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Install new software on your Android device with this user-friendly guide
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This wikiHow teaches you how to install a custom software version on your Android tablet, which is helpful when restoring a fresh version of the Android operating system or another operating system entirely. In order to do this, your tablet must be rooted, and your tablet will be wiped of all current information during the process.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Preparing to Flash

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  1. Back up your tablet. Before you flash your tablet, you should make sure that all of your vital data is backed up to a secure location. This will make sure that you can recover the data if your tablet crashes or becomes unstable.
  2. Root your tablet if it hasn't yet been rooted. You'll need your tablet to be rooted, which is the Android equivalent of a jailbreak, in order to install custom software.
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  3. Once you've installed the custom recovery on your tablet, the only thing left to do is download the ROM (Read-Only Memory) file of the software that you want to install. This will depend on your exact tablet model number, so type the model number followed by custom rom into Chrome and search for the software just like you did for the custom recovery.
    • If given a choice, download the ROM in a ZIP folder rather than any other folder format.
    • Don't tap the notification that appears once your ROM finishes downloading.
  4. Once your tablet's charge is at 100 percent (or the tablet is plugged in), you can proceed with actually flashing the tablet.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Flashing Your Tablet

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  1. Press and hold the "Power" button until a menu appears, then tap Power off. On some tablets, you'll have to tap POWER OFF or SHUT DOWN to confirm this decision.
  2. The way to access recovery mode will vary depending on your tablet's manufacturer, but you'll usually press a combination of buttons (e.g., the "Power" button and the "Volume Down" button) at the same time to do so.
    • If you don't know how to place your tablet in recovery mode, check the website from which you downloaded the custom recovery earlier.
  3. Pressing the "Volume Down" button will move the cursor down, while pressing the "Volume Up" button moves the cursor up.
  4. The wording used here may be different depending on your custom recovery.
  5. Doing so will open the wipe data menu.
  6. Select the yes option and press the "Power" button to do so.
    • It may take several minutes for your Android to finish wiping.
  7. If possible in your custom recovery, select the wipe cache partition option and press the "Power" button to select it, then confirm the decision.
    • Failing to wipe the cache partition may result in errors later.
    • If you can't find a cache partition option, your cache partition was most likely wiped during the wipe data process.
  8. It should be near the top of the screen, but your custom recovery's layout will dictate where the option appears.
    • Your custom recovery option might have slightly different wording.
  9. This will select the install option.
  10. Again, you may see a differently titled option here, but the principle is the same across custom recoveries.
  11. This will open the Downloads folder on your SD card, which is where the ROM that you downloaded earlier should be.
    • You may first have to select and open the SD card's main directory, which is usually a folder entitled 0/ at the top of the screen.
  12. Depending on how many items you've downloaded onto your tablet, you may need to scroll down for a while before you find the ROM's name.
  13. Select yes and press the "Power" button to begin flashing your tablet.
    • The flashing process can take several minutes. Do not touch your Android during the flashing.
  14. Once you see the phrase "Install from SD card complete" displayed at the bottom of the screen, return to the main custom recovery window, select the reboot option, and confirm the decision to reboot your Android.
  15. Since your tablet is now essentially factory-new, you'll need to select location information, your preferred language, and other setup options before you can enjoy your newly flashed Android.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How many times can I flash my Android tablet?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You can flash your tablet any time you want (if you don't make mistakes like installing an incompatible "ROM").
  • Question
    How do I connect my phone to my pc?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Plug it into the PC with a USB cable, then, depending what you are doing, you can unlock developers options and enable USB debugging to root your phone via KingoRoot, etc.
  • Question
    My tab was automatically switched off and automatically restarted. What happened?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You may have had a "bootloop." If you have a recovery, go to it and wipe cache, but not wipe data (or you will lost ALL personal data like pictures). Next, restart your device.
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About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 358,998 times.
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Co-authors: 7
Updated: December 17, 2022
Views: 358,998
Categories: Tablet Computers | Android
Article SummaryX

1. Back up your data.
2. Power down the tablet.
3. Boot into recovery mode.
4. Select the wipe data option.
5. Confirm.
6. Wipe other partitions if available.
7. Select Install from ZIP.
8. Select Choose from SD card.
9. Select the ZIP file.
10. Reboot the tablet.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 358,998 times.

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