Fix fastboot: error: Failed to boot into userspace fastboot

In this guide, we will show you the steps to fix the fastboot: error: Failed to boot into userspace fastboot. The Android ecosystem has witnessed some drastic changes over the past couple of years. The likes of seamless updates, A/B slots, the super partition that beholds the system.img, and the FastbootD Mode are some of the noteworthy ones. However, this also means that there have been some drastic changes to the way one used to flash certain binaries.

Long gone is the process of simply unlocking the bootloader via a single fastboot command and then simply flashing the file to its respective partition. You’ll now have to checkmark a couple of other important prerequisites as well. Or else, issues like the “fastboot: error: Failed to boot into userspace fastboot; one or more components might be unbootable” are bound to happen. With that said, this guide will show you how to rectify this issue once and for all. Follow along.

Fix fastboot: error: Failed to boot into userspace fastboot

Before flashing, please take a backup of all your data on your device. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

STEP 1: Install Android SDK

First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.

STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking

Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking process.

So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.

STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader and Critical Partitions

Next up, you will also have to unlock the device’s bootloader. Do keep in mind that doing so will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then please refer to our reference guide on How to Unlock the Bootloader and Critical Partitions. In short:

1. Use the below command to unlock the bootloader

   fastboot flashing unlock

2. Then use the below command to unlock the critical partitions

   fastboot flashing unlock_critical

STEP 5: Boot to Fastboot Mode

1. Now connect your device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
   
3. Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode

   adb reboot bootloader

   

4. To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.

   fastboot devices

   

5. If you don’t get any serial ID, then please install Fastboot Drivers on your PC.

STEP 6: Switch Slots

Now use the below command to change your current active slot

fastboot set active_other

STEP 7: Boot to FastbootD Mode and Flash File

1. From Fastboot Mode, use the below command to boot to Fastboot Mode

   fastboot reboot fastboot

   

2. Now retry flashing and you should no longer get userspace issues.

That’s it. These were the steps to fix the fastboot: error: Failed to boot into userspace fastboot; one or more components might be unbootable”. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

• Cannot Boot Android to FastbootD Mode: How to Fix
• What is FastbootD? How to Boot to FastbootD Mode
• Fix FAILED (remote: Partition should be flashed in fastbootd)
• Fix Bootloop after Flashing Magisk Patched init_boot

About Chief Editor

Sadique Hassan

administrator

A technical geek by birth, he always has a keen interest in the Android platform right since the birth of the HTC Dream. The open-source environment always seems to intrigue him with the plethora of options available at his fingertips. “MBA by profession, blogger by choice!”

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