A soft reset is the process of restarting a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer. This process closes all opened or running applications and clears any data from the RAM (Random Access Memory). While performing a soft reset any unsaved data will be lost and the data stored on the hard drive, applications, and settings are not lost.
Soft reset is usually performed to fix issues with the applications or software. Some software installations may require you to perform a soft reset to finish the installation process. Soft reset contrasts with the hard reset, which removes all the user data and applications and restores the device to the factory defaults (to the state when the device was shipped from the factory).
On computers or PCs a soft reset corresponds to restarting instead of shutting down completely and then starting the computer again. For smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices soft reset usually involves restarting the device or shutting down completely and starting the device again.