How to Root Android Phone
Yes, rooting your Android phone using a PC is one of the easiest ways to accomplish the task. Multiple software and toolkits will help you get the job done. However, before we begin with that, let’s take a look at what rooting really is.
How to Root Android Phone Why Should you Root your Android Phone? What Do You Need Before You Can Root Android with a PC? Step 1: Unlock Bootloader Step 2: Install Custom Recovery Step 3: Install Magisk Step 4: Verify Root Access Addition Tools to Root Android Device 1. KingoRoot 2. iRoot 3. Root Genius 4. Dr.Fone for Root
We know that the term root is scary for some people. It seems like an unnecessary complication. Especially the fact that rooting your Android phone nullifies the warranty, is off-putting for most people. However, we would like to inform you that rooting isn’t that hard. In fact, some apps and programs will help you understand how to root Android phone using PC with a single click. Secondly, there are a lot of pros associated with rooting your device.
Why Should you Root your Android Phone?
Well, primarily the main objective behind how to root android phone using pc is to get absolute control and ownership of your phone. Remove any kind of restrictions that have been set by either stock Android or the manufacturer. Given below is a list of several benefits that you will be entitled to post rooting your device.
Get Complete Control over your device – Rooting your phone grants you superuser status. This means that you can make developer-level changes that involve modifying the core kernel. It removes any kind of blocks or restrictions that the manufacturer has put in place to prevent the user from making certain changes. Remove Bloatware – Every Android smartphone comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps that are put there by Android, the manufacturer, or some partner brand. Most of these apps are useless but still, you do not have permission to remove them. Such apps are known as Bloatware. They consume space and some of them run in the background and hog the device’s memory. Getting rid of bloatware makes your device lighter and faster. If you are running out of storage, bloatware can be the first thing to remove to make space for your important personal files. Improve Battery Life – By rooting your device, you will be able to actually stop all the unnecessary background processes. Now, normally you would be using some task killer app to do this but even the best ones can’t actually stop system apps from running in the background. Additionally, you can even control the number of resources an app can use. This significantly helps in improving the battery life. Limitless Customization Opportunities – If you root your device, you get to customize every single thing on your phone. Starting from the overall layout, theme, animation, fonts, icons, etc., to complex system-level changes, you can customize it all. You can change the navigation buttons, customize the quick access menu, notification shade, status bar, audio settings, etc. You can flash the kernel and install custom ROMs that add new features and tons of customization options. Get Access to new apps – Rooting your device paves the way for thousands of new apps that you can install on your device. In addition to the billions of apps available on the Play Store, there are countless others available outside as an APK. Some of these are really cool and interesting but only work on devices with root access.
Well, those were some of the many benefits of knowing how to root android phone using pc. We believe by now you must be feeling motivated to go ahead. Therefore, without any further delay let’s get started with the process.
What Do You Need Before You Can Root Android with a PC?
Now, before we can understand how to root Android phone using PC, there are a couple of things that you need to take care of. Consider this as preparatory steps before the actual process.
The first thing that you need to do is take a complete backup. Although rooting does not affect your media files and data, it is better to be on the safe side. In case of any mishap, you can always fall back on this backup. Since we will be rooting Android phones using a PC, you need to enable USB debugging on your phone. This will allow you to make changes to your phone while it is connected to the computer via a USB cable. You can enable USB debugging from Developer options. You need to enable the Install Apps from Unknown Sources setting. By default, this is disabled to prevent you from installing apps from outside the Play Store. Additionally, you also need to unlock the bootloader on your device. This wouldn’t be a problem for older Android devices as they come with an unlocked bootloader. However, for a new device, you need to do it manually.
Note: Take note that rooting your device will lead to nullifying your warranty. In some countries, it is even illegal to root your device. This means that you won’t be able to take it down to an authorized service center in case something goes wrong. We would also like to warn you that rooting is a risky process and it is possible that you will end up damaging your device. Worst case scenario is when your device is permanently bricked and is rendered useless. Please research and read up properly before rooting. Also, it is better to try and experiment on an old device instead of your brand-new smartphone. This section will help you in knowing how to root Android using PC. Rooting your smartphone consists of three major steps, four if you want to validate the root access. While the process does not require any prior coding experience, it can go off track very quickly in case you fail to follow the steps properly. This could leave you with your Android smartphone bricked and unusable. Note: The following steps are performed on POCO X2 running on MIUI 12.5.7 and PC is running on Windows 10 (21H2). The steps may vary depending on the smartphone model and manufacturer’s skin on top of Android. Please follow these steps as a reference and do research options according to your smartphone model.
Step 1: Unlock Bootloader
The first step on how to root Android phone using pc is to unlock your bootloader. A bootloader is a software that instructs your smartphone which programs to start-up and initiate the Android Operating system. Many smartphone manufacturers, like Xiaomi, provide their own bootloader unlocker tool. So, it is recommended to search if your smartphone manufacturer provides the same or not. In case, you cannot find one, you can unlock your bootloader using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tools. Option I: Use Bootloader Unlocker Tool
Apply for bootloader unlocking permissions on the official MIUI website and download the Mi Unlock tool.
Extract the downloaded .zip file using Archive extractor software like 7Zip.
Open the extracted folder and double click on batch_unlock.exe.
Enter Fastboot mode on your Android smartphone by powering it off and pressing the power and volume down button simultaneously and connecting it to the PC using a USB cable.
In the Mi Unlock window, you will see your device in the list. Select it and click on Unlock.
Once the process is complete, restart your device. Option II: Use ADB Tools
Download ADB Platform tools and extract the downloaded files using file archive extractor tools like 7Zip.
Go to the About section in the Settings menu on your smartphone and tap on the MIUI version 5 times to unlock developer options.
Go to Additional Settings in the Settings menu and scroll down to find Developer Options. Tap on it.
Scroll down and enable USB Debugging under Debugging using the toggle.
Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the folder where you extracted the ADB platform tools. Copy the file path from the address bar in the file explorer.
Click on Start and type Command Prompt and click on Run as Administrator.
Click on Yes in the User Account Control confirmation prompt.
In the Command Prompt window, type cd and paste the file path copied before and hit the Enter key.
Type adb devices and hit Enter key to get the list of adb enabled devices.
Type adb reboot bootloader and press the Enter key to boot your smartphone into the bootloader.
Type fastboot devices and press Enter key to see the list of fastboot devices.
Type fastboot oem unlock and hit Enter key to unlock the bootloader.
After the unlocking process finishes, type fastboot reboot to reboot into the system.
Also Read: How to Check if your Android Phone is Rooted?
Step 2: Install Custom Recovery
A custom recovery is a customized recovery environment specifically created for a device to root Android phone. Using a custom recovery meant for a different device can lead to major issues like bricking your smartphone.
The biggest advantage of flashing a custom recovery is the additional features it comes with. The stock recovery that comes with your smartphone does not provide any special features and you are just stuck with the options you get. Custom recovery, on the other hand, supports multiple features like enabling ADB Sideload, Flashing from a MicroSD card or USB OTG drive, backing up and restoring data, decrypting partitions, etc. TeamWin Recovery Project or TWRP is the most trusted name when it comes to custom recovery and supports almost all Android devices out there.
We recommend that you check the official TWRP website to download the custom recovery for your android smartphone.
Search for the custom recovery best suited for your smartphone model and download it.
Extract the download archive and copy the .img file from the extracted folder.
Paste the .img file in the folder where you extracted ADB tools in the previous step and rename it as recovery.img.
Open a Command Prompt with administrative access like shown before and connect your smartphone to the PC using a USB cable.
Type adb reboot fastboot command and press the Enter key.
After your Android device boots into Fastboot mode, type the following commands and hit Enter key after each one.
When your smartphone starts rebooting, press and hold the power and volume down buttons to boot into recovery. Follow the on-screen instructions to make sure the custom recovery is flashed permanently.
Step 3: Install Magisk
Rooting was previously done by tapping into the system partition of the Android and giving superuser access to the user. This all changed when Magisk was launched due to its systemless root solution. You see, gaining superuser access the old way forbids you from using some apps like banking apps, due to the risk of vulnerability. With Magisk, you can hide the root access from the apps that look out for it. This has made things easier on how to root android using PC. how to root android phone using pc
Download Magisk
.apk from git hub and transfer it to your Android smartphone after renaming it Magisk.zip. Boot into your custom recovery by powering off your device by pressing and holding the Power and Volume up button together.
Tap on Install.
Navigate through the directory and select Magisk.zip file.
Swipe to the right to confirm flashing the magisk .zip file.
Tap on Reboot System after Magisk is flashed successfully. Your Android smartphone is rooted now. Also Read: 15 Reasons To Root Your Android Phone
Step 4: Verify Root Access
Sometimes Superuser can be installed temporarily and you can lose root access just after a reboot. This ultimately results in failure even after understanding how to root android phone using pc and performing the required steps. To ensure that you still have root access, follow the steps mentioned below:
Install an app like Root Checker from the Play Store to check whether your Android device is rooted properly or not.
Open the app and tap on Verify Root.
Grant root access by tapping on Grant when the prompt appears.
You should see a congratulatory message on the screen like the one shown below.
Also Read: How to Move Apps to SD Card on Android
Addition Tools to Root Android Device
If you are attempting to root your Android phone using a PC, then you will need to use additional software or an app. This software has to be installed on the computer and your phone needs to be connected to the computer via a USB cable. Any changes made to the software will be translated to the phone via USB debugging. In this section, we are going to discuss several apps and software that you can use to root an Android phone using a PC.
1. KingoRoot
We will be starting the list with one of the best apps to understand how to root android phone using pc – KingoRoot. It works on a Windows PC and has a high success rate of 92-94%. The best thing about KingoRoot is that it is a one-tap rooting solution, which means that you can root your Android phone with a single click. It used to be the primary method on how to root phone using pc in the past but it is still resourceful even today.
It is free software and thus it is quite popular among the masses. Since it also has the Unroot feature, you can easily go back and reset the changes in case you don’t feel comfortable using a rooted device. We would advise you to give this app a try as it is simple and easy to use. KingoRoot is a pretty great app overall but has a few drawbacks. For starters, it isn’t very effective for Android 8.0 or higher. It is usually suited for older Android devices. Secondly, being a free app, it doesn’t have a lot of features that you will find on a paid app.
2. iRoot
iRoot is one of the most commonly used software for rooting an Android device, It is free to use and has a simple interface that you can use for understanding how to root phone using pc.
You can use this app to root your phone with a single click. The best thing about iRoot is that it is compatible with almost all versions of Android (old or new). This attributes to its high rate of success.
3. Root Genius
Another very popular app for PC-aided rooting is Root Genius. It has a very high success rate especially if your phone uses a Mediatek processor. It is highly recommended among developers and professionals for those who are looking how to root android phone using pc as it supports a wide range of smartphone models. Although it does provide a one-click root feature, it might be a little complicated for first-time users.
One of the cool features of this app is that you can use it to get rid of preinstalled apps once it has been rooted, that serves as an additional advantage for how to root phone using pc. Additionally, the app is free to use so we would recommend you to give it a try if you have some prior experience with Android and rooting. Root Genius has a few shortcomings. First, there is no Unroot feature. Other premium features are also absent as it is a free app.
Root Genius is for knowing how to root phone using pc Android devices that are using version 4.4 or older. Also Read: How to Unlock Bootloader Via Fastboot on Android
4. Dr.Fone for Root
Dr.Fone is one of the most versatile PC toolkits for Android. It is highly trustworthy and effective. Some of its best features are one-click root, Unroot feature, and a simple and user-friendly interface. The best part is that it can be used to root even the latest Android devices.
Dr. fone’s toolkit can be used for several tasks in addition to rooting an Android phone. You can use it to create a backup, transfer data from one device to another, recover deleted files, remove the lock screen, screen recording, etc. However, today we will just be discussing how to root Android phones using PC with the help of Dr. fone. The only downside of this app is that it isn’t completely free. Some of the prime features require you to pay for a premium subscription. However, since the software is capable of doing so much, it would be money well spent.
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With that, we come to the end of this article. We hope that you find this information helpful to root Android phone. It is indeed one of the simplest ways to accomplish the task. This is because you can choose from a wide variety of apps and software to help you. This way you can have a rooted phone even if you are not an expert in the Android system. Visit TechCult for more interesting tech-related articles and don’t be shy to drop your suggestions and feedback regarding this article in the comment section down below.
