How to

Samsung: How to Root Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus

4 years ago
Add Comment
by Windy Moore
9 min read

Samsung is one of the most popular smartphone company in the world. Do you want to root your Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus flagship? Well, you just came to the right place for the job. This article will help you install TWRP recovery and root Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. This is compatible and will work on any Exynos Galaxy S9 and S9+ running Android 10 (One UI 2.0), Android Pie (One UI 1.1/1.0), and Android Oreo easily. In this article, we are going to talk about Samsung: How to Root Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Let’s begin!

Samsung is among one of the top manufacturers and is well known for its Galaxy flagship phones. In 2018, the company did another exceptional job with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus by adapting the most recent trends in the smartphone market. The phones were launched in March 2018 and certainly turned out to be the best Galaxy flagships to date. Following a very similar design to the predecessor, the hardware and software are where the said phones excel.

Despite all the latest features, users might often want to further customize the software beyond what the manufacturer has to offer. And if you feel the same, then rooting your Galaxy S9 or S9+ will provide you with a plethora of options or ways to customize the software of your phone.

Supported Variants and Models

Currently, only the Exynos variant of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is supported. Although TWRP recovery for Snapdragon Galaxy S9 and S9+ is available, we have chosen to keep this post specific to the Exynos devices only. Please make sure to check the “Supported Variants and Models” section below before proceeding to the instructions.

  • Samsung Galaxy S9
    • Compatible: Exynos variants (codename: starlte) with model number SM-G960F/FD/N/X are supported.
    • Not Compatible: Snapdragon variants (codename: starqlte) with model number SM-G960U/U1/W/0/2/8/SC are not supported.
  • Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
    • Compatible: Exynos variants (codename: star2lte) with model number SM-G965F/FD/N/X are supported.
    • Not Compatible: Snapdragon variants (codename: star2qlte) with model number SM-G965U/U1/W/0/2/8/SC are not supported.

Prerequisites

  • Take a complete backup of all your data on the device. Everything including apps, contacts, messages, logs, internal storage, etc will be wiped during the process. You can also follow our guide on how to backup Android devices for this purpose.
  • Charge the Galaxy S9/S9+ to at least 60% battery level. This will help avoid any sudden shutdowns during the rooting process.
  • Download and install Samsung USB drivers on the PC.
  • Download Odin v3.14.4 zip package and extract the file to an easily accessible location on the PC.

Make sure that you fulfill all the requirements stated above before you proceed to follow the instructions to root Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.

Downloads

  • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S9 (starlte): twrp-3.3.1-0-starlte.img.tar (Check the latest build here)
  • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S9 Plus (star2lte): twrp-3.3.1-0-star2lte.img.tar (Check the latest build here)
  • Samsung Encryption and Disk Quota Disabler: Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_02.24.2020.zip
  • RMM State Bypass zip (Only for Android Pie/Oreo): RMM__Bypass_v3_corsicanu.zip (Thanks BlackMesa123 & corsicanu!)
  • SuperSU 2.82 SR5 (Discontinued): SR5-SuperSU-v2.82-SR5-20171001224502.zip
  • Latest Stable Magisk Installer ZIP: Magisk-v20.3.zip (Check the latest version here)

Steps to Root Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus | how to root galaxy s9

Rooting the Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus is a four-step process.

First, you will need to enable ‘OEM Unlocking’ to allow flashing custom binaries. Once that is done, the second step is to install TWRP recovery on Samsung Galaxy S9/Galaxy S9 Plus. Then the third step is to disable encryption and prevent Prenormal KG/RMM State (Only on Android Pie and Oreo) by flashing the no-verity zip and RMM State Bypass zip files respectively. Finally, when you do it all, the fourth and the last step is to flash the Magisk ZIP using TWRP to root Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

While the process might not be as simple as that on devices like Google Pixel, it is still fairly easy. Even if you’re new to the scene, you will easily be able to perform the whole procedure. Just make sure that you follow each and every step as mentioned.

1. Enable Developer Options and OEM Unlock in Settings | how to root galaxy s9

In order to install TWRP and root, you must first enable ‘OEM Unlocking in your Galaxy S9’s Settings menu. To do that, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Software Information and tap 7 times on the ‘Build number’. You shall then see a toast notification – “Developer mode has been enabled”.

Once that is done, go back to the Settings main screen and tap on ‘Developer options’. Scroll down until you find the ‘OEM Unlocking’ toggle and turn it ON. If the option is not yet visible on your device, it means that your phone has entered a 7-day buffer period. After this time (Or, you can try bypassing it using the instructions here), the ‘OEM Unlocking’ option shall be available. If it is still not available, it means that your phone cannot be rooted.

With the option enabled, you can now go ahead and install TWRP on your Galaxy S9/S9 Plus. The next section will take you through the complete process in detail.

2: Install TWRP Recovery on Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus | how to root galaxy s9

  • First, download TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S9  and Galaxy S9 Plus.
  • Double-click the “Odin3 v3.14.4.exe” executable file to launch the Odin flash tool on your PC.
  • Power off the phone completely.
  • Hold the Volume Down, Bixby, and Power button simultaneously
  • On the warning screen, press the Volume Up button to enter Download Mode on Galaxy S9/S9 Plus.
  • As the Odin window loads, you shall see “Added!!” in the message box and the ID: COM port should also light up.
  • Now make sure that the ‘Auto Reboot’ box is not selected in the ‘Options’ tab of the Odin tool.
  • Next, click on the ‘AP’ button under the ‘Files’ section of Odin and select the TWRP recovery (.tar) file for your device.
  • Finally, click the ‘Start’ button to install TWRP recovery on Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

The flashing process would take a few seconds to complete. When you finish it, then your phone shall stay in Download Mode.

3: Flash Encryption Disabler and KG/RMM Bypass ZIPs using TWRP | how to root galaxy s9

Now, for TWRP to successfully decrypt your phone’s storage, you must have to format the data partition and flash the Encryption Disabler zip file.

Note: You only need to flash KG/RMM Bypass zip if your phone is running Android Pie or Oreo. It is not compatible with Android 10.

  • Go to the ‘Wipe’ menu in TWRP and tap on ‘Format Data’
  • Enter ‘Yes’ in the provided field to completely format the data partition (including internal storage).
  • Once finished, go to the ‘Reboot’ menu in TWRP and press the ‘Recovery’ button to reboot your phone into TWRP. This will ensure that TWRP can decrypt the storage.
  • When the phone boots back into TWRP, go to the ‘Mount’ menu
  • Now select “Enable MTP” and connect the Galaxy S9/S9 Plus to the PC using the USB cable.
  • Download DM-Verity disabler and KG/RMM State Bypass zip (Only for Android Pie/Oreo) files from the ‘Downloads’ section above.
  • Transfer the files to the phone’s internal storage and then disconnect the phone from the PC.
  • Go to the ‘Install’ menu in TWRP and select the Encryption Disabler zip file (e.g. Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_02.24.2020.zip).
  • Swipe the button to flash the file and disable encryption on Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+.
  • If your phone is running Android Pie/Oreo, repeat the installation method and flash the KG/RMM State Bypass zip to prevent your phone from locked again (Prenormal KG/RMM State).

If you see an error message that says‘Failed to mount /ODM (No such file or directory)‘, you can safely ignore it.

Now, with everything set, follow the instructions in the fourth and final step below to finally root Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus.

4: Flash Magisk to Root Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus | how to root galaxy s9

  • First, download the latest Magisk installer ZIP file on the PC.
  • Connect the phone to the PC using the USB cable.
  • Go to the ‘Mount’ menu in TWRP and press the ‘Enable MTP’ button.
  • Transfer the Magisk installer ZIP file (e.g. Magisk-v20.3.zip) to the phone’s internal storage.
  • Now disconnect your Galaxy S9/S9 Plus and go back to the TWRP main screen.
  • Press the ‘Install’ button and select the Magisk installer ZIP file from the phone’s internal storage
  • Finally, swipe the button on the screen to flash the file and root Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy S9.

When the flashing process finishes, then tap on the ‘Reboot System’ button to boot your phone into the rooted OS. Note that the first boot may take a few minutes, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Once your S9 or S9+ boots, it should be rooted with Magisk. To verify the same, go to the app drawer and launch the Magisk Manager application.

Now you can go ahead and start using your favorite root applications. With Magisk you can also hide root from certain apps like Pokemon Go, Google Pay, etc that may normally stop working if the root is detected. It also gives you the ability to install modules for injecting additional features and customizing the OS. The things you can on a rooted phone are way more than what we can list here.

Conclusion

Alright, That was all Folks! I hope you guys like this how to root galaxy s9 article and find it helpful to you. Give us your feedback on it. Also if you guys have further queries related to this article. Then let us know in the comments section below. We will get back to you shortly.

Have a Great Day!

Also See: How to Root SM-N950U/U1 – Galaxy Note 8 Snapdragon

You may also like

About the author

Windy Moore

View all posts

Leave a Reply