How to root Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge ?
For those of you who want to root your Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, or even Note 5 on latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, you can do so using SpaceX kernel.
Currently the following models of Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and Note 5 are supported:
- Galaxy S6 – SM-G920F, SM-G920FD, SM-G920L, SM-G920K, SM-G920S
- Galaxy S6 Edge – SM-G925F, SM-G925L, SM-G925K, SM-G925S
- Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920C
More models may be supported in the future, so check here for all the current models supported. (If your model is supported, download the SpaceX kernel and TWRP for your device model.)
WARNING: Rooting your Samsung device will trip KNOX counter, which means you will NOT be able to use Samsung Pay ever again!
Step 1. Check your model number in Settings->About device. You can see that my Galaxy S6 model is “SM-G920F”.
Step 2. Tap on “Software info” then tap on “Build number” a bunch of times until it says Developer mode has been turned on.
Step 3. Tap on the back button twice and you will see a new menu button called “Developer options”. Tap on that.
Step 4. If you have “OEM Unlocking” option, make sure it’s turned ON. Mine doesn’t have it and if you don’t have that option, you can skip this step. Most U.S. models have it though.
Step 5. Power off your phone then hold down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together for about 5 seconds until you see a warning screen like below:
Hit the Volume Up key to put your phone into ODIN Download mode then connect a microUSB cable from your phone to your computer. You will need a Windows computer or use VMWare to run Windows on Mac or Linux.
Step 6. Download all the files you need for rooting.
- Download SuperSU v2.52 ZIP (do not unzip) – Link
- Download ODIN ZIP (unzip into a folder) – Link
- Download Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge/Note 5 USB Drivers – Link
- Download SpaceX Kernel for YOUR MODEL – Link (file ending in tar.md5)
- Download TWRP for YOUR MODEL (do not use the one off TWRP’s main site at TWRP.ME as they are not yet compatible with Marshmallow) – Link (file ending in tar.md5)
- You can see I choose the SM-G920F folder for SpaceX Kernel and TWRP recovery below since I have SM-G920F model number.
- Download both the kernel and TWRP files ending in “tar.md5”.
- Step 7. Double-click on the ODIN exe file to run ODIN program.
- Step 8. Make sure you see a blue highlighted box with a random COM number. If you don’t see this, that means you don’t have the proper drivers installed so go ahead and run the driver EXE file then disconnect/reconnect your microUSB cable.
Step 9. Tap on “AP” then choose the SpaceX kernel file and hit “Start”.
If flashed successfully, you will see “PASS!” and your phone will reboot.
Step 10. Once rebooted, power off your phone and do the buttons to put it into ODIN Download mode.
Then connect back to your computer using a microUSB cable.
Step 11. Next, tap on “AP” again and choose the TWRP recovery file and hit “Start”.
Step 12. Your phone will reboot. Once rebooted, tap on “Allow” for “Allow access to device data” so you can copy over files to your phone.
Step 13. Copy over the SuperSU zip file you downloaded earlier to your phone.
Step 14. Power off your phone then hold down Volume Up, Center Home, and Power buttons together until you see the logo.
Keep holding the buttons down but let go of the Power button.
After a few seconds, you should be in TWRP recovery, let go of all buttons. Tap on “Install”.
Step 15. Choose the SuperSU zip file you copied over then swipe to flash.
Step 16. Reboot once that is done, your phone has been fully rooted! If you phone gets stuck for some reason, hold down Volume Down and Power buttons for about 15 seconds until your phone reboots.
Step 17. Once rebooted, you will see a new app called “SuperSU” in your app drawer. Tap on it to launch it.
Step 18. If you don’t get any errors at this point, you have fully rooted your phone, congratulations!
Step 19. You can install Titanium Backup app and launch it. You will be greeted by the familiar Superuser request window which verifies you have 100% root!
