Anbernic RG35XX firmware update guide

If you follow my guide on how to install Garlic on RG35XX, you most likely don’t need to read this post. However, if you need a RG35XX firmware update guide for a reason, here you are. I believe this is the first fully but simple firmware update guide for RG35XX, similar to my Miyoo Mini firmware update guide.

While users tend to use Garlic for the RG35XX, they will use the Garlic bundle that includes RG35XX firmware update. However, if you want to install MinUI on RG35XX, or if you want to restore stock OS, you need to know how to update firmware on Anbernic RG35XX.

What you need

• The latest version of SD Formatter
• The latest version of guiformat
• The latest version of Rufus
• The latest version of MiniTool Partition Wizard
• Either:
  • Official Anbernic firmware update for RG35XX, for SD cards with storage 64 GB or more
  • Reduced firmware update for smaller SD cards

RG35XX firmware update guide

To start the RG35XX firmware update, you need to pre-format your microSD card first. There is usually SD cards included with the Anbernic RG35XX, but it is infamous for being trash. You should read my handheld SD card guide, to know which SD card you should choose (quite a long guide).

Step 1: Format your SD card

Formatting a microSD card (Windows)

• For microSD cards 32GB or smaller: You should use SD Formatter
  1. Insert your SD card into your computer with an SD card reader
  2. If the microSD card has any files or folders, copy them all to a folder on your computer
  3. Run SD Card Formatter Setup (the .exe file) in the downloaded .zip file as Administrator, then install the program
  4. Run SD Card Formatter from the Start Menu
  5. Select your SD card’s drive letter for “Select card”. Make sure you pick the right drive letter, or you might erase the wrong drive by accident
  6. Enter anything for “Volume label”
  7. Ensure that “Quick Format” is selected
  8. Click “Format”. Then click “OK”. Wait for the format to finish
  9. Click “OK”
• For microSD cards 64GB or larger: You could use the latest version of guiformat
  1. Insert your microSD card into your computer, you can use the default SD card reader included in RG35XX package
  2. If the microSD card has any files or folders, copy them all to a folder on your computer
  3. Run guiformat.exe
  4. Select your SD card’s drive letter for “Select card”. Make sure you pick the right drive letter, or you might erase the wrong drive by accident
  5. Select a size for “Allocation unit size”:
     • If the microSD card is 64GB, choose 32768
     • If the microSD card is larger than 64GB, choose 65536
  6. Enter anything for “Volume label”
  7. Ensure that “Quick Format” is selected
  8. Click “Start”. Then click “OK”. Wait for the format to finish
  9. Click “Close”

Formatting a microSD card (Mac)

• OS X El Capitan (10.11) and later
  1. Insert your microSD card into your computer
  2. If the microSD card has any files or folders, copy them all to a folder on your computer
  3. Run the Disk Utility app
  4. In the top-left “View” menu, choose “Show All Devices”
  5. Select your SD card in the left panel. Make sure you pick the right drive letter, or you might erase the wrong drive by accident
  6. Click “Erase” at the top
  7. Enter anything for “Name”
  8. Ensure that “Format” is set to “MS-DOS (FAT)”
  9. Ensure that “Scheme” is set to “Master Boot Record”
     • If “Scheme” does not appear, click “Cancel” and make sure to choose the device instead of a volume
  10. Click “Erase”. Wait for the format to finish
  11. Click “Close”
• OS X Yosemite (10.10) and earlier
  1. Insert your microSD card into your computer
  2. If the microSD card has any files or folders, copy them all to a folder on your computer
  3. Run the Disk Utility app
  4. Select your SD card in the left panel. Make sure you pick the right drive letter, or you might erase the wrong drive by accident
  5. Click “Partition” at the top. If “Partition” does not appear, make sure to choose the device instead of a volume
  6. Ensure that “Partition Layout” is set to “1 Partition”
  7. Enter anything for “Name”
  8. Ensure that “Format” is set to “MS-DOS (FAT)”
  9. Click “Options” below the partition table. Choose “Master Boot Record”
  10. Click “OK”
  11. Click “Apply”
  12. Click “Partition”. Wait for the format to finish
  13. Close Disk Utility

Step 2: Update firmware for Anbernic RG35XX

You need to update firmware for RG35XX with SD card working on TF1 slot. Go back to prerequisites, and check out which firmware update that you want to use. Then, you should follow these steps, one by one:

• Unzip the firmware update file that you need
• Open Rufus, select Device to be your first SD card (in slot TF1). In Boot selection, choose either TF1.img or 35XX-64GB230309EN.img that you previously downloaded. Double check that you are using the right firmware image for the right SD card
• Click START. Then click OK. The process of writing firmware update to your SD card needs 5-10 minutes to be done
• Don’t format any partitions after that

After flashing firmware update into your SD card, you need to take back the lost storage on your SD card, because normally flashing image only recognizes 3 GB for storage, and the remaining will be unallocated.

• Open MiniTool Partition Wizard, choose the correct drive of the SD card, which should be in FAT32 format. Right click, then choose Extend
• An Extend Partition window will pop up, in Take Free Space from, select the remaining unallocated space. Click OK
• Wait for the process to finish

That’s it, if you have any other questions, please find it in my RG35XX tutorial.