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How to root Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus (Exynos Variants)

By now you should have got hands on the Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus. You probably would be looking at a way to get the most juice out of your device by rooting your phone to unlock ways to install root-required apps, custom mods, and kernels.

Thanks to Xda-developers users who have already released a working root method for the Exynos variants of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Unfortunately, the Snapdragon or US variants users still have to wait for a working root method. At this point, I am pretty sure ChainfireXda will release a working cf-auto-root sooner or later at least for T-Mobile and other variants as he did with Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

Please note that this guide is only for Exynos variants of the GS8 and here are the supported models for this rooting guide:

If you own a Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S8 then follow this guide.

Rooting Samsung Galaxy S8

List of Galaxy S8 Exynos variants compatible with this particular method running the latest Android Nougat 7.0. To find your S8 model go to Settings > About device.

  • SM-G950X
  • SM-G950F
  • SM-G950N and
  • SM-G950FD

Samsung Galaxy S8+ Root

List of Galaxy S8 Plus variants compatible with this particular method running the latest Android Nougat 7.0.

  • SM-G955X
  • SM-G955F
  • SM-G955FD and
  • SM-G955N

 Must Read: Best Cases for Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

How it works?

In the step-by-step guide, we’re going to root Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus running Andriod 7.0 firmware by first flashing TWRP recovery using Odin and then flash Magisk zip files.

Warning: Rooting your phone in most cases voids phone warranty and some apps (Samsung Pay, AndroidPay, Snaptchat, and others) may not work after your device is rooted. However, there is still a workaround to hide root on your device.

Are there any Requirements for Galaxy S8 root?

Yes indeed, before you start rooting your device, you’ll have to fulfill some requirements and download some rooting files to execute the operation successfully. Here are most of the requirements to root Galaxy S8 plus:

  • First and foremost, make sure that you’ve Exynos powered variant S8 /S8+.
  • Download and install USB Drivers for Odin.
  • Go to phone Settings > Developer Options to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlock. By default Developer options are not enabled you’ll have to enable it first by going to Settings> About device, and tap the Build number repeatedly for around 6 to 7 times until you see a message that says “You are now a developer.”
  • Download Odin
  • TWRP Recovery for Samsung Galaxy S8
  • TWRP Recovery for Samsung Galaxy S8+
  • Download disable dm-verity zip
  • Last but not least, download the latest version of Magisk v12.0 zip.

How to Install TWRP Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Here are the step-by-step instructions to install TWRP recovery on the S8 and S8+. At this point, I assume that you’ve downloaded the required files as given in the above section. You should have downloaded the correct TWRP image file, Odin, Magisk and dm-verity zip.

Step 1: First of all, unzip the Odin .zip files to a new folder on your desktop.

Step 2: Next Reboot your phone into Download Mode:

  • Turn off your phone.
  • Press and Hold down the Volume Down+Bixby button+Power buttons at the same time till you see a warning on your screen.
  • Further hit the Volume Up button to continue.

Downloading… Do not turn off target

Warning! A custom OS can cause critical problems in phone and installed applications.

Step 3: Connect your phone to PC via the USB cable.

Step 4: Run Odin as an Administrator on your PC and leaving the default Odin settings.

Step 5: Finally hit the AP/PDA button, browse and select the appropriate file depending S8 or S8 plus twrp recovery .tar file and hit the START to flash the recovery.

Step 6: Once completed, Odin will notify you via the PASS!! Message in Odin and at this stage your phone will automatically reboot. Wait for your phone to reboot regularly, and we’re still not done!

How to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Step 1: Now copy the Magisk and Samsung Anti-root zip files onto your phone internal storage.

Step 2: Reboot your phone into Custom Recovery mode by pressing and holding the Volume Up+Bixby button+Power buttons simultaneously.

Step 3: Now we need to flash the zip files using TWRP recovery. Choose Install and select the Magisk and then choose to Add more Zipps and select dm-verity zip  as shown in the screenshot:

Step 4: Swipe to confirm Flash the selected files. Usually, it takes a few seconds to flash zip files and then Reboot system. You can now install apps that require root access without any issues including the most popular Android app Titanium Backup.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully rooted your Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus running on Android 7.0 Nougat. You can verify root access by running the Magisk app.

I hope you like this step-by-step guide. Don’t forget to share your experience in the comment section below.

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Imran Aftab
 

Hello, I'm Imran Aftab, a tech enthusiast using Android, iOS, and Windows. Hardware expert for Gaming & Crypto mining rigs. I have been writing on tech since 2013, starting with ohguideme, then Androidcentral. I have written and published several guides and tutorials on how to root Android, flash custom ROM, recovery, and jailbreak iPhone, and have written several guides on how to bypass FRP. I also worked in a phone repair shop, so I have pretty good experience with mobile software and troubleshooting. So, all the guides you see here have been tested and confirmed to work.

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