What This Error Means

F35 on a GoPro Hero 11 means the camera hit a firmware / SD-card boot fault.

The camera is trying to talk to the memory card and load its system files, fails, and bails out instead of starting or recording properly.

Usually you see F35 on the front screen, random freezes, or the camera refusing to power up cleanly with a card inserted.

Official Fix

GoPro’s official playbook for glitch codes like F35 is mostly about the card, firmware, and a clean reset. Do this first:

  • Power the camera off. If it’s frozen, hold the Mode button for about 10 seconds until it dies.
  • Pop the side door, remove the battery and the microSD card. Leave it empty for 30 seconds.
  • Reinstall just the battery, leave the card out, and power it on.
  • If the Hero 11 boots normally with no card, the body is usually fine and the issue is SD / firmware on the card.
  • Power it back off, insert a known-good, V30 / U3-rated microSD card (GoPro-approved spec), then power on.
  • In the menu, go to Preferences > Reset > Format SD Card and let the camera format the card.
  • Next, update the firmware the official way:
    • Use the GoPro Quik app or GoPro’s manual update method to reinstall the latest firmware onto the camera.
  • After the update, perform a Factory Reset: Preferences > Reset > Factory Reset.
  • Test by recording a short clip, stopping, and powering off/on a few times. Watch for F35 or weird reboots.

If F35 keeps coming back after a fresh card, format, firmware update, and factory reset, the official line is usually: contact GoPro support and arrange a repair or replacement.

The Technician’s Trick

When that script doesn’t kill F35, this is the field-tech routine that sometimes saves the camera before you ship it out.

  • Rule out a junk card properly. Cheap cards are F35 magnets. Grab a small, name-brand 32–128 GB V30 / U3 card just for testing. Don’t trust the no-name 512 GB you bought on sale.
  • Full format on a computer first.
    • Use a USB 3.0 card reader.
    • On Windows: right-click the card > Format > exFAT > uncheck “Quick format” > Start.
    • On macOS: Disk Utility > Erase > exFAT > GUID (if offered) > Erase.
  • After that slow format, put the card back in the Hero 11 and still format it again in-camera. Let the GoPro lay down its own folder structure.
  • Boot with no card, then hot-insert.
    • Start the Hero 11 with no SD card installed.
    • Once it’s fully at the main screen and stable, insert the card until it clicks.
    • If the camera accepts the card without flashing F35, try a short recording and power cycle.
  • Isolate the battery.
    • Pull the battery out, leave the SD card in.
    • Power the camera from a solid USB-C wall charger only.
    • If F35 disappears and the camera behaves, your battery is suspect even if it seems to charge.
  • Clean the card slot the safe way.
    • Power off. Battery out. Card out.
    • Blow out the slot gently with canned air (short bursts, no spit, no vacuum).
    • Do not shove metal tools or cotton swabs into the slot; you’ll bend pins and then it really is dead.
  • Last resort: try a different firmware build. If you’re comfortable, use GoPro’s manual update method to reinstall the latest firmware again, even if you’re already on it. Corrupt firmware flashes are rare, but they do happen.

If you’ve done all this with two known-good cards and preferably a second battery, and F35 still hits often, you’re likely looking at a failing main board. At that point, it’s a warranty / replacement game, not a home repair.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: F35 only shows with one card or one battery, or it disappears after a proper format / firmware reinstall. Cheap, keep the camera.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: Out of warranty, F35 is intermittent, but you can work around it with a specific card and gentle use. OK if you don’t rely on it for paid work.
  • ❌ Replace: Multiple good cards and batteries tested, F35 still constant, camera freezes or reboots mid-clip. Board-level repair costs more than putting money toward a newer body.

Parts You Might Need

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See also

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