How To Root the Samsung Galaxy S II (All Versions)

Want to root your Samsung Galaxy S II? Sick of having to search for a rooting procedure for your specific version of the Galaxy S II? Here’s how to root all of them and flash a custom recovery image as well.I. Before You Begin

1. This SHOULDN’T erase content on your device, but with that being said, please backup all your pictures, contacts, etc. before beginning this procedure. Just in case.

II. Flash a Custom Recovery onto the Device

1. Download Samsung Kies and install it on your computer.

Kies

2. Turn off your phone.

3. While the phone is off, hold down the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons at the same time and plug in your phone via USB cable after you have installed Kies in order to have it install the correct drivers for your device and the device should automatically boot into download mode.

4. Once the drivers are installed and your device can be recognized properly by your computer, make sure to CLOSE KIES completely. If it is running during the next steps, even in the background, it can cause issues.

5. Download Odin and open it.

Odin v1.8.5

6. Download the Recovery file for your specific device and save that to your computer.

T-Mobile Galaxy S II Recovery

Sprint Galaxy S II Recovery

AT&T Galaxy S II Recovery

Galaxy S II i9100 Recovery (Read the developer’s post to decide which file in the third post to download)

7. With the device plugged in and Odin open, click on the PDA button in Odin and select the Recovery file you just downloaded.

8. Select Start and this should flash the recovery to the device and reboot it.

III. Root the Device

1. Once the device reboots, mount the USB storage so we can transfer files to it.

2. Download the Superuser zip file and save it to your computer.

Superuser

3. Copy the Superuser .zip file to the root of your device’s sd card (Not in any folders, just on the sd card itself. Do NOT extract the file, leave it as a .zip)

4. Once it is copied to the device, unplug the device from the computer and turn it off.

5. Turn the device back on by holding down the volume down, volume up button, and the power button. Let go of the power button once the device vibrates but continue to hold the volume buttons until the recovery screen comes up.

6. Once the recovery screen comes up, use the volume buttons to scroll down to install zip from sd and then select the superuser .zip file we downloaded earlier.

7. Once it flashes, select go back, then reboot system now.

8. You should now see the superuser icon in your device’s app drawer. If so, you are all set!

IV. Load a Custom ROM (Optional)

1. Head to our How To Load a Custom ROM procedure

53 thoughts on “How To Root the Samsung Galaxy S II (All Versions)”

  1. Ronnie Kira Rodriguez

    i need help wen i press the volume up and down key + the power i get nothing =( and wen i press just the up and power together i get the system recovery but it only gives me the option of reboot whip the hol thing clean update form sd and whip partitions, i have the sprint galaxy s2 one 

    1. @p_usarg just added it to the procedure. Same process, but when downloading the recovery kernel make sure to read the developers post about how to decide which one for your i9100 and then go to the third post down and download the one you need then continue our procedure.

  2. ok so what happens when odin fails???????????????? you forgot about these people??? it didnt work for my skyrocket sgs2 and now i can’t pass this damn screen and you don’t mention what to do if it your method don’t work!!!!!!!! so please help!!!!!!!

  3. im using the sprint sgs2 and when i go into recovery mode it does not show the zip option. When i dont do this, it gives me root acces but not wifi. I understand that this is most likely from not installing the zip file.

  4. For the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S@b6f8371a6266cfd11d77c77ac2224d8e:disqus  the recovery su-2.3.6.3 fails everytime. Even though I passed the odin3 test for downloading the kernel straight from the video it still fails, I retired and its doesn’t work. So how do I remove that kernel from my phone.

  5. I tried, but in the step III, when i turn on the phone and show me the recovery screen, say instalation aborted ” install the 2 packege” somthing like that.

  6. After holding volume up/down and plugging in USB cable, nothing seemed to happen.  I then turned on my phone using the power button, and was asked for my PUK to unlock SIM card, and told that I have 1 attempt at this.

    So I have no idea why I manage to deviate from the above guide so soon, however also now not sure how I can use my phone… Can someone help as I am phoneless until I can move past this.

    Thanks

  7. MULTIPLE problems with this process.  I personally would not use until it is better debugged. 

    1.  I had the same issue as previous posts – WiFi does not work following these steps.
    2.  After installing the correct recovery file, my AT&T SGH-i777 now indicates “i9100” at the boot-up screen (along with an ominous “!” inside a yellow warning triangle).  I do not have an i9100, I have an SGH-i777.
    3.  Odin worked the first time but I could not get to the Superuser.zip file.  I could get the recovery screen but when selecting “installing zip from sd card”, the next screen freezes at a circle with a hat on it.  Frozen, never moves.
    4.  Worst of all, now the backup I made, specifically due to the suggestion David makes at the beginning of this process, will now not restore thru Kies.

    BAD BAD PROCESS.  I see no choice now but to go to AT&T and have them repair my phone.  Thanks for killing my phone David!

    Steve Russell

  8. I was able to get my problem fixed with the root.  I ran the su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip 3 times in row and reboot.  When I got back in I saw the Superuser.  I installed Titanium Backup to test it and everything works.

  9. If anyone is using the AT&T Galaxy S2 and you might run into wifi issues I have a solution for you.

    The current date is 2/12/2012 and The Unlockr’s write up was originally meant for 2.3.4 – if you have an AT&T Galaxy S2 you might have had the OTW update to 2.3.6; my wifi broke when I used Unlockr’s write up.
    Here is the solution, goto: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1289460&highlight=root
    In the first post, Attached Files download the latest zip (as of 2/12/2012 it’s DD_02072012.zip for me, please note this idiots naming convention… I was using the first one thinking it was the one I needed… But the last file DD_02072012.zip is actually the date he last updated aka 02/07/2012. So always go with the last attached file.)

    Load that .zip file onto your sdcard, power off your device, then enter ClockworkMod Recovery mode (hold down Volume Up + Down + Power Button, release Power Button when the screen turns on and keep holding Vol Up + Down until it get’s you to the recovery screen) Simply “install zip from sd” and then select the .zip file. Reboot device and test wifi.

    If anyone else with an AT&T Galaxy S2 is suffering from wifi issues please let me know.

  10. DO NOT USE!! horrible horrible horrible guide. bricked my i777 the day I bought it. now my boot screen reads i9100 now I have to try to fix it. DO NOT USE ONCE AGAIN

  11. THANK YOU. I have tried so many other ways to root my sprint galaxy ii 4g touch and this one was the only and EASIEST one!!!

  12. I seem to be stuck on the “Downloading” screen it does absolutely nothing from there. I had it sitting there for quite some time. I have a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy s2 T989

  13. Anthony Cooper

    I have tried all of the people’s stuff and all i get is links to spam and virus sites And the same is here It links me to a billion upload site and it made me download a Trojan that lead me to pay for a guy to come and fix it i have a (Samsung Galaxy S2) “GCI” Version) i was told to use the AT&T Recovery cause they where the same. And i downloaded the kies that was no problem but the AT&T Recovery link was the billion thing. So if you know how to help me simply just root my phone please just leave a reply. TNKS

  14. Emil Dimitrov

    Guys, I am not so familiar with the rooting process. My phone (Galaxy S2 SGH-T989, T-Mobile- USA) is still under warranty. I have 2 questions:
    1. If I root my phone- will this void the warranty?
    2. If I root my phone with the method above, do I have any options to restore my phone to the factory settings (factory reset, etc.)? And- if yes- after a factory reset- where my phone will go- to exact same stage as I bought it from T- mobile? I mean- not rooted, etc.?
    Thanks in advance!

  15. Makes me sad to see that such a great write up on how to root your S2, has what I can only assume are trolls as its only comment.

    So the point, THANK YOU for your effort in writing this article and I look forward to a rooted/ROMed S2.

    peAce

  16. By the way, this only works for Galaxy SII (S2) phones that are running Android 2, not Android 4. I tried this with the official release of Android 4.0.3 for my Galaxy SII SGH-i777 by Samsung and it doesn’t work. It gets stuck at the boot screen forever.

  17. The link to the AT&T Galaxy IIS download above is not the file for the i777. It is the recovery file for the I9100 and will soft brick an i777. DO NOT USE.

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