How to Root the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International)
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the successor of the Note 3 and it brings with it a host of features that we didn’t have in the last year’s model. If you’ve already got a shiny new Note 4 for yourself and are wondering how you can go about rooting it, here’s our guide that’ll teach you exactly how you can do that. Once rooted, the whole world of custom development is yours. 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 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International), 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 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International):
I. Before You Begin
1. This’ll void the warranty of your device. You’re doing this at your own risk. We don’t take any responsibilities if you end-up damaging your device.
2. This only works for the SM-N910F variant of the device. To find out what model you have, head to Menu > Settings > About phone on your device and your model number should be listed there.
3. This should only work on Windows based PCs.
4. You should’ve required drivers installed on your PC. If you haven’t, download and install the latest drivers from here.
5. This should flash a custom recovery as well.
II. Downloading Required Files
1. Download Odin and save it to your desktop.
2. Download CF-Root and save it to your desktop.
3. Download CWM Recovery for the SM-N910F variant and save it to your desktop.
CWM Recovery (Download link’s available in the first post)
III. Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International)
1. Extract files from Odin and CF-Root to your desktop by right-clicking on each of them and selecting Extract here.
2. Double-click on Odin executable and it’ll launch.
3. Click on PDA and choose CF-Root available on your desktop.
4. Make sure Repartition is unchecked in the Odin. It’s important.
5. You can checkmark the boxes that say Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time.
6. Turn OFF your device.
7. Turn it back on by holding down Volume DOWN, Home, and Power buttons together.
8. Press Volume UP when a warning message appears on your screen.
9. Your device should reboot into Download mode.
10. Plug in your device to your PC using the USB cable.
11. Click on Start in the Odin and it’ll start flashing CF-Root on your device.
12. When the flashing’s done, your device should automatically reboot.
13. You’re all set!
Excellent! Your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now rooted. You can confirm the root-access by downloading a lightweight app called Root Checker from the Google Play store.
If you want more than just access to root-only apps, you may want to flash a custom recovery which will help you flash custom ROMs and custom Mods on your Note 4. Here’s how:
IV. Flashing a Custom Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4
1. Double-click on Odin executable and it’ll open.
2. Make sure Repartition is unchecked in the Odin.
3. Checkmark the boxes that say Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time.
4. Click on PDA and choose CWM Recovery available on your desktop. It’s in .tar format.
5. Turn OFF your device.
6. Turn it back on by holding down Volume DOWN, Home, and Power buttons together.
7. Press Volume UP when you see a warning message on your screen.
8. You should now be in Download mode.
9. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.
10. Hit Start in the Odin and it’ll start flashing CWM Recovery on your device.
11. When the recovery’s flashed, your device should automatically reboot.
12. You’re all set!
Brilliant! You’ve successfully flashed a custom recovery on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4. You can now flash custom ROMs, custom Mods, take nandroid backups, and so on using this newly installed custom recovery. Happy (and safe) flashing!
You can click here to find all of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International) How To’s.
You can also find all of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (International) ROMs we have here.
