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What is FastbootD? How to Boot to FastbootD Mode

In this guide, we will make you aware of what exactly is a FastbootD Mode and will list out various methods through which you could boot your device to the FastbootD Mode. When it comes to the various booting modes on an Android device, most of you might already be familiar with the Recovery and Fastboot/Bootloader Mode.

The recovery mode is the partition where your stock or custom recovery reside. However, after the introduction of the A/B partition, most devices have done with this mode and you instead have to rely on the boot partition for dealing with recoveries. On the other hand, you would interact with the Fastboot Mode to unlock the bootloader or flash stock firmware.

Likewise, you could also use this mode to execute Fastboot Commands for flashing binaries. But in recent years, there has been an addition of a new partition that doesn’t seem to be well documented across the web. Yes, we are talking about the FastbootD Mode. So what is this FastbootD Mode and how could you boot your device to this mode? Let’s check it out.

What is FastbootD?

fastbootd mode

With the launch of the tenth iteration of the OS, we got to welcome the ability to resize partition for the first time. This was done by relocating the fastboot implementation from the bootloader all the way to the userspace. One major benefit of this relocation is that you will be able the ability of Hardware Abstraction Layer to implement only the required vendor-specific parts.

Moreover, the unification of bootloader and recovery is already on the cards, and this FastbootD mode is a huge step forward in this regard. But why this unification? Well, one obvious benefit is the usage of less storage space. Apart from that, there will be fewer partitions to deal with and Fastboot and Recovery will also be able to share the kernel and libraries.

How to Boot your Device to FastbootD Mode

fastbootd mode

You could boot your Android device to FastbootD Mode using ADB Command, via Fastboot Command, and from the Stock Recovery as well. Let’s check out each of these three scenarios. But before that, make sure to checkmark the below prerequisites:

The Prerequisites

There are two major requirements that your device needs to qualify. We have listed both of them below, make sure to go through them.

STEP 1: Install Android SDK

install adb platform tools windows

First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.

STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging [Optional]

[If you are currently unable to access the OS, then leave this step. Then when it comes to booting to FastbootD, you could refer to the Fastboot Mode method]. Next up, you will have to enable USB Debugging so that your device is recognizable by the PC in ADB mode.

fastbootd mode

This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging.

STEP 3: Verify ADB Connection [Optional]

If you are able to access the OS and are planning to take the ADB route or wish to boot your device to Fastboot via ADB, then verify that the ADB connection has been successfully established, using the instructions given below. However, if you cannot access the OS, then leave this step.

  1. First off, connect your device to the PC via USB cable.
  2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter
    command-prompt-inside-adb.
  3. This will launch the Command Prompt. Execute the below command to verify the ADB connection:
    adb devices

    fastbootd mode

  4. If you get the device ID, then the connection stands successful.
  5. If not, then refer to our guide on How to Fix All ADB and Fastboot Errors

METHOD 1: Boot to FastbootD from ADB

  1. Type in the below command in the CMD window and hit Enter:
    adb reboot fastboot

    fastbootd mode

  2. Your device will be booted to FastbootD Mode

METHOD 2: Boot to FastbootD from Fastboot Mode

  1. First off, execute the below command to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. [Cannot use this command? See Note below]
    adb reboot bootloader
  2. Now type in the below command to boot your device to FastbootD Mode:
    fastboot reboot fastboot

    fastbootd mode

NOTE: If you are unable to access the OS, then there’s an alternate way of booting to Fastboot. For that, power off your device. Then press and hold thePower and either Volume Up or Volume Down keys for a few seconds and your device will be booted to Fastboot Mode.

METHOD 3: Boot to FastbootD From Stock Recovery

  1. To begin with, use the below command to boot your device to stock recovery [Cannot use this command? See Note below].
    adb reboot recovery
  2. Now use the Volume Keys to highlight the Enter Fastboot option.
  3. Then press the Power key to confirm the choice. That’s it.
  4. Your device will now boot to FastbootD Mode.

NOTE: If you are unable to access the OS, then there’s an alternate way of booting to Stock Recovery. For that, power off your device. Then press and hold the Power and either Volume Up or Volume Down keys (the reverse of what you used for Fastboot!) for a few seconds and your device will be booted to Stock Recovery.

How to Exit FastbootD Mode

Once you are done flashing the required files in this mode (such as radio.img for Pixel devices), you could easily exit this mode in just a few clicks of a button or via a Fastboot Command. Let’s check out both these methods.

Exit FastbootD via Hardware Key

The shortest approach is by selecting the Reboot System Now option via Volume key and then pressing the Power key to confirm it. This will directly boot your device to the OS.

fastbootd mode

If you wish to take a longer approach, then select either Enter Recovery to boot your device to Stock Recovery or use the Reboot to Bootloader option to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. Then from the Recovery or Fastboot Mode, you could use the Reboot System option to boot your device to the OS.

Exit FastbootD via Fastboot Command

  1. Execute the below command in the CMD window that is opened in the platform-tools folder:
    fastboot reboot-bootloader

    fastbootd mode

  2. Your device will now exit FastbootD Mode and will boot to the Fastboot Mode.
  3. So now execute the below command to boot your device to the OS:
    fastboot reboot

With this, we round off the guide on how you could boot your device to FastbootD. Likewise, we have also listed out the steps to exit this mode. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

How to Fix FastbootD Errors

fastbootd issue error fix

You might come across a few issues while flashing certain files in FastbootD mode. Given below are standalone guides that discuss those issues in detail and more importantly how you could fix them. If your problem is not listed in the blow guides, then do let us know via the comments section.

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  • Sunil Kumar Das

    I’m able to boot into fastbootd but then any fastboot commands like fastboot devices doesn’t show anything from the PC!

  • Marco Vinicio

    Buenos días tengo el problema que cuando uso el comando fasboot reboot fasboot me dice canno load error no sé si me puede ayudar con eso y esque parece que si no inicio en fastbootd no puedo flashear nada gracias de antemano

  • sadly your guide lacks proper information
    adb reboot fastboot – reboots you, exactly as command says, to fastboot and not fastbootD

    • Sadique Hassan

      Hi Fedor, I have personally tested it across numerous devices, and the adb reboot fastboot command will boot your device to the FastbootD Mode. The command to boot your device to Fastboot is adb reboot bootloader. Here’s the official documentation from Google that you could go through as well regarid the FastbootD Mode and the corresponding ADB command.