How to Root the Motorola Moto X on Android 5.0

If you think the Google Nexus devices are the only ones that have gotten the Android 5.0 Lollipop update, then you’re wrong my friend. Motorola’s very own the Moto X has also been updated to Android 5.0, and this leads us to find a root for this specific version of Android. Fortunately, the very talented developer Chainfire has come up with a root that roots the Moto X on Lollipop, and lets you flash a custom recovery on it. Here’s how:

Rooting is the process of gaining administrative rights on your Android device.  Once we root our Android device, we can then make changes to it to customize it well beyond what it normally can do.

Once you have root access on your Motorola Moto X, you’ll be able to:

• Remove apps that were preinstalled by your carrier/manufacturer from your device.
• Free up storage space (because of the above benefit).
• Increase battery life (apps that might have been running constantly can be removed).
• Increase performance (after removing apps that are always running, the device will be less bogged down and run smoother).
• Update to a new version of Android (by flashing a custom recovery/ROM, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
• Tons of other customizations when you use your new found administrative rights to flash a custom ROM (again, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).

Interested? Here’s how to root your Motorola Moto X:

I. Before You Begin

1. This will void the warranty of your Moto X. We won’t be held responsible if you end-up bricking your device. Go ahead at your own risk.

2. This only works for the XT1052 variant of the device.

3. Make sure you have installed Motorola USB drivers on your PC.

II. Downloading Required Files

1. Download CF-Root and save it to your desktop.

CF-Root

III. Rooting the Motorola Moto X on Android 5.0 Lollipop

1. Right-click on CF-Root archive and select Extract here. It’ll extract all the files from this archive to your desktop.

2. Turn ON USB debugging on your device by heading to Menu > Settings > Developer options > USB debugging.

3. Turn OFF your device.

4. Reboot your device into bootloader mode by holding down Volume DOWN and Power buttons together.

5. Plug in your device to your PC using the USB cable.

6. Double-click on root-windows.bat available on your desktop and it’ll open.

7. Follow the on-screen instructions for rooting your device.

8. Once rooted, head over to the Google Play store and download and install Busybox on your device.

9. You’re done!

Cheers! Your Motorola Moto X running Android 5.0 Lollipop is now rooted. It’s got both SuperSU and Busybox apps to help you manage root-permissions for various root-requiring apps on your device.

If you wish to flash a custom ROM on your device, you’ll first need to flash a custom recovery. Here’s how you can flash TWRP custom recovery on your Moto X:

IV. Flashing a Custom Recovery on the Motorola Moto X

1. Head over to the Google Play store and download and install TWRP Manager on your device.

2. Once installed, open the app from your app drawer.

3. Tap on Install TWRP.

4. Select your device – it should be named as ghost – from the list and tap on Install Recovery.

5. It’ll then automatically download and install the recovery for you.

6. You’re all set!

Brilliant! The TWRP Recovery was successfully flashed on your Moto X and you can reboot into the same by using an app like Quick Boot.

You can click here to find all of the Motorola Moto X How To’s.

You can also find all of the Motorola Moto X ROMs we have here.