How to restore stock firmware on Samsung Galaxy S3? (Video)

By
Jayce Ooi
-
Last modified on

How to restore stock firmware on Samsung Galaxy S III? Is that the question you ask before install custom firmware or root Samsung Galaxy S3? There is custom binary download counter in Samsung Galaxy S3 Odin Download Mode which will tell you are using official firmware or not. And by install any unofficial stuffs like root Samsung Galaxy S3, install custom firmware, ROM and kernel with Odin software will increase the counter. Therefore, Samsung will know that your Samsung Galaxy S3 was modified and warranty might be voided then. No worry, there is a way to restore stock firmware on Samsung Galaxy S3. And reset custom binary download to No, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to Official. Finally, Device status from Modified to Normal. Everything will be back to stock the way like you turned on Samsung Galaxy S3 for the very first time. What to know more? Just follow below step by step video guide…

Prerequisites

  • Triangle Away
  • Odin3
  • Stock Firmware

Step by Step Guide

  1. Power off Samsung Galaxy S3.
  2. Press and hold down Volume Down + Home + Power buttons at the same time.
  3. Press Volume Up button when warning prompt.
  4. Odin download mode will be loaded.
  5. Remember your custom binary download counter number.
  6. Long press Power button to restart Samsung Galaxy S3.
  7. Remove back cover after Android OS loaded.
  8. Go to Settings.
  9. Select About device.
  10. Select Status ~ show status of battery, network, and other information.
  11. Device status should be Modified.
  12. Launch Triangle Away.
  13. Grant it root access when prompted.
  14. Download latest update when prompted.
  15. Double check counter number at Current status is the same as Odin Download Mode.
  16. Select Reset flash counter if everything is correct.
  17. Follow Triangle Away instructions then.
  18. Note – It will boot into Triangle Away bootmode if failed to reset on in Android OS. After reset, pull out battery immediately after rebooting start. Then put battery back.
  19. Power off Samsung Galaxy S3.
  20. Press and hold Volume Up + Home + Power buttons at the same time.
  21. Release all buttons when you see SGS3 Logo.
  22. ClockworkMod Recovery will be loaded then.
  23. Go to wipe data/factory reset with Volume Up / Down buttons.
  24. Select it with Power (or Home) button.
  25. Then select Yes — delete all user data.
  26. Select wipe cache partition.
  27. Then select Yes — Wipe cache.
  28. After wiping data and cache, pull out battery.
  29. Put battery and back cover back.
  30. Press and hold down Volume Down + Home + Power buttons at the same time.
  31. Press Volume Up button when warning prompt.
  32. Odin download mode will be loaded.
  33. Custom binary download should be No, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to Official.
  34. Connect USB cable to your phone.
  35. At PC, extract firmware .tar (or .tar.md5) file that you downloaded to Firmware folder.
  36. Then bring up Odin3.
  37. Click on PDA.
  38. Select the .tar (or .tar.md5) at Firmware folder.
  39. Click Start then.
  40. Remove USB cable from your phone when you see green PASS! at Odin3.
  41. Android OS will be loaded.
  42. Then follow phone onscreen instructions to setup.
  43. Go to Settings.
  44. Select About device.
  45. Build number should be the same as the firmware that you installed.
  46. Select Status ~ show status of battery, network, and other information.
  47. Device status should be Normal.
  48. That’s all.

Yeah… Your Samsung Galaxy S3 should be back to stock firmware after you done everything as above. No need to worry about warranty claim now.

By the way, Triangle Away process is not a must have to restore back to stock firmware or downgrade firmware if you don’t need to send back for warranty claim. Custom binary download counter just won’t be reset without Triangle Away process.

Download Triangle Away here.
Download Odin3 v3.04 here.
Download official Samsung Galaxy S3 firmware here.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

337 COMMENTS

  2. bro… so which stock rom region didi you use? is it UK? because of same XLE8?

    recommend plzzz.. so many option to choose in xda forum

  3. one more thing i want to ask.. let see i want to install stock rom without triangle or wanted to unroot the device.. can i just flash to stock rom? have you try this before?

  4. I had a stock rom, and i flashed it, can i just use triangleaway to reset the counter? and restore factory settings? or would i need to reinstall the OS to get back to normal

  5. Dear jayce

    Can i ask where can get malaysia latest firmware or original firmware ? because i have custom my firmware but was not happy and wanted to restore back to original Malaysia firmware stock rom

    Hope you can direct paste the link for me or email to me

    Appreciate and thanks
    simon

    • Hi simon, please follow the link and get it from XDA website.

      XXALE8
      THL (Thailand) Also for (GLB MM1 SIN SMA STH XEV XME XSE XSP XTC XTE XXV)
      XME is Malaysia CSC.

  6. If I revert back to stock firmware…with the stock recovery and all..can I update my phone through ota/kies? Right now I’m on the stock rom which I got with the device..just with root and cwm.

  8. where can i download firmware l9300DXLE8 (Malaysia). I need to restore stock firmware for my S3 after flash ROM CheckROM EvoHD V3.5. Thank you.

  10. Hi jayce,

    i rooted my phone with this guide: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III:_Full_Update_Guide

    and i stumbled when i try to flash the cyanogenmod, i do not get the install from zip file command while in the clockworkmod recovery mode. So i cant seem to be able to find the zip file to install the cyanogenmod.

    What i am trying to do now is to unroot my s3, but seeing that i rooted using heimdall rather than ODIN, is it still safe to unroot using ODIN?

    Please advise, any tips will be greatly appreciated.

  11. hi jayce,
    should the baseband version and and the build number should be the same to download the firmware… my buildnumber is i9300xxblh1 and my baseband version is i9300ddlh1… which firware i should download..

  12. after rooting my device, the s voice is not working… its replying, but the is no voice response… do you have any suggestion for that…

  16. Will this work on AT&T’s S3? (SGH-I747) I need to send my phone in for warranty, GPS sucks on this device, have you experienced any issues with it?

  19. Im stuck on Step 3. When i Press and hold down Volume Down + Home + Power buttons at the same time to turn it back on i never get the warning screen. What am i doing wrong?

  21. I have got the samsung galaxy s3 and I installed another firmare on it with odin. How do I put the origonal software back onto my phone again?

  24. Dear Jayce,
    I have flashed Poland 4.1.1 to my phone according to your guide. If I need to get back to my original stock firmware can I do the factory resetting? I don’t mind loosing my data. Pl help me…

  26. yes. i use hp mini and i cant see the start button at the bottom and i cant regulate also yhe size thats why..while for the older verion the start button is at the top.. cant i really not use the older one? 🙁

  28. hi..why is it at the triangle away it appears at the current status: status cannot be determined we need to reboot into a special bootmode. and then at the reset flash counter it says we need to reboot into special bootmode for this.. WHAT SHOULD I DO? PLS HELP

  29. Thank you so much! After I accidentally superwiped and lost my backups, I soft-bricked my phone and I was able to restore to stock rom with odin.

  31. Hi, if I root my phone and use this method to install stock Rom even though I’m already using a stock Rom will it gear rid of the annoying carrier welcome screen?

  32. Hi, i have an international SGS3. I tried to find my exact firmware from many places including the official samsung site and check fus. I couldnt find it at all. Through apps i found that my CSC region is SFR (france) and my PDA and CSC match those of singapore and malaysia. Quite strange yes. I hesitated in downloading them as i am not sure if i am to claim my warranty for any cause, if having the firmware it came with or any other official stock firmware for any OTHER country with different PDA etc, would make a difference and cause the vendor to refuse the warranty as the device they sold was meant for a different country but currently has firmware for another making it obvious it was flashed. Does it matter or am i over reacting?

        • I also have another question. It is possible to restore your device status to normal WITHOUT flashing a stock rom that we download from the samsung website. I havent tried it this way and i dont know if it will work but in SuperSU there is a ‘full unroot’ option. It completes within seconds and after rebooting my S3 and running root checker it says root access is either not present or not configured properly. After doing this and of course running triangle away lets say we do a factory reset and wipe all those cache partitions and everything. Root will be lost but it depends now if the device status will turn back to normal or not. If it works it would be much easier 🙂 . I would however like to hear your view on it as well, as im not at all willing to do a hard reset 😛

            • But if it works then factory reset anyway. Point being not to download any firmware. As the one i have i cannot find exactly. The region is SFR(france) and brand base etc are of malaysia or singapore as i said earlier.

                • I am now going to try singapores firmware but ive also found out that if the product code or the IMEI changes the warranty is void anyways :/
                  region can be changed later i know but all that i can keep from cahnging is the PDA and CSC.
                  Knowing my luck i will have to come back looking for a way to change the IMEI and product code…

                  • if i recall imei (and some other important details that you should not loose) are stored in the efs folder, and its recomended to back up this folder when flashing other firmwares, more so when it’s the modem/csc your flashing, as incorrect flashes can delete imei info resulting in a bricked device or non functioning phone/carrier access, and can be difficult to retrieve without a backup.

  33. Hi,

    I really appreciate your work, can you please tell me the album name of this video’s background music, Its so touching.

    Thanks
    Sam

  35. Hi Jayce!

    I’ve got another question. I rooted with cf root sgs3 6.2. I’ve not flashed a new ROM or firmware yet. You said that when you root with cf 6.2 your firmware doesn’t change. How do i remove the root? Do i have to download a new stock firmware for my gt 19300 and the flash with Odin?

  37. Hi,

    I have a question, my GS3 runs on a custom jelly bean, stock firmware is ICS,
    if i hard reset this phone will it revert back to the ICS?, i know that it will still be rooted but, will it be back to the original ICS OS version?

  38. Dear Jayce,

    Is the process give above is also valid for removing CYANOGENMOD 10 ROM which i installed on my SGS3 I9300.

    If not then pls. guide me.

    Regards,
    Aamer.

  39. Hi Jayce,

    i just root my note2 LTE GT-N7105 using the Heimdall something (i Just followed the steps on his video) and i wanted to reset the custom binary to original settings and the device status to normal. Can i just use the triangle away only to reset it? or maybe the triangle away and run the restore to factory settings?

    thanks

  40. I have samsung galaxy s3 baseband number I9300XXLFB, my problem is that I still have not get update to JB. what made me worried is that my friend has got it, and he had the same my baseband number.

    I just want to ask, do you know why?

    best regards

  41. Thanks a lot Jayce, and yes the devices have different build number 🙁
    and I used kies as you suggested, but it says I have the latest firmware.
    Jayce if its possible to suggest a JB rom that is compatible with my device.

    Best regards

  43. I did all the steps till i get into the screen of downloading where i should connect my phone to the pc. when i connect it says drivers not found and asking for something called gadget serial. and i am stuck in here. please respond asap coz My phone is in download state

  44. Hi, thank you for preparing this guide. I made all the steps you wrote until 33th. But in my Odin Mode it says:
    Custom Binary Download: Yes (1)
    Current Binary: Custom
    System Status: Official

    But it was 0 and binary was official when I checked in Download Mode, before booting in Recovery Mode. What’s wrong? Please help…

      • thank you to reply Jayce, but cwm recovery isn’t included in any stock rom, how can i advance to next step without cwm recovery? if you mean “root again after installing stock rom”, that’s what i did, before posting my previous message.

        • Hi Eduardo, are you going to send your SGS3 for warranty claim? Else no point to clear the custom binary counter.

          Yes, you need to have root access in order to use Triangle Away app to clean the counter.

  45. I just want to use my device like other ordinary users from now on. So i just want to make it return to its first day i’ve bought. Tried many variations before flashing the stock rom.

    I can root, reset counter, flash a stock rom etc. But after all is done and i start to use my device normally, the system status changes itself to modified from normal, although i do nothing like rooting, flashing something etc.. It happens after 1-2 days of flashing the stock rom.

    For example now it is sometimes Normal, sometimes Modified. It’s like my system realizes that there are something wrong. But not always. Now it is Normal but after I restart the device it says Modified, i restart again and it is Normal etc.

    To fix this issue I attempted to try your method but as I mentioned i can’t see 0 in my counter in Download Mode like you do.

    Do you know any idea about these problems of mine?

      • I understand.. But unfortunately i can’t continue in your guide neither. As I said I my counter says 1 after i boot in CWM recovery mode. For any case it adds 1 even if I don’t do anything in CWM recovery mode.

  48. Help me! my phone just wont come on, its stuck on the “Samsung Galaxy S III” start up screen, this just randomly happened, its an international galaxy that i bought from london, i cant check the base firmware or whatever cause i cant put on the phone, help me i dont know what to do

  49. Thanks i only needed up to the end part of the process so i can update the official firmware of 4.1.2 from samsung because my device status was modified

  50. Hi do you have the firmware of the product: GT-I9305?? becuase it said that the: firmware upgrade encounterd an issue…Please select recovey mode in Kies & try again

  53. while my galaxy s3 being recovered from the main option the phone ran out of battery then i tried turn it one but it’s stuck on the samsung brandname, and when i intered a odin mode it didnt shown the product name 🙁 , what should i do ????

  54. hii jayce
    it’s me again.. i’ve tried to install the firmware with odin but it’s fail.. 🙁 so i searched for the full firmware but i couldn’t find anything.. Can you give me the website so i can download it ?? ^^ i need the middle east firmware..~

  56. hey bro its me again i did all what u said but in the end when it was rebooting after flashing the stock firmware its stuck on the samsung start up screen !! what should i do i need ur help plz and i tried removing the battery them putting it but as well it didnt work 🙁 help me plzzz

  61. I followed the instructions but when i go into Odin download mode it says the following:

    Custom binary download: No
    Current binary: Samsung Official
    System status: Custom

    The system status doesn’t change to Official.

    Any ideas

  63. Hi Jayce. I am at step 39. When i click start in odin it says failed?? I dont know what to do. I did a factory reset and nothing works?

  66. Hey. I am from denmark and on sammobile.com i dont know if i should take the Nordic Contries – NNE firmware or DENMARK (3) HTD firmware

  70. Hi Jayce, logged in to say thank you to many users out there… you have replied to all the queries asked by everyone…

    this is very rare in many forums… appreciate the support.

  71. Hello,
    What if status after odin is not modified, should I continue?
    Why is not modified?
    I have rooted S3 and ultimarom v8.0
    From Croatia!
    Thanks

  72. Hello Jayce.

    I ike and I live in Finland and

    my phone was installed in the program I9300XXDLID / CyanogebMod version of the Baseband version 10.0.0 -RCO-i9300

    Whether this program to install original factory setting?

    Thank you for your knowledge and you’ll do a good job

    Best regards

    Ike

  76. I can reset the custom binary download counter by triangle away…I follow the steps u given but the custom binary download counter still the same…

  77. i tried all of this and it still appears the same. Custom binary yes (1)current binary custom and system status custom. what am i doing wrong??

  80. Hello Jayce. I’m on super nexus(4.2.2) custom ROM. I would like to return to stock firmware. Can I use triangle away?

  82. Hi Jayce,

    i have unroot, but when i press down, home button and on/off button to check; Custom binary download is 1 count, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to Official.

    phone status is also Normal when i click on the settings.

    THat means my unroot is yet done is it? I think i pluck out my battery too late, as in when the reboot and screen appear then i remove my battery.

    Can i unroot it again if that is the case? or shall i root back first and unroot again?

    Thanks!

      • Hi Jayce,

        THe link u give me is for note 2, but my phone is S3. Nevertheless, i did tried what was written inside.

        I did a rooted again and then re-root it back, using note 2 instructions. Everything went well, Counter did reset to 0. Upon checking: Custom binary download should be No, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to Custom.
        But when i check the status, it turned into modified, instead of normal.

        I tot something went wrong as the 2nd boot up did not appear as mentioned in note 2. hence, i unroot again bringing up odin 3 and the PDA file. this time, the screen show Failed! but the system just hang there after i waited very long. no choice i got to reset my hp, but upon resetting, it prompt me: Firewre upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kries and tried again.

        However, Kries can’t seems to detect my hp.

        Any help to resolve? THe screen keep appearing there even i on off the hp!

  83. hi jayce,

    my gt-i9300t is soft bricked (looping on samsung logo). I followed your steps but at step 40 I get a red fail while running odin. what can I do?

    another question, I use a gt-i9300t but in odin mode, my product name is gt-i9300. would that be an issue?

    cheers.

      • I tried using the stock 4.1.2 and 4.1.1 to install but both failed.

        is there any way to check which firmware I require besides going into settings? my phone is soft bricked so I can’t do that. the only other information I know is the sticker at the back of my phone and that I bought it from vodafone australia. I’ve used the firmware for vodafone australia for the gt-i9300t.

  84. Hi Jayce,

    I’m Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 LTE **
    how to unroot.

    when I The end of tap 29. Custom binary download also is YES(1 counts)
    How can I restore to N0.

    and which firmware i can install?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Jacey,

      I finally got to restore everything after using Kries by using the upgrade firmware. but the thing now is when i press volume down, home and power button, it reflects; Custom binary download should be No, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to CUSTOM..
      Mhow do i get it back to: Custom binary download should be No, current binary to Samsung Official and system status to Official.
      thanks!!!

  87. hi jayce…
    I completely followed your video…everything went perfect except one thing…in the odin mode it is still showing binary count-yes 1count

    I used triangle away and reset flash counter but still 1 count is shown…rest is all official

  88. my s3 is dead.. i root it once.. and i restart my phone and it froze at the samsung logo… all i have is the model: gt-i9300 fcc id: a3lgti9300a ssn: -i9300gsmh made in china by samsung… cant open my phone… please help me… what if i unroot my phone…

  90. its possible to install firmware even if i dont know my pda or that number see in about device… example… my phone is made in china by samsung… and im in philippines… can i install firmware from philippines… i9300..

  92. Hi Jayce, my baseband version is I9300DXEMB1, if I root it and want to revert it, is XXALE8 the correct one, thanks.

  93. Hi Jayce, quick question.
    I have installed Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) – latest unofficial Samsung I9300XXUFME7 firmware with Odin on my International S3 GT-I9300 unlocked, and it works perfect. It is rooted and CWM is installed too.

    Let´s suppose I install a custom rom with CWM. If I wanted to go back to Samsung´s stock firmware (I9300XXUFME7 which I have already downloaded), all I would need to do is reboot to CWM, Wipe Data, Wipe Cache, reboot to Recovery, conect to the PC and install the firmware with Odin?

  94. Hi! I Rooted and unrooted my s3 but now i have generic imei. Now my phone is rooted with root explorer .nv data bin missing. Can u help me out pleassse. Shoul i restock rom? What rom should do thework?

  95. Hi! I already restock it with xxale8. But still have generic imei. I check efs and i cant locate nv.data.bin. And ive already tried some of the posts on xda developer website. Like using root explorer. Please i would really appreciate if you can save my s3. Thanks!

  96. Hi Jayce

    Wonder if you can assist? I have rooted my phone some time back without any hassles.

    lately, my S3 jsut rebootes itself & sometimes battles to restart. Its very frustrating!

    I`m not sure how this issue developed, & would appreciate your feedback in resolving this issue.

  97. it always gives me insert sim to access network and i apready sent to repair th sim slot then it worked for 2 days and came back with the same prob. so i did factory reset and hard reset. still not working. so i rooted it. then i got the generic imei. now flashed it with xxale8. i have root explorer. but still. sad.

  98. Hi.
    Writing from Sweden.
    Got an 4.3 update on my S3 I9300. It totaly messed it up.
    Did a revert with Odin to 4.1.2
    Can’t find any network.
    IMEI nr. is also different from original.
    Do you have some simple instruction how to get the network back.
    What to download, where ( a link maybe) and how to proceed.
    Thanks.

  99. hi good day.i have galaxy s3 i did hard reset my phone without doing anything and now its stock on samsung logo. i try to long press the power button in order to restart my phone to do your instruction above but its still back on the logo again and again what should i do??? pls help…

  100. so if i follow ur video:-

    will i get the back original samsung recovery? or will it still be clockworkmod?
    will this method unroot my phone?

    thx for the awesome video… 🙂

  101. hey I am using karbonn A2 that I want to change ics to cynogenmod how I downloaded the zip file when I install it through recovery mode by pressing volume up power button and install it say error that error is there some missing scatter and OTA package pls tell me wat can I do

  105. i have another question. u use triangle away to clear binary. but u enter clockworkmod recovery to wipe everything right?
    will entering clockworkmod increase ur binary count?? so even when u flash stock rom. the binary count will still be 1 right?

  106. I just was given an S3 as a gift and I think my mom got it on ebay and it has be customized. Is there a way to put it back to factory rom? I have been searching and googling for days. I have tried to use 4.3 update with odin 3.09 as well as other step by steps I’ve found online but nothing seems to do the trick.

    About Device:
    model: samsung-sgh-i747
    android ver: 4.3
    baseband ver: I747ucuemjb
    kernel ver: 3.0.31-2024954
    se.infra@R0210-11 #1
    thu oct 31 01:05:53 kst 2013
    build #: jss15j.i747ucuemjb
    se for android status: enforcing sepf_samsung-sgh-i747_4.3_0024

    device status: custom

    Thanks

    • Sorry mark, I don’t have i747 model. Not sure it behaves the same like I9300 or not. But you can always try to install official Android 4.3 firmware for your model. Else find custom ROM and install it with CWM.

  107. just want to ask jayce i lost my backup and i forgot the baseband number so i cant find stock rom coz there asking for the baseband and i try this but the triangle away where can i get that?

  108. When not needing to modify flash counters and other stuff to mask the custom rom history, only need to have Samsung OS back, what is the easiest way? I saw on youtube a guy did just in the recovery mode the factory reset, wipe cache, wipe dalvik cache and all came back to Samsung Android. Can it be easy as that? I am now on CyanogenMod 12.1.
    Thanks

      • OK thanks. Can I flash ROM from ZIP on the extSDcard using the Clockwork recovery instead of Odin? Last time I had troubles with Odin. Dont want to take my chances and brick the device eventually.
        Last q. Does country code of the device need to match up with the ROM to flash? *#111# doesnt work for me on CM12.1 so I dont know the country code of my device. Thanks again!

  109. Hi Jayce. I have a Samsung galaxy I9300 that I got as a present from UK. Gave it to some local so called phone repair expert and he said it does not have a Product Name. I have recently downloaded Odin V3.10 and if I turn it on it stuck on Samsung logo. I have taken note of 48 steps that you guided on. And I hope I will sort it out tomorrow when I am back at work. Any advice as to what I may need to look out for???

      • The firmware took almost half a day to download. I have managed to extract the file from zip folder and I am currently anticipating that something good will come out of it as I have failed twice already on my latest attempt. I have opened the same file(firmware file that I downloaded)on BL, AP, CP and CSC on Odin V3.10 and on Pit it did not pick up any file from the same location that I picked for all the aforementioned. I clicked Start and it took a while before it said failed. The firmware that I downloaded was UFU-I9300UUBUGNLI-. I am now using a trial and error. I am still hoping that I can get it up and running before I throw the phone away

      • The only rooting method I can find is King Root. It sucks to have to use this Chinese language rooting tool but there’s no other choice for those with our model.

        • Just download kingroot root it and then replace Kinguser wit SuperSUhttp://www.w0lfdroid.com/2015/05/How-to-Remove-Replace-KingUser-KingRoot-with-SuperSU.html
          I root my Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 android 4.3. and its working good

  112. i have problem because my phone is not opening its just only showing the logo. i want to apply it but i cant download triangle away. can u please help me. my phone is samsung galaxy s3

  114. hello sir can you help me please to download firmware for samsung
    MODEL: GT-I9300
    FCC ID: A3LGTI9300A
    SSN: -I9300GSMH

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here