Basic requirements
- Make sure your computer has working
adb
andfastboot
. Setup instructions can be found here. - Enable USB debugging on your device.
Unlocking the bootloader
-
Enable OEM unlock in the Developer options under device Settings, if present.
- Connect the device to your PC via USB.
- On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power.
- Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
fastboot devices
Tip: If you seeno permissions fastboot
while on Linux or macOS, try runningfastboot
as root. -
Now type the following command to unlock the bootloader:
fastboot oem unlock
- If the device doesn’t automatically reboot, reboot it. It should now be unlocked.
- Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.
Installing a custom recovery using fastboot
-
Download a custom recovery - you can download TWRP. Simply download the latest recovery file, named something like
twrp-x.x.x-x-h918.img
. - Connect your device to your PC via USB.
- On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power.
- Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
fastboot devices
Tip: If you seeno permissions fastboot
while on Linux or macOS, try runningfastboot
as root. - Flash recovery onto your device:
fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-h918.img
Tip: The file may not be named identically to what stands in this command, so adjust accordingly. - Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power until the LG logo appears, then release Power for a second and hold it again until the recovery comes up.
Installing LineageOS from recovery
-
Download the LineageOS install package that you’d like to install or build the package yourself.
- Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps (use the
arm64
architecture)
- Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps (use the
- If you aren’t already in recovery, reboot into recovery:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power until the LG logo appears, then release Power for a second and hold it again until the recovery comes up.
- (Optional, but recommended): Select the Backup button to create a backup. Make sure to create the backup in the external sdcard or copy it into your computer, since the internal storage will be formatted.
- Select Wipe, then Format Data and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption and also delete all files stored in the internal storage.
-
Select Wipe and then Advanced Wipe.
-
Select Cache and System partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe.
- Place the LineageOS
.zip
package, as well as any other .zip packages on the root of/sdcard
:- Using adb:
adb push filename.zip /sdcard/
- You can use any method you are comfortable with.
adb
is universal across all devices, and works both in Android and recovery mode, providing USB debugging is enabled.
- Using adb:
- Go back to return to main menu, then select Install.
- Navigate to
/sdcard
, and select the LineageOS.zip
package. -
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the package.
-
(Optional): Install any additional packages using the same method.
Note: If you want any Google Apps on your device, you must follow this step before the first boot into Android! - (Optional): Root the device by installing the LineageOS su add-on (use the
arm64
package) or using any other method you prefer. - Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, select Reboot, and then System.
Get assistance
If you have any questions or get stuck on any of the steps, feel free to ask on our subreddit or in #LineageOS on freenode.