Which phones can be rooted? What do you lose by gaining access to Root? Why are they even needed?

Today, a lot of mobile devices based on the Android operating system are supplied to the market from such well-known manufacturers as Lenovo, Asus, Acer, LG and so on. The peculiarity of this OS is that it is open source, and therefore the user has the ability to edit system files, folders and install any applications downloaded from the Internet in .apk format. However, in order to unlock this feature, you need to obtain Root rights or, as they are also called, SuperUser.

What is root rights on Android

What are root rights for Android? This term dates back to the days of the first UNIX operating systems, and its main purpose is to obtain all additional rights to ensure complete control over an Android-based device. You can draw a fairly simple analogy with the Windows OS, where only the user who is logged in as an administrator can get into the system directory and change its data. Android works the same way, that is, after purchasing a smartphone, you only have guest rights, and Root significantly expands them.

Why do you need ROOT rights for Andorid - pros and cons

Superuser rights can be extremely useful on absolutely every device, regardless of the version of the Android operating system. The key advantages of Root include:

Possibility of customizing the external shell of the OS;
Freeing up device memory by removing software from Google and the manufacturer;
Installation of hacked paid applications without advertising and with advanced functionality;
Changing files in system directories;
More efficient system optimization for applications that require Superuser rights;
Using tweaks to improve smartphone performance.

Although the minor disadvantages of the root are compensated by the above advantages, they still exist, namely:

Loss of manufacturer's warranty;
Failures in the firmware due to incorrect work with system files and directories;
Inability to update your smartphone via the Internet.

How to get root rights for Android 6.0, 5.1, 4.4

Today, many people are wondering how to install root rights on Android, but you need to understand that everything depends on the OS version, because the system files are different in each of them. Now there are quite a few possibilities for obtaining a Superuser, but for example, on Android 4.4 and 6.0 they may differ. In general, it is common to use only a few methods to install root:

Using a computer or laptop;
Through special applications for smartphones.

It should be noted that previously on Android 6.0 it was necessary to install a modified Recovery, but with the release of updates for this, this is not necessary. But still, the easiest and fastest way to obtain SuperUser rights on devices running Android 5.1+ is to install TWRP (mod recovery), which independently roots your smartphone if necessary. For almost every device you can find Recovery on the Internet and installation instructions.

Getting root rights for Android from a computer

It is quite possible to obtain Root rights for your mobile phone today using a personal computer or laptop. In addition, this method is the fastest and easiest to learn, so even a beginner can cope with the task. All you need:

USB cable;
Smartphone with Android 4.4-6.0;
Computer or laptop on Windows;
Program .

If all of the above is available, then obtaining a Superuser does not take more than a couple of minutes. First, you need to enable USB debugging mode in the “Developer Options” menu, however this section is often hidden and must be activated as follows:

Enter settings and select the “About phone” menu;
Click on the “Build number” item several times and wait for the message “You have become a developer”;
Go to this section, find “USB Debugging” and check the box.

All further steps are quite simple and you need:

Connect the turned on smartphone to the computer via a USB cable;
Launch the KingRoot program on the PC;
Find the big blue button in the dialog box, press it and wait for the process to complete;
Reboot your device and enjoy Superuser rights.

— Programs for obtaining root from a PC.

The most promising and convenient program for obtaining Root using a PC is KingRoot. Despite the fact that it is provided exclusively in Chinese, you will still be able to root your device. Another good alternative is, which is distributed free of charge and is updated very often by developers.
is a high-quality computer application that allows you to obtain Superuser rights in a few mouse clicks and works with the latest versions of Android. If you focus not on functionality, but on quality, then you can’t help but mention the one for Windows OS. This software has been in development for a long time, so it has a slightly outdated interface, but better compatibility with a variety of smartphones. For Samsung devices with Android 5.1-6.0 there is a completely new application called, which is 100% guaranteed to install root using a computer.

How to get root rights on Android without a computer (PC)

If you do not have the opportunity to install root using a PC, then do not despair, because modern tools and software do this inside the Android OS of any version. For 4.4-6.0, the best option is again the application, but in this case you need to download the version for mobile devices with the .apk extension. In order for this program to be successfully installed on your device, you need to enable the ability to install software from unknown sources, this is done like this:

Go to settings;
We are looking for the “Security” menu;
Check the box next to “Unknown sources” and reboot your smartphone.

Further steps to obtain Superuser rights are as follows:

Install on the device and launch the application;
We connect the Internet in any available way (WI-FI, mobile network);
Click the “Try” button in the KingRoot dialog box;
We wait for the procedure to complete to 100% and reboot the smartphone.

It should be noted that it is not always possible to install the root the first time, so sometimes it is worth doing the above procedure several times.

- Android applications for obtaining Root rights.

In addition to the mobile version of the KingRoot program, you can use other software that is no less effective at installing root inside the Android OS shell without using third-party gadgets. Despite the fact that the application is also available on PC, the developers still pay more attention to the .apk version of their brainchild, so you can use it on your own smartphone without a computer. is an alternative to Vroot from the same developers, it helps to unlock rights on those devices where other programs cannot cope. is a fairly effective and modern tool, you should resort to its help if the previous options turned out to be not relevant for your device. Software from Chinese developers Baidu Root does a good job of getting root on smartphones running Android 4.4, so you can try using it too.

How to check if your phone has root rights

If you have completed all the necessary steps, but are still not sure about the presence of Root, then this is easy to check. Download and install the application called the latest version, then launch it and all the information regarding the Superuser will be displayed on the screen. Thanks to the same software, you can quickly and easily give or take away administrative rights from individual applications.

So, how to make root rights for Android is already clear, but sometimes there is a need to remove them, for example, if you want to update the firmware over the air. This is where the Root administrator will come in handy for you too -

An article about how to get root on Android devices, why you need root and what the consequences of rooting may be.

All Windows users are accustomed to the fact that, for the most part, they are full masters of their computer. You can install almost any programs and games (limitations only in hardware and OS version), fine-tune the system or modify it...

After the first acquaintance with a touch Android device, many Windows users experience some confusion :) It turns out that Android by default has quite a lot of different restrictions, and in order to remove them, sometimes you need to “shovel” quite a lot of information on the Internet.

When I got my Samsung Galaxy Y smartphone, two things immediately bothered me about it. The first is the very small amount of memory allocated for applications (only more than 100 megabytes). The second drawback was the presence of a whole bunch of third-party and unnecessary software for me personally, which could not just be taken and deleted (clients for Odnoklassniki, Facebook and others like them).

In order to solve the problem with space, it was decided to find a way to remove pre-installed applications. After searching the Internet for various tips, I came to the conclusion that to do this I need to root my smartphone. Actually, we will talk about this procedure, which frightens many beginners, in our article.

What is root and why is it needed?

In Linux-based operating systems (which includes Android) there are quite a lot of options in terms of settings. One of them is a strict differentiation of access rights to individual files or entire directories and functions. Windows also has such capabilities (editing file attributes and changing accounts), however, most often we do not use them, working on a computer with a single account - Administrator.

Roughly speaking, the analogue of this account in Linux is the Superuser mode or simply “root” (English root - root). The superuser account on UNIX-like systems has a default login of "root" and a UID of zero.

Having root rights, you can perform any actions in the OS. However, this is where the main catch lies. If you don’t know the system’s operating features well enough, then with active ROOT you can easily ruin it by deleting or renaming just one file. And, if you consider that a virus or another user who has gained access to your device can do this for you, then the risks increase significantly!

It is based on this logic that most manufacturers of modern Android devices do not give the user root rights. Moreover, if you ROOT, you will lose the warranty on your device! Another side effect of rooting is that you will not be able to receive system updates from the Internet. Well, in the most advanced cases, trying to get root can render your device unusable.

Looking ahead a little, I want to say right away that for many smartphones and tablets the rooting procedure can be reversed :) That is, if necessary, we can block the superuser account again and there will be no traces of root left in the system.

Now let's see what we can get by unlocking superuser rights:

the ability to install any application;
the ability to edit and modify any system files;
the ability to remove any pre-installed programs;
the ability to install third-party custom firmware and mods;
the ability to fine-tune the system by enabling/disabling various additional functions (for example, activating SWAP).

As you can see, obtaining superuser rights is a procedure for more advanced users who understand at least a little about the intricacies of their system and want to improve something in it. If you use your device only for calls and surfing the Internet, then you essentially don’t need root :)

Rooting options

Usually, obtaining superuser rights means full root. This type of rooting is retained in the device after numerous reboots and provides full access to all system directories and files. A sign of successful completion of rooting the device in this case will be the appearance of the SuperSU or Superuser application for visual management of rights and requests from other applications.
Temporary root. This type of rooting involves obtaining superuser rights until a reboot. Useful for performing one-time tasks, such as deleting unnecessary applications or installing a tweak. This kind of rooting does not install anything and does not leave any traces after rebooting the device. Unfortunately, it is not supported on all devices.
Shell root. This type of rooting allows you to obtain permanent superuser rights, but differs from full root in that it keeps the system folder (/system) locked. Just like Temporary Root, you can’t get it on all devices.

Typically, your device may have root rights initially, so before you start “dancing with a tambourine,” you can check this. Go to Google.Play and search for the phrase “Root Checker” or follow the direct link and install the application of the same name. Launch it and click on the very top line with the name of your device. After a couple of seconds the program will give a verdict):

As you can see, we don’t have superuser rights now (I unrooted the phone in advance for the purity of the experiment :)). Therefore, now that we know all the theory, it’s time to move on to practice. You can get root on Android in two ways: directly from the device itself using the application and by connecting to a PC via a USB cable. Let's consider each of the methods.

Applications for obtaining root rights

Just a couple of years ago, in order to get root on a smartphone or tablet, you first had to find a driver for it, then find a rooting program, configure it, and only then try to get superuser rights. And it didn’t always work out and not the first time.

Today, the above algorithm remains valid only for outdated and Chinese devices. Getting root for most modern and popular Android devices is just a matter of a couple of clicks! Moreover, you don’t even need to connect anything somewhere. You just need to install the application on your device and activate it.

I bring to your attention several similar applications. Since they are designed for modern devices, not all of them worked on my Samsung Galaxy Y, but nevertheless, thanks to one of them, I managed to get root :) So...

- official site .
This application is one of the most popular on various forums and it is almost in the forefront of people who recommend trying it to obtain root rights on modern devices. The application's capabilities include choosing the root manager to install (Superuser or SuperSU), several rooting algorithms for different devices, and the function of removing superuser rights (unroot).

Unfortunately, the application refused to work on my phone. Therefore, to avoid getting into the same situation, first check whether your device is in the list of supported devices on the official website.

z4root- official site .
This tool is also recommended on numerous forums. Like Framaroot, it allows you to obtain and reset root rights in one click. But in addition to a full root, it can also produce a temporary one, which adds advantages to it! However, on my smartphone this application did not start at all and crashed with an error, so, unfortunately, I cannot say anything more about it than is available on the forum at the link above.

Un-Rooting- latest version of the APK file (Un-Rooting 2.1).
Another craft on the topic of rooting without a PC. The name shows that the application is primarily aimed at revoking superuser rights. However, as it turned out, it can give these rights. By the way, this is the only application that gave me root on the Samsung Galaxy Y! But first things first.

When I found it on Google.Play, I thought it was pretty dubious. This was facilitated by screenshots only in Chinese and a score of 3.2 points. Moreover, most of the ratings were either “5” or “1” :) But, nevertheless, I decided. After launch, a screen appeared in English with only three sections:

The first section contains a link to reference materials, which, in fact, are not needed. The latter allows you to write a letter to the developer. But the middle one is just what we need. There are two buttons here: “Un-Rooting”, which will be active if you have root rights and will allow you to remove them, as well as “Re-Routing”. The latter presupposes the activation of superuser mode. Click it and confirm all requests.

After successfully completing the installation of the root and the Superuser application, the latter will ask us to provide superuser rights for our Un-Rooting. We allow access and see that now the “Re-Routing” item has become inactive, and instead the first one has been enabled, which allows you to remove the root if necessary:

In addition to the applications mentioned above, you can find a number of others. Perhaps one of them will suit you. Therefore, if you were unable to root your device using the programs described above, I recommend entering a query like “application for obtaining root rights for (name of your device)” in a search engine. Perhaps you will find something useful specifically in your case.

Thus, summarizing our experience, we can say that the advantage of obtaining root rights using applications is that they cannot, in principle, lead to breakdown of the device and do not require rebooting it. That is, we can enable and disable superuser rights directly “on the fly,” which is convenient in some cases when we do not need root for good.

However, not all devices can be rooted this way. Therefore, below we will consider the traditional rooting algorithm.

Getting root using a PC

As mentioned above, this method of obtaining superuser rights is one of the oldest. It involves uploading a special exploit (script) to your device, which installs the executable file “su” and a number of utilities in the /system folder, such as the already familiar Superuser and SuperSu root managers, as well as, optionally, the BusyBox terminal application.

There are quite a lot of programs that allow you to get root on Android using a PC, but among the free ones, I would recommend using Kingo ROOT. This utility has a fairly large database of popular models of smart devices, automatically downloads drivers to work with your device and can both grant superuser rights and revoke them (that is, unroot).

First, download the program from the official website or from our archive and install it. After installation, the program window will open in connection standby mode:

To make the connection happen on your device, go to “Settings” - “Applications” - “Development” (or in new versions of “Settings” - “For Developers”) and activate the “USB Debugging” option there. Now you can connect your device to your computer using a USB cable. If the Kingo ROOT program recognizes your device, it will start loading the driver for it, and will notify you about it:

When the driver is installed, the main working window will appear, which will display the current status of root rights and two buttons that allow you to remove the root or reinstall it:

Actually, to obtain superuser rights, you need to press the right button “Root” or “Root Again” (if you already have root rights, but they don’t work as they should). This is where your actions end :) All you have to do is wait until Kingo ROOT copies all the necessary files to your device and starts rebooting it.

After the reboot, the root will be ready. This will be clear from the fact that a new one will appear in the list of applications - SuperSu. There will also be another application called Kingo ROOT. This is a utility through which the computer sent commands during rooting. It can be deleted if you do not plan to roll back the root (although even if you delete it, it will reappear when you reconnect to the PC via Kingo ROOT).

If you are the owner of a smartphone originally from China, then there is a specialized utility for such devices - VRoot. Its latest version (which you will find in the archive) has finally begun to support the English language, so it will not be difficult to figure out what is what (if it is possible to get root, there will be only one button).

In addition to Chinese phones and tablets, VRoot also works with most popular branded models (its database includes more than 8,000 devices). However, I would advise resorting to using this utility only when other methods have not worked. The simple problem is that VRoot, along with superuser rights, also installs a number of third-party utilities in Chinese (they can, in principle, be removed), as well as the non-standard Chinese root manager KingRoot.

You can replace it with a normal Superuser or SuperSu only manually through some file manager. To do this you will need to do the following:

Download SuperSu and rename the APK file to Superuser.apk.
Upload the resulting file to the device’s memory card.
Using a file manager, replace the file in the /system/apk folder with this file.

In principle, the described actions are not difficult to perform, but these are all unnecessary movements that might not have been needed if we had used one of the simpler solutions.

Route through recovery

The last way to get root (if all the previous ones did not work) can be to obtain superuser rights using the built-in device recovery system (in common parlance - recovery).

Here, alas, there is no universal method. You will have to re-read popular forums specifically for your device model and, most likely, somewhere in the depths of the discussions (or in the header, as on w3bsit3-dns.com) you will find several archives with names such as recovery.zip, root.zip, superuser .zip or something like that. The following is the algorithm:

The archive that is suitable specifically for your device must be downloaded to the device’s flash card, to its root (/sd directory).
Turn off the device and turn it on in recovery mode (usually where you download the archive from, it is written how to do this in your device model). For Samsung Galaxy Y, for example, starting in recovery mode is done with the central button and the volume up key pressed.
Select the Aplly Update From SDCard menu and run our archive for execution.
Wait until all files are copied and the device reboots.

An indicator of successful receipt of root will be, as in all previous cases, the appearance of a root manager (Superuser or SuperSU).

conclusions

In the article, we tried to consider all the options for obtaining root rights on Android devices. The only unaccounted way that has not been mentioned is to completely re-flash the device to an alternative firmware that already has root. However, this is a rather radical measure.

I think that after reading the article, you will understand that root is not as terrible as it is painted :) Obtaining superuser rights for Android today has become quite simple and safe. And most importantly, it’s free;) The archive for this article will help you with this, in which we have collected all the applications and programs mentioned.

If you want to gain full control over your device, in most cases you can do it yourself without any Herculean efforts. However, first think and name at least three reasons why you needed root;) Did you name them? Then I wish you success!

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

Although the Android operating system is considered open, users receive full access to it only after activating Root rights. They allow the user to edit and change system files, which may be necessary to change the appearance of the system, obtain new functions, hack games and programs, and make many other changes that a user without Root rights cannot make.

When Root rights are activated on an Android smartphone or tablet, it loses security and various other problems may occur with it. In such a situation, the user has a question about how to remove Root rights from Android, and in this article we will look at the main ways to do this.

Removing Root rights through a file manager

As mentioned above, Root rights give the user complete control over the device and the ability to edit all files in it. Accordingly, you can make changes to system files that will cancel Root access. In fact, to do this, you just need to erase all files from the device that put it into Super User mode - a user with advanced rights.

To remove Root rights, you must first install any file manager. You can find many of them in the Play Market - ES File Explorer, Total Commander, X-Plore File Manager and others. Launch the file manager and do the following:

You can check the presence or absence of Root rights using the Root Checker application, which is available for free on the Play Market. Download it, run it and check whether the program detects whether the device has Root rights or not.

Removing Root rights using the application

If you don’t want to tinker with the device’s system files, you can refuse Root rights using a special application – SuperSU. The disadvantage of this method is that it only works in a situation where third-party firmware was not installed on the device using Root rights. Otherwise, when you reboot the device, the installed software on your smartphone or tablet will return Root access.

To use the SuperSU program to remove Root rights from a device, you need to do the following:

It is worth noting that SuperSU is not the only program that allows you to remove Root rights from a device. There is its paid analogue Unroot, which also allows you to refuse Root access, and in some situations it copes when SuperSU has problems.

Note: Some smartphones, for example, the Galaxy series from Samsung, are protected by the manufacturer in such a way that it will not be possible to obtain and remove Root rights from them in the standard way. If none of the above methods helped remove Root rights from your smartphone or tablet, it is recommended to find instructions for a specific device model on specialized forums.

After removing Root rights from a device, various problems may arise. For example, a smartphone or tablet will start to reboot on its own for no reason. In such a situation, you need to reset the device to factory settings through the system menu. To do this, do the following:

After this, the smartphone or tablet will start working in standard mode without errors.

If you are using a device based on the Android operating system, such as a phone or tablet, then you may have already heard the word Root or Root rights. We'll talk about what it is right now.

Root is an administrator or superuser account that allows you to do many things with the device that are not available to the average user. So, if the owner of the device wanted, for example, to raise the sound level when the current settings are not enough, he can do this with root rights.

What do Root rights allow you to do?

First of all, the user receives unlimited control over his operating system.

It becomes possible to launch applications that provide access to work with the system. For example, these are file managers, which, in the case of installed root rights, see absolutely all system files and allow you to edit them.

Adds the ability to remove third-party applications. It’s no secret that many manufacturers who use their own shell often literally “stuff” a bunch of applications into it, which are often not used in the future. Some of them even launch together with the device and “eat up” extra resources. Root rights allow you to remove or freeze such applications.

With root rights you can modify system files. For example, you can replace standard applications, icons, system sounds, animations and images that are shown when the system starts, etc.

It also becomes possible to move applications from the device to the memory card, which is especially convenient in cases where the system memory is only a few GB.

You can backup your entire system using popular applications like Titanium Backup.

By adjusting some settings, you can even extend the battery life of your tablet or phone.

If you forgot your pattern key, in some cases you can unlock it using root rights.

In general, a superuser has a great many possibilities.

Why aren't root rights built into the Android OS?

Quite a logical question. Indeed, why are devices supplied from the factory to consumers without installed root rights? In fact, everything is simple: the majority of users can accidentally change the settings in the wrong place, after which the device may well turn into a brick.

However, some users have a different opinion. They believe that root allows you to remove ads in applications. This may be true, but it is primarily application developers who earn money through advertising, to which Google (the actual creator of the Android OS) has nothing to do.

By the way, many manufacturers refuse to repair a device if it has been rooted. Moreover, a special counter has begun to be installed in individual gadgets, which, even if flashed, shows that the device has already been rooted. Be careful.

Types of root rights

There are several types of root rights.

Full Root - full and permanent rights without any restrictions, which allow you to access all system tools.

Shell Root - essentially the same rights as Full Root, only in this case there is no ability to write and overwrite in the system section.

Temporary Root is temporary root rights. They are valid until the first reboot of your tablet or phone.

Please note that some devices cannot be installed as superuser. The device has special protection installed that allows you to get either Shell Root or Temporary Root.

Do ordinary users need superuser rights?

More likely no than yes. Most users are quite satisfied with the settings that are available in the device they are using. It’s another matter if the user wants, for example, to limit the processor clock speed - then you can’t do without root rights. But let us remind ourselves once again that a careless action can lead to dire consequences and some companies do not accept devices under warranty if they have been rooted.

How to check for root rights on Android?

It's not that hard to do. There are several ways to do this.

First, look at the list of applications, there may be an application SuperSU or Superuser in it.

The second method is to launch the terminal. If you enter the su command, a grid prompt will appear.

Third way. Go to the /system/xbin partition using the file manager. If there is a su file there, it means you have received root rights.

Finally, when launching some applications, a request for root rights appears. If there is such a request, it means the device is rooted.

You can ask your questions using comments.