Get Into Phone

Android hardware recovery: key combinations by brand

The exact button sequences to reach recovery, fastboot, or a factory reset on every major Android brand.

7 min read · Intermediate

Before you start: Only for a device you own or are authorized to reset. A wipe does not remove Factory Reset Protection.
Data loss: A factory reset from recovery erases everything on the phone.

Android has no single recovery combo. Each brand maps the buttons differently, and getting it wrong just reboots the phone normally. Here are the sequences that actually work, brand by brand, plus what each menu is for.

Before you hold any buttons

Recovery and fastboot are official, manufacturer-built modes. They do not bypass a Google Account or a screen lock — a factory reset from recovery still lands on Factory Reset Protection, which asks for the Google Account that was on the phone.

Power the phone off completely first. Most combos are held from a powered-off state with the screen dark. If the phone boots normally, you released too early or used the wrong combo — try again.

The combos that work

  1. Samsung Galaxy (2017+): power off, hold Volume Up + Bixby/Side while plugged into a computer by USB. Release when the recovery menu appears.
  2. Google Pixel: hold Volume Down + Power to reach the bootloader (fastboot). Highlight "Recovery mode" with the volume keys and press Power.
  3. Motorola: hold Power + Volume Down to reach the bootloader, then select Recovery.
  4. OnePlus / OPPO / realme: hold Power + Volume Down for the bootloader; some regions use Power + Volume Up. Select Recovery from the menu.
  5. Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO: hold Power + Volume Up for recovery. (Power + Volume Down reaches Mi fastboot.)
  6. Sony Xperia: hold Volume Up + Power; or use Xperia Companion on a computer.
  7. Nokia / HMD, TCL, Alcatel, most generic Android: hold Power + Volume Up (some models Volume Down).
If a screen shows an Android on its back with "No command", press and hold Power, then tap Volume Up once. That reveals the recovery menu — it is not an error.

What each mode is for

Recovery mode contains "Wipe data / factory reset". Use it only when you have decided to erase and you can sign in to the Google Account afterwards.

The bootloader / fastboot screen is a lower level used for flashing firmware and for OEM unlocking. You do not need it to factory reset; recovery is enough.

Official escalation: If a brand tool exists (Samsung Smart Switch, Motorola Rescue and Smart Assistant, Xperia Companion), prefer it — it is the manufacturer’s supported path and is gentler than a raw recovery wipe.

Phones this covers

Galaxy A15 5GGalaxy S24Galaxy S24 UltraHMD Pulse ProHONOR Magic6 ProHONOR X8bmoto g 5G (2024)moto g play (2024)moto g power 5G (2024)Nothing Phone (2a)OnePlus 12OPPO Reno11

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