When you perform an OTA update or reset your Windows Phone, there is a chance the device may become stuck on the Spinning Gears screen. If the spinning gears remain on screen for longer than 60 minutes, something has likely gone wrong and recovery steps will be needed.
We have put together the steps you can take to recover your Windows Phone from the spinning gears issue. If these methods do not work, you may need to contact your device manufacturer for further support.
How to Fix the Windows Phone Spinning Gears Problem
Try Restarting Your Phone
- Press and hold the Power and Volume Down keys at the same time until the phone vibrates.
- After that, the phone should restart normally.
If restarting does not help, you will need to perform an OS reset. Please note that this will erase personal content on the phone, including text messages and installed apps. Purchased apps can be downloaded again later, and the phone will be restored to factory settings.
Perform an OS Reset
- Press and hold the Power and Volume Down keys.
- When the phone vibrates, release both keys.
- Immediately press and hold the Volume Down key again.
- When the exclamation mark (!) appears on screen, release the Volume Down key.
Then press the following keys in this exact order:
- Volume Up
- Volume Down
- Power
- Volume Down
The phone will then reset and boot up automatically. Please note that this process may take several minutes to complete.
