Last Updated on September 20, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

OnePlus 5If you want to start installing custom software so you can get away from the official Android updates, you’ll need to get a custom recovery image installed no matter what.

Depending on your device, you might be able to get a custom recovery installed via an application or by flashing it using the ADB commands. The OnePlus 5 smartphone is one of the devices that does have both options available.

The official TWRP Recovery app has been available for a couple of years now. (No, that TWRP Manager app that you’ve known for all those years wasn’t actually it.) Before you can take advantage of all the official TWRP app’s features you really need to have root access first, making root the one thing you should consider before deciding what way you’re going to go about getting the custom recovery image installed.

If you don’t know about root access, basically it’s granting administrative permissions to your user account over the operating system. With root, no application cannot run on your device. Without it, there are a few hundred useful apps that won’t run. But root isn’t for just anybody; you should understand the implications of installing malware with root access before going ahead and doing it. Much like the Windows operating system by Microsoft, when you’re using the account with admin permissions, that is when malware can do its damage. Malware that usually comes in the form of applications. In other words, install the wrong app, and you might be in trouble.

As for the custom recovery itself, the main reason people want it installed is so they can install custom software, otherwise known as custom ROMs. These will replace the official Android software updates that you might be running now for a different version of your choice developed by third-party developers. Custom software is appealing for those who have other features they want to use, know of a preferred layout, design, want to save more battery power, so forth.

Details of Note

  • The custom recovery images available in this guide are only to be installed on the OnePlus 5 smartphone. Most devices have a custom recovery image developed specifically for it, and you shouldn’t install one that is intended for another device unless advised it is okay by a professional.
  • The codename for the OnePlus 5 TWRP recovery image is “cheeseburger.” You will see that codename in the TWRP image file path and also from your About Device menu so you know you are flashing the right file on the right device.

Files Required

How to Install TWRP Recovery on OnePlus 5

1. Install the universal ADB drivers on the computer.

2. You need to have the platform-tools part of the Android SDK on your computer. From the download link, scroll down until you get to the command line tools section and then download the package that is made for your operating system.

3. Once you have the SDK Manager on your computer, check the box only for the platform-tools, so you end up with the adb and fastboot binaries installed on the computer.

You could also install the drivers from there as well if you wanted.

4. Pick up the OnePlus 5 smartphone and navigate to the Settings > About and tap your finger over the build number at least seven times so that the Developer Optionsmenu becomes unlocked. Then go back to the Settings, enter the Developer Optionsmenu and then enable the USB debugging mode.

5. Connect the OnePlus 5 smartphone to the computer by using the USB cable that it comes with.

6. Now on the computer open the Command Prompt and type the following command and hit Enter on your keyboard to get the  OnePlus 5 smartphone into the bootloader mode and ready for the flashing:

adb reboot bootloader

7. Make sure you have copied the TWRP image file to the same folder as the adb and fastboot binaries. Also when you’re there, change the name of the TWRP to “twrp.img” by right-clicking the mouse pointer on it and selecting the Rename option from the menu.

8. From the command line type the following command and hit Enter on your keyboard to flash the custom recovery:

fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

9. Lastly type the following command and as soon as the OnePlus 5 smartphone reboots, hold down the key combination to boot directly into the recovery mode.

If you don’t sometimes the stock recovery will wipe over the custom recovery you just installed.

fastboot reboot

The custom recovery image for the OnePlus 5 smartphone is now installed, and you are ready to boot into recovery mode and start flashing the custom ROM or rooting zip files.

That’s all.