Device flashing errors

If you get an error while flashing your device by USB, you may want to use the RESET button to reset the device and try again. If this does not work, some alternatives are:

USB Cables

One of the most common reasons is accidentally using a USB charging cable instead of a USB data cable. The inexpensive cables that come with devices that are powered or recharged by USB often don't have the data lines needed to program a Particle device, even though it will be powered.

Most devices have a USB 2.0 Micro B receptacle, however some devices have USB C.

Show device cable types

SKU	Description	USB Cable
ARG-AQKT	Argon Air Quality Monitor Kit [x1]	Micro B
ARG-LDKT	Argon Leak Detection Kit [x1]	Micro B
ARG-STRTKT	Argon Starter Kit [x1]	Micro B
ARGN-H	Argon [x1]	Micro B
ARGNKIT	Argon, Starter Kit [x1]	Micro B
ASSET2GV2	Asset Tracker 2G	Micro B
ASSET3G260V2	Asset Tracker 3G (Americas/Aus)	Micro B
ASSET3G270V2	Asset Tracker 3G (Eur/Asia/Afr)	Micro B
BRN310KIT	Boron 2G/3G (Global) Starter Kit, [x1]	Micro B
BRN314KIT	Boron 2G/3G (Global) Starter Kit, [x1]	Micro B
BRN402	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), [x1]	Micro B
BRN402-AQKT	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm) Air Quality Monitor Kit, [x1]	Micro B
BRN402KIT	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), Starter Kit [x1]	Micro B
BRN404	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), [x1]	Micro B
BRN404KIT	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), Starter Kit [x1]	Micro B
BRN404X	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), [x1]	Micro B
BRN404XKIT	Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), Starter Kit [x1]	Micro B
E260KIT	Electron 2G/3G (Americas/Aus) Starter Kit, [x1]	Micro B
E270KIT	Electron 2G/3G (EMEA) Starter Kit, [x1]	Micro B
E310KIT	E-Series 2G/3G (Global - E310) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
E314KIT	E-Series 2G/3G (Global - E314) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
E350KIT	Electron 2G Kit (Global)	Micro B
E402KIT	E-Series LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
E404KIT	E-Series LTE-M (NorAm, EtherSIM) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
ELC402EA	Electron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), [x1]	Micro B
M2BREAKOUT	Particle M.2 SoM Breakout Board [x1]	USB-C
M2EVAL	Particle M.2 SoM Evaluation Board [x1]	USB-C
MON404E01C01KIT	Monitor One LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), Particle Transparent Enclosure, IO Card, Developer Edition [x1]	Micro B
MON404E02C01KIT	Monitor One LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), Particle Blue Enclosure, IO Card, Developer Edition [x1]	Micro B
MON524E01C01KIT	Monitor One LTE CAT-1/3G/2G (Europe, EtherSIM), Particle Transparent Enclosure, IO Card, Developer Edition [x1]	Micro B
MUON404EA	Muon LTE-M/2G Kit (Global, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUON404KIT	Muon LTE M1/2G Kit (Global, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUON524EA	Muon LTE CAT1/3G/2G Kit (Europe, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUON524KIT	Muon LTE CAT1/3G/2G Kit (Europe, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUON635EA	Muon LTE M1/2G/Satellite Kit (Global, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUON635KIT	Muon LTE M1/2G/Satellite Kit (Global, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
MUONCB	Muon Carrier Board	USB-C
ONE402MEA	Tracker One LTE M1 (NorAm), [x1]	USB-C
ONE404MEA	Tracker One LTE M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
ONE523MEA	Tracker One LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe), [x1]	USB-C
ONE524MEA	Tracker One LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe, EtherSIM), [x1]	USB-C
PHN2EDGEKIT	Edge ML Kit for Photon 2 (Photon 2 included)	Micro B
PHN2KIT	Photon 2, Kit [x1]	Micro B
PHN2MEA	Photon 2 [x1]	Micro B
PHOTONH	Photon with Headers, [x1]	Micro B
PHOTONKIT	Photon with Headers Starter Kit, [x1]	Micro B
PHOTONNOH	Photon without Headers, Dev board Kit [x1]	Micro B
SNSRKIT3G260	Electron 3G (Americas/Aus) Sensor Kit, [x1]	Micro B
SNSRKIT3G270	Electron 3G (Eur/Asia/Afr) Sensor Kit, [x1]	Micro B
SPKBTTN	Internet Button, [x1]	Micro B
T402MKIT	Tracker SoM LTE M1 (NorAm) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	USB-C
T404MKIT	Tracker SoM LTE M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
T523MKIT	Tracker SoM LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B
T524MKIT	Tracker SoM LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe, EtherSIM) Evaluation Kit, [x1]	Micro B

Device restore USB

The first thing you should try is Device Restore USB. It may be helpful to put the device in DFU mode (blinking yellow) before using the tool:

Press and hold MODE (or SETUP), tap RESET, and continue holding down MODE until the status LED blinks yellow, then release.

Particle CLI

Another option is to use the Particle CLI.

Use the CLI command:

particle update

If you get a last page not writeable error like this (the numbers will be different):

Downloading to address = 0x080a0000, size = 493844
dfu-util: Last page at 0x08118913 is not writeable

there are a few possible causes:

You are flashing a binary for the wrong platform and using the --force option. Use the correct image instead, you should never need to use --force.
The hardware is defective. This particular failure happens more often with Gen 2 devices (STM32F205) and can't be repaired because the failure is in the flash inside the MCU.
See the less common scenarios below, as well.

In rare cases, the particle update may not be able to switch the device into DFU mode (blinking yellow automatically). If this occurs, press and hold MODE (or SETUP), tap RESET, and continue holding down MODE until the status LED blinks yellow, then release to put the device in DFU mode.

Device restore JTAG (SWD/JTAG)

In some cases, the device can't be restored by DFU, and can only be restored using SWD/JTAG. This requires a special programmer that allows the flash to be reprogrammed externally. See the SWD/JTAG guide for more information.

Less common scenarios

Unable to change device mode

In rare cases, using the button combination to change into DFU mode may not work. In this case:

Disconnect the USB cable.
Hold down the MODE (or SETUP button) while plugging the USB cable back in.
Continue holding down MODE until the status LED blinks yellow, then release to put the device in DFU mode.

Dim D7 (Gen 2)

For Gen 2 devices (E-Series, Electron, P1, Photon) if the blue D7 LED is on dimly and the status LED is off, the internal flash has been erased.

If this occurs, it can only be repaired using SWD/JTAG. See the SWD/JTAG guide for more information.