samsung’s update screen is in a different place; our OS update guide shows where to find it and how long each brand supports its tablets.

Step 7: Turn On Backup

Google’s backup saves your apps, data and settings to your Google Account so you can restore them on a future device. To check it, open Settings > Google services > All services > Backup, choose what to include (Photos & videos, Device data or both) and turn it on. Google gives every account 15GB of storage at no charge, and says the first backup can take up to 24 hours.

Step 8: Adjust the Display

On a Pixel Tablet, the main options are in Settings > Display & touch, according to Google: Adaptive brightness, Dark theme, Night Light (which tints the screen amber in the evening), font size and display size. On a Samsung tablet, Dark mode is in the Quick settings panel or Settings > Display, and Eye comfort shield adjusts the screen’s colors depending on the time of day, Samsung says. Our battery life guide explains which display settings save the most power.

Step 9: Install Your Apps

These are widely used apps that are currently listed on Google Play:

Category	Apps
Browser	Chrome (preinstalled), Firefox, Brave
Documents	Google Docs, Sheets and Slides; Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Notes	Samsung Notes (Samsung tablets), Google Keep, Notion
Cloud storage	Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive
Video calls	Zoom, Microsoft Teams
Entertainment	Netflix, YouTube, Spotify
Reading	Kindle, Google Play Books
Password manager	Bitwarden, 1Password

A password manager is worth installing early, since it makes it easier to use strong, unique passwords on every service you sign in to. For moving files between devices, see our file management guide.

Step 10: Learn the Tablet Features

Split screen. On a Samsung tablet, tap Recents, tap an app’s icon and choose Open in split screen view. On a Pixel Tablet, open Overview, tap the app’s icon and tap Split, according to Google. Our multitasking guide covers pop-up windows, app pairs and the taskbar.

Samsung DeX. DeX is Samsung’s desktop-style mode with apps in resizable windows. You switch it on from the Quick settings panel, as GSMArena describes on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra; a keyboard and mouse make it far more useful, and our keyboard cases guide covers the options.

The S Pen. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S tablets include an S Pen, and it differs by generation. On the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, GSMArena found that the redesigned pen is passive, with no battery or Bluetooth, so it never needs charging but cannot work as a remote control; it attaches magnetically to the tablet’s long edges. GSMArena lists Bluetooth for the S Pen of the older Tab S10+ and S10 Ultra.

Post-Setup Checklist

System updates installed
Google Account signed in, with 2-Step Verification on
Screen lock set, with fingerprint or face unlock if available
Find Hub on (automatic with a Google Account)
Backup turned on
Display settings adjusted
Essential apps and a password manager installed

Sources

Google Android Help — Copy apps & data from an Android to a new Android device — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Android Help — Copy apps & data from an iPhone or iPad to a new Android device — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Samsung Smart Switch — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Android Help — Find, secure, or erase a lost Android device — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Account Help — Turn on 2-Step Verification — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Android Help — Back up or restore data on your Android device — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Android Help — Fix an Android device that freezes or won’t respond (software update path) — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Pixel Tablet Help — Change your display settings — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Dark mode, Eye comfort shield and Extra dim — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Perform a factory reset on your Galaxy phone or tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Pixel Tablet Help — Use split screen on your Pixel Tablet and Samsung US — Multitask on your Galaxy tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Design and Software, performance; Galaxy Tab S10+ specifications — accessed November 1, 2026