How to Install OrangeFox Recovery: The Ultimate Guide (2025)

Welcome, fellow tinkerer! If you're diving deeper into the world of Android customization, you've likely heard of custom recoveries. While TWRP has long been the champion, OrangeFox Recovery has emerged as a powerful and user-friendly alternative, packed with features and boasting a sleek, modern interface. For many devices in 2025, it's the recovery of choice for flashing custom ROMs, rooting with Magisk, and performing system-level maintenance.

At Rebooted X, we're all about empowering you to take full control of your device. This guide will walk you through every step of installing OrangeFox Recovery, even if you're doing this for the first time. Let's get started!

What is OrangeFox Recovery?

OrangeFox Recovery is a custom recovery project based on the Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP). Think of it as TWRP on steroids. It offers all the core functionalities—like installing ZIP files, creating and restoring backups (Nandroid), and wiping partitions—but adds a host of extra features:

Modern User Interface: A clean, intuitive, and highly customizable UI.
Built-in File Manager: Easily manage files on your device's storage without booting into Android.
Integrated Magisk Support: Simplifies the process of rooting your device.
Password and PIN Protection: Secure your recovery environment from unauthorized access.
Regular Updates: Actively maintained with support for the latest Android versions.

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Starting

Before you begin the installation process, it's crucial to have everything prepared. Skipping these steps is the most common reason for errors. Don't rush!

Unlocked Bootloader: This is non-negotiable. A custom recovery can only be installed on a device with an unlocked bootloader. If you haven't done this yet, check out our comprehensive guide on how to unlock the bootloader on your Android device.
Complete Device Backup: The process will wipe your data. Please, back up everything important—photos, contacts, app data, and files—to a PC, cloud service, or external drive.
A Windows, Mac, or Linux PC: You'll need a computer to send commands to your phone.
USB Cable: A high-quality USB cable that came with your device is recommended to ensure a stable connection.
Device-Specific OrangeFox Image: You must download the correct OrangeFox Recovery .img file for your exact device model.
ADB and Fastboot Drivers: This is the bridge that allows your PC to communicate with your phone in bootloader mode.

Step 1: Download Necessary Files

First, let's gather the tools and the recovery image itself.

Download Platform-Tools (ADB & Fastboot): Head over to the official Android SDK Platform-Tools page and download the latest version for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux). Extract the downloaded ZIP file to an easily accessible location on your PC (e.g., C:\platform-tools).
Download OrangeFox Recovery: Go to the official OrangeFox Downloads page. Find your device manufacturer and then select your specific model. Download the latest stable version of the recovery. It will be an .img file. Move this .img file into the platform-tools folder you extracted earlier to keep things tidy.

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging on Your Phone

Your phone needs to be prepared to accept commands from your PC.

Go to Settings > About Phone.
Tap on Build Number repeatedly (usually 7 times) until you see a message saying, "You are now a developer!"
Go back to the main Settings menu, and you'll find a new Developer options menu (it might be under System).
Open Developer options and enable the toggle for USB debugging.

Step 3: Boot Your Device into Fastboot Mode

Now it's time to put your device into the correct mode for flashing.

Connect your phone to your PC with the USB cable.
Open a command prompt or terminal window inside your platform-tools folder.
- On Windows: Navigate to the folder, hold down 'Shift', right-click on an empty space, and select "Open PowerShell window here" or "Open command window here".
In the command window, type the following command to reboot your device into fastboot/bootloader mode:

adb reboot bootloader

Your phone's screen should now display the fastboot menu, often showing a simple logo and some device information.

Step 4: Flash OrangeFox Recovery

This is the final and most critical step. Make sure you have the OrangeFox .img file in the same folder as your command prompt.

First, verify that your PC can see your device in fastboot mode. Type this command:

fastboot devices

If you see your device's serial number, you're good to go. If not, you may need to reinstall your device drivers.

Next, flash the OrangeFox recovery image. Type the command below, but replace orangefox.img with the actual filename of the recovery image you downloaded.

Pro-tip: You can type fastboot flash recovery and then drag and drop the .img file into the command window to automatically paste its name and path.

fastboot flash recovery orangefox.img

The command prompt will show a "Finished." message when the process is complete.

IMPORTANT: Do not reboot your phone normally. You must boot directly into the newly installed recovery to make it "stick." Use your phone's physical buttons (usually Volume Up + Power) to select "Recovery Mode" from the fastboot menu. If you reboot to the system, the stock recovery might overwrite OrangeFox.

What's Next?

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OrangeFox Recovery. You'll be greeted by its vibrant interface. From here, the world of customization is yours. You can now:

Flash one of the best custom ROMs for Android to get a whole new software experience.
Easily root your device with Magisk for advanced tweaks and modules.
Create full Nandroid backups, a safety net for all your future experiments.

We hope this guide made the process smooth and simple. If you ran into any issues or have questions, drop a comment below, and the Rebooted X community will be happy to help!