How to Root Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S series is by far the most popular Samsung series. Every year we get to see headline-making releases from Samsung S series. This year Samsung released the Galaxy S20 series, which happens to be a  worthy upgrade over last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10 Series.  Highlights of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series includes a Snapdragon 865 / Exynos 990 processor, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 45W fast charge, and lots more. In this article, we explore a comprehensive tutorial on how to root the Samsung Galaxy S20.

Enough with the description. The fact that you’ve chosen to read this article shows that you currently own the Samsung Galaxy S20 and wish to gain root access, which will in turn allow you to tweak settings that aren’t available by default.

At this point, I suggest you disregard any former notice which stated that rooting the Samsung Galaxy S20 is near impossible or simply just too difficult, as the reverse is the case. The procedure for rooting this smartphone is pretty much very easy. All you’d need to do is to follow the comprehensive steps that are outlined in this article.

Requirements

1. Data Backup (Make sure that you’ve created a full backup of your files)
2. A computer
3. The Firmware of your Samsung Galaxy S20 Series phone (Please make sure that you’ve downloaded the correct firmware for your model)
4. Magisk App
5. 70% of Battery Charge

Note: Before you proceed to apply the procedure provided below, please note that this tutorial is meant for only Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphones running the Exynos processor. That is you are meant to use the procedure provided in this article only if you use a Samsung Galaxy S20, a Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus or a Samsung Galaxy S20 ultra that runs on Exynos processor. 

How to root Samsung Galaxy S20 Smartphone

The process of rooting smartphones in the Samsung Galaxy S20 series is broken into four steps, which include, unlocking the boot loader, patching the firmware file using Magisk Manager, flashing the patched file, and then factory resetting the phone. You are advised to follow the steps in the order they are presented.

Step 1: Unlocking the Bootloader

Unlocking the bootloader has over the years become a norm in the procedure of rooting Samsung smartphones. This is due to the measures put in place by Samsung to hinder enthusiasts from wanting to tamper with the core settings of their smartphones. Below are the steps to unlock the boot loader on smartphones in the Samsung Galaxy S20 series.

1. Navigate through device’s Settings > About phone > Software information on your device
2. Scroll down and tap on build number continuously until you get the information that developers option has been enabled
3. Open developers option
4. Look for OEM unlocking and enable it
5. Power off your device
6. Hold the volume up and down button together and plug in a USB Cable
7. Finally, press and hold the volume up button to begin the bootloader unlocker process
8. Allow your device to reboot

Step 2: Patching The Firmware File

This is where the Magisk manager comes into play, as it is the tool we will use to patch the firmware of Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone. You are advised to head over to download the Magisk Manager app if you have downloaded it before now. Please also make sure you download the right firmware for your model, in order to prevent your smartphone from getting bricked. You can proceed to apply the steps outlined below after you might have met the aforementioned requirements.

1. Extract the firmware file you downloaded
2. Look for a file that starts with AP and copy the file to your internal storage
3. Launch the Magisk app and click the install button
4. Now tap on ‘Select and patch file’
5. Navigate to where you have placed the file and select it.
6. Wait for Magisk manager to complete patching the file
7. Copy the outputted magisk_patched.rar file to your compute

Step 3: Flashing  The Firmware File

This step involves flashing the patched file we created with Magisk. we are going to use the Odin flash tool for this task. Just so you know, Odin is the official flash tool/software for Samsung smartphones and Tablets. Below is a list of comprehensive steps to flashing the patched firmware onto your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone.

1. Launch the Odin tool installed on your computer
2. Power off your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone
3. Press and hold volume up and volume down keys and then connect your device to your computer via USB
4. Wait for ID: COM in the Odin tool to turn blue
5. Click Options and turn off Auto Reboot
6. Click on the AP button and select magisk_patched.rar
7. Wait for it to load and afterward click on start
8. Wait to get the ‘PASS message’
9. Remove the cable connecting your laptop to your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone
10. Do not exit download mode or try to power your device on yet. Follow the steps outlined below

Step 4: Performing a Factory Reset

This is the final step in the process of rooting your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone. This is also the reason you were advised to backup your data earlier. However, there is no going back now. You will have to format your device before you can make use of it. follow the steps outlined below to format your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone.

1. While still powered off, press the volume down button and power button to exit download mode.
2. Wait for your device to go power off and immediately press and hold volume up and power button till the Samsung logo appears
3. Use the volume buttons to navigate to Wipe data/factory reset
4. Wait for the process to complete
5. Reboot your smartphone.

Wrapping up

Now that you have successfully rooted your Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphone, you can go-ahead to perform those highly coveted tweaks. However if you somehow had issues with the tutorial provided above and couldn’t get to successfully root your device, do well to let us know in the comment section below.