The logo appears. The phone restarts. The logo appears again — forever. A phone stuck in bootloop is one of the scariest Android problems because you can't even get into the phone to fix it. The good news: a bootloop is usually a software problem — a corrupted cache, a bad update, or a misbehaving app — and most cases are fixable from the phone's built-in recovery menu. This guide covers 6 fixes for a phone stuck in bootloop, from the gentle force-restart to the last-resort factory reset. Work through them in order.
Quick Answer: Phone stuck in bootloop? First try a force restart: hold the Power button (or Power + Volume Down) for 10–15 seconds until the phone vibrates or the screen goes black — this can break the restart cycle. If the loop continues, power the phone off and remove the SD card and any USB accessories, then try booting again. A corrupt SD card is a surprisingly common cause of a bootloop, and removing it takes two minutes.
In This Guide:
What Causes a Bootloop?
A bootloop means Android starts loading, hits something it can't handle, and restarts — then repeats forever. The trigger is almost always software:
- Corrupted system cache → temporary files left in a bad state after an update or crash.
- Failed or interrupted system update → the phone reboots mid-install and can't finish.
- Corrupt SD card → Android tries to mount it during boot and chokes.
- Bad third-party app → an app with system-level access crashes the boot process.
- Damaged system files → from rooting, flashing, or storage failure.
Everything below works on stock, unrooted phones — no special tools needed, just your phone's buttons. Covers Android 10 through 14.
Fix 1: Force Restart the Phone
A normal restart isn't possible when the power menu never appears, but a force restart cuts the loop by fully powering the hardware down. It costs nothing and sometimes breaks the cycle outright:
- Press and hold the Power button for 10–15 seconds. On most phones the screen goes black and the phone vibrates — that's the force restart.
- If Power alone doesn't work, hold Power + Volume Down together for 10–15 seconds (Samsung: Side button + Volume Down).
- Once the screen goes black, release the buttons and wait 30 seconds.
- Press Power once to boot normally and watch whether the phone gets past the logo this time.
Don't keep hammering the buttons — one clean force restart, then patience. If the phone boots fine, immediately check for pending system updates and clear space, since a full or outdated system is what usually triggered the loop.
Fix 2: Remove the SD Card and Accessories
A corrupt SD card can stall the entire boot process — Android tries to read it during startup and fails repeatedly. This fix is quick and saves you from wiping the phone unnecessarily:
- Force the phone off with the 10–15 second button hold from Fix 1.
- Use the ejector tool to open the SIM/SD tray and remove the SD card. Also unplug any USB accessories (cables, OTG drives, dongles).
- Power the phone on normally with the tray reinserted without the card.
- If the phone boots, the card was the culprit — back up anything readable from it on a computer, then format it.
If it still loops without the card, the problem is inside the phone's software — continue to Fix 3.
Fix 3: Wipe the Cache Partition
The cache partition holds temporary system files. When those corrupt — often after an update — Android can get stuck in a bootloop. Wiping it from recovery mode is safe: it deletes no personal data, only temporary files:
- Force the phone off (Fix 1).
- Boot into recovery mode: hold Power + Volume Up together until the recovery screen appears. (Samsung: Side button + Volume Up with the phone plugged into a computer via USB on newer models; Xiaomi: Power + Volume Up.)
- Use the Volume keys to highlight Wipe cache partition and press Power to select it. Confirm when asked.
- When it finishes, highlight Reboot system now and press Power.
Note: on newer Android versions (11+), some manufacturers removed the separate cache partition — if you don't see the option, your phone doesn't have one and you can move to Fix 4. Never confuse this with "Wipe data/factory reset," which erases everything.
Fix 4: Boot Into Safe Mode
If the loop is caused by a third-party app, Safe Mode boots Android with only system apps — bypassing the bad app entirely. If the phone boots fine in Safe Mode, you've found your culprit:
- With the phone powered off, press and hold Power until the manufacturer logo appears.
- Immediately release Power and press and hold Volume Down until the phone finishes booting. You'll see Safe mode in a corner of the screen.
- If it boots successfully, go to Settings → Apps and uninstall the most recently installed or updated apps — especially launchers, antivirus apps, battery optimizers, or anything with device-admin access.
- Restart normally and see if the loop is gone.
Brand paths: Samsung: hold Volume Down right after the Samsung logo appears; Xiaomi: same Power-then-Volume-Down sequence. To exit Safe Mode, just restart — the phone boots normally by default.
Fix 5: Factory Reset From Recovery Mode
When cache wipes and Safe Mode don't break the loop, a factory reset from recovery clears all apps, data, and system errors, giving Android a clean slate:
- Boot into recovery mode (same button combination as Fix 3: Power + Volume Up).
- Use the Volume keys to highlight Wipe data/factory reset and press Power to select. Confirm Factory data reset.
- When it finishes, select Reboot system now.
- Set the phone up again. If your Google account had backup enabled, your contacts and some app data restore automatically.
Warning: this erases all photos, files, and apps on the phone's internal storage. It's the last software fix because there's no undo. But when a bootloop won't break any other way, it's the standard repair — service centers do exactly this first.
Fix 6: Reflash the Firmware or Get Professional Help
If the phone loops even after a factory reset, the system image itself is damaged — and that's beyond on-phone settings. You have two options:
Reflash the official firmware:
- Visit your manufacturer's support site (Samsung: Smart Switch or Odin firmware; Xiaomi: Mi Flash Tool; Pixel: the official factory image page) and download the firmware for your exact model and region.
- Follow the manufacturer's flashing tool instructions carefully. Flashing the wrong firmware can make things worse, so match the model number exactly.
- This reinstalls a pristine copy of Android over the damaged one.
Professional repair: if flashing doesn't help — or you'd rather not risk it — take the phone to the manufacturer's service center. Persistent bootloops after a reset can mean failing storage hardware, which no software fix can repair. Bring your proof of purchase if the phone is under warranty.
What If Nothing Works?
- Check for physical damage: a bootloop that started right after a drop or water exposure points to hardware — storage chips or the motherboard — not software. No settings fix repairs that.
- Let the battery drain fully: if the phone won't power off cleanly, leave it looping until the battery dies, charge it for 30 minutes, then try Fix 1 again. A full power cycle can succeed where a force restart didn't.
- Try a different charger/cable: on some phones, a faulty charger connected during boot causes power-related restart loops. Boot with nothing plugged in.
- Recover data via the cloud: if your Google backup was on, your photos, contacts, and some app data are already safe — check Google Photos and Google Drive from a computer while the phone is in for repair.
Most bootloops resolve at Fix 3 (cache wipe) or Fix 5 (factory reset) — only the stubborn hardware cases need Fix 6.
Watch: Phone Stuck in Bootloop Fixed Step by Step
Prefer a walkthrough? This video covers fixing an Android phone stuck on the boot loop step by step:
Video by Droigy — full credit to the creator.
Related Guides:
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a bootloop delete my data?
The bootloop itself doesn't delete data — but some fixes do. Force restart (Fix 1), SD card removal (Fix 2), cache wipe (Fix 3), and Safe Mode (Fix 4) are all data-safe. Only the factory reset (Fix 5) erases your internal storage, which is why it comes second-to-last. That's also why automatic cloud backup matters so much.
Can a full storage cause a bootloop?
Yes — a phone with essentially zero free internal storage can fail to boot because Android needs working space for temporary files during startup. If you recover from the loop, free up space immediately so it doesn't happen again.
How do I get into recovery mode on Samsung?
On newer Samsung phones: power the phone off, plug it into a computer with a USB cable, then hold Side button + Volume Up until the Samsung logo appears and release. On older Samsung models without the USB requirement, just hold Power + Volume Up. Use Volume keys to navigate and Power to select.
By Sameer Zehri | App Fix Guru Editor | Last updated: October 2026
