Basic requirements

  1. Make sure your computer has working adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.
  2. Enable USB debugging on your device.

Unlocking the bootloader

  1. Enable OEM unlock in the Developer options under device Settings, if present.

  2. Connect the device to your PC via USB.
  3. 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:

  4. Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing: 
    fastboot devices
  5. Now type the following command to obtain your bootloader unlock token: 
    fastboot oem get_identifier_token

  6. Visit the HTCDev Bootloader Unlock website and follow the instructions there to obtain your unlock key and unlock your bootloader. If your device does not appear in the drop-down list, select All Other Supported Models.

  7. If the device doesn’t automatically reboot, reboot it. It should now be unlocked.
  8. Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.

Installing a custom recovery using fastboot

  1. Download a custom recovery - you can download TWRP. Simply download the latest recovery file, named something like twrp-x.x.x-x-m7.img.

  2. Connect your device to your PC via USB.
  3. 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:

  4. Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing: 
    fastboot devices
  5. Flash recovery onto your device: 
    fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-m7.img
  6. Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
    • With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.

Installing LineageOS from recovery

  1. Build a LineageOS install package.

    • Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps (use the arm architecture)
  2. If you aren’t already in recovery, reboot into recovery:
    • With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
  3. (Optional, but recommended): Tap the Backup button to create a backup. Make sure the backup is created in the external sdcard or copy it onto your computer as the internal storage will be formatted.
  4. Go back to return to main menu, then tap Wipe.
  5. Now tap Format Data and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption as well as delete all files stored on the internal storage.

  6. Return to the previous menu and tap Advanced Wipe.

  7. Select the Cache and System partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe.

  8. 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.
  9. Go back to return to main menu, then tap Install.
  10. Navigate to /sdcard, and select the LineageOS .zip package.

  11. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the package.

  12. (Optional): Install any additional packages using the same method.

  13. (Optional): Root the device by installing the LineageOS su add-on (use the arm package) or using any other method you prefer.
  14. Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, tap 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.