Windows Phone Recovery Tool for Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones

For some, installing and using the Windows 10 Technical Preview for Windows Phones has worked pretty well. But, for others, the ride has been a bit bumpy. Even handsets Microsoft reported to be supported for this first wave have had problems for one reason or another. Microsoft knew this would happen, so the company released a recovery tool along with the first Build so users can recover from frozen or trashed phones.

Rollback functionality was promised and Microsoft delivered, however, the mechanism is a bit different than everyone originally thought. The Windows Phone Recovery Tool is designed as a PC application. It should run on most versions of Windows, but I've confirmed that it works on Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7. So, instead of a function built directly into Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones, recovery requires that the Windows Phone be connected to an available USB port on a PC.

The direct download: Windows Phone Recovery Tool

While this direct download link is correct now, Microsoft could alter the download link and file name in the future, so it's best to use the link placeholder page on Microsoft's site if you have problems downloading it. Here it is… Having problems with your phone?

Since the Windows Phone Recovery Tool is a PC application, you must connect your Windows Phone to your PC using a USB cable to start the restore process. The restoration is basically a wipe and replace scenario, so make sure you have good backup. Of course, you should already have already performed a backup before installing Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones on your supported device. You did do that, right?

The restoration process erases all personal content and then restores the handset to the latest version of Windows Phone for your specific device.

Here's a quick look at the application's other options…

Settings – Preferences

Make it pretty...

Settings – Network

For custom connection requirements...

Settings – Troubleshooting

Create a log file that can be delivered to support...