Firmware recovery
Occasionally, your Flipper Zero may fail to update correctly, display images, or respond to button presses. These issues could be caused by corruption in the device’s firmware.
On this page, you’ll learn how to repair the corrupted firmware of your Flipper Zero.
How to repair firmware
You can repair the corrupted firmware with the help of qFlipper and the built-in USB Device Firmware Update (DFU) bootloader. The USB DFU bootloader allows you to update your Flipper Zero by bypassing the device’s operating system, which minimizes the risk of errors during the update process.
But first, try doing the following:
- Reboot your Flipper Zero by pressing and holding the %left%LEFT and %back%BACK buttons for 5 seconds.
- Charge your device with the provided USB Type-C cable for several minutes because your Flipper Zero might have the battery completely drained.
If your Flipper Zero still fails to update correctly, display images, or respond to button presses, follow the steps below.
Step 1. Switching to Recovery mode
Before you start the repair process with qFlipper, switch your Flipper Zero to Recovery mode — this will activate the built-in USB DFU bootloader. Steps for switching your device to Recovery mode may be different and depend on the device state.
If your device is operational but fails to update properly
Switch your Flipper Zero to Recovery mode by doing the following:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Power.
Then go to Reboot -> Firmware Upgrade.
Press %right%RIGHT to reboot.
Connect your Flipper Zero to your computer via a USB cable. The computer should detect your Flipper Zero as a DFU device.
Alternatively, you can switch the device to Recovery mode by doing the following:
Press and hold the %left%LEFT and %back%BACK buttons for 5 seconds.
Release the %back%BACK button, but keep pressing the %left%LEFT button until the blue LED lights up.
Connect your Flipper Zero to your computer via a USB cable. The computer should detect your Flipper Zero as a DFU device.
If your device fails to display any images or respond to button presses
If your Flipper Zero is bricked, switch the device to Recovery mode via a hard reboot:
Unplug the USB cable from your Flipper Zero if connected.
Press and hold the %ok%OK and %back%BACK buttons for 30 seconds. It is normal if your Flipper Zero has no indications on the screen.
Connect your Flipper Zero to your computer via a USB cable. The computer should detect your Flipper Zero as a DFU device.
Checking the connection
You can check if the device is connected to your computer as a DFU device by doing the following:
Go to Device Manager.
Find the DFU in FS Mode device.
If your Flipper Zero isn’t detected as a DFU device
- Use a different USB cable.
- If possible, connect your Flipper Zero directly to a USB port on your computer’s motherboard, avoiding the use of an adapter or hub.
- First, remove the microSD card from your Flipper Zero, charge the device for one hour, then attempt to connect it without the microSD card inserted.
Step 2. Repairing the firmware via qFlipper
Once your Flipper Zero is connected to your computer as a DFU device, qFlipper will automatically detect the device.
To repair the firmware:
Run qFlipper on your computer.
On your computer, click the Repair button. qFlipper will perform a complete installation of the firmware.
At this stage, you can also repair the Flipper Zero firmware using a .dfu recovery file. Download a flipper-z-f7-full-[firmware_version].dfu file from the update server, then select the Install from file option in qFlipper.
If qFlipper fails to repair the firmware
- Make sure the qFlipper application is installed on your computer correctly. For more details, see Installing qFlipper.
- Reboot your device by pressing and holding the %left%LEFT and %back%BACK buttons with a USB cable disconnected, then repeat the repair process.
- If qFlipper still fails to repair the firmware, perform a hard reboot by pressing and holding the %back%BACK button for 30 seconds with a USB cable disconnected, then repeat the repair process.
- Run qFlipper as an administrator.
- If possible, connect your Flipper Zero directly to a USB port on your computer’s motherboard, avoiding the use of an adapter or hub.
- If you have issues on your Windows computer, visit Troubleshooting drivers on Windows.