Restore Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to Stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Firmware

Galaxy Note 7 has started reaching the customers in different countries across the globe. As the Note 7 is some space in the hands of developers, the custom stuff for this phone is pouring in as well. We have already got the official TWRP recovery and just yesterday, the phone was rooted as well. Chances are, in a few days there will be a number of custom ROMs available for the Galaxy Note 7. While playing with your phone and tweaking it, you will need to take care of your expertise and you also need to have some beforehand knowledge that what will you do in case something goes wrong. To unroot your phone, or to restore it to the stock state, or to wipe off all the MODs and tweaks from the phone, you will need to flash a stock firmware on it. Before you start looking for a guide here and there, we have already put it up for all our beloved Galaxy Note 7 users.

The guide given here will help you to flash/install the stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow firmware on your Galaxy Note 7 [all variants] and restore it to the factory state. The method explains how you can use Samsung’s flashtool Odin3 to install the official firmware manually on your Galaxy Note 7. This method comes in handy in the situations particularly when you have soft-bricked your Galaxy Note 7, or your phone just got stuck with something and it is unable to recover through any other means like Smart Switch, Samsung Kies etc. The firmware you will get by following the links attached below are completely pure, official and untouched. The only thing you need to take care of is to follow the method to the letter to avoid any mishap.

Early Preparations

1. This guide is only for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (All Variants)

Make sure that your device is exactly as mentioned above. To check out what device you have, go to Settings > More/General > About Device or Settings > About Device and match the model number. Be careful about the device model number, flashing a file on a device not listed here might result in bricking it up. In that case, we may not be held responsible.

2. Battery should be charged at least 60%!

Your device’s battery should not be weak. In case your device goes dead during the flashing process, your device may get soft bricked and you might be in need of flashing stock firmware and that will ultimately result in wiping up your data as well. So, make sure that you charge your device before you start the flashing process.

3. Use the OEM data cable to establish connection!

Always use the original data cable to establish connection between your Android device and your computer / laptop. Using ordinary data cables might interrupt the flashing process, so to avoid any mishap, you need to meet this requirement as well.

4. Backup everything!

Just to be on the safe side, you may consider backing up each and everything from your Android device. This is highly recommended so that in case anything goes wrong, you still have the access to all of your data and you can restore it immediately. Also, clean install is always recommended, that means you will probably have to wipe your device to install the new firmware. So, you may backup everything as listed below.

Backup SMS Messages
Backup Call Logs
Backup Contacts
Backup Media – Copy your files manually to your PC or Laptop.
Backup EFS – If rooted, otherwise skip this step.

5. Install Samsung USB drivers

In order to be able to establish connection between your PC and your Galaxy Note 7, you need to have the Samsung USB drivers installed on your PC. You can find all Android USB drivers here on our site.

6. Turn off Samsung Kies and other softwares while using Odin3!

Make sure that you turn off Samsung Kies while using Odin3 flashtool. Samsung Kies will interrupt Odin3 and will result in causing errors and may not let you flash your desired firwmrae. Also, make sure that you turn off any antivirus software you’ve installed and also disable firewall to avoid any connection and flashing issues.

Required Downloads & Installations

1. Download and extract Odin3 v3.12.3.
2. Download and extract firmware file [Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow] (carefully for your variant) to get the .tar.md5 file.

Restore Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to Stock Firmware

1. Make sure that you read the instructions listed above carefully and you’re all set to go ahead now.
2. Wipe your device complete in order to attain a neat installation. You may boot into the recovery mode and perform a factory data reset.
3. Open Odin3.exe.
4. Put your Galaxy Note 7 in download mode. To do so, turn it off and wait for 10 seconds. Turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Down + Home Button + Power Key simultaneously, You should see a warning, press Volume Up to continue. In case this method doesn’t work for you, try one from this guide.
5. Connect your device to your PC.
6. As soon as Odin detects your phone, the ID:COM box should turn blue.  Make sure that you’ve installed Samsung USB drivers before connecting.
7. In Odin, hit the AP tab. Select the firmware.tar.md5 or firmware.tar, that you downloaded and extracted above.
8. Make sure that the options selected in your Odin are exactly as shown in the pic.
10. Hit start and wait till the firmware  flashing is complete, The flashing process box will turn green upon successful flashing.
11. Once the flashing process has been completed successfully, disconnect your device and reboot it manually. You can reboot your device by long pressing Volume Up + Volume Down + Power Key.
12. Once the device boots up, checkout the new firmware now.
13. Your device will be running on stock Android firmware.
14. Once updated to stock, do not try to downgrade, or else you will result in messing up EFS partition of your device.
15. That’s all!

Got any queries? Make sure that you drop em’ in the comment box below. Good Luck!