How to Root Your Android Phone with Magisk (SystemlessRoot)

What is Magisk

Android users have been rooting their phones for as long as can be remebered, but since the introduction of Marshmallow (Android 6.0) it has gotten much more complicated, because of the fact that Google upped their security measures by essentially blocking the most popular root methods of previous versions—dropping the “su” daemon into the /system partition and running it with the required permissions at startup. This resulted in a new sort of root access, called “Systemless Root". Its called Systemless Root because it doesn’t modify the /system partition in any way...... Recently, a new method for handling root management has emerged, and it’s called Magisk. It is completely free, open source, under constant development, and it keeps getting better every day. 

Why is Magisk So Important

Simply put, Magisk is an evolution of root access and management on android smartphones.. This is because, as part of the security measures put in place by Google, some apps like Android Pay, Netflix, Snapchat...etc do not work on Rooted Devices due to the fact that the /system partition has been modified and the bootloader unlocked therefore preventing the phone from being Certified as the SafetyNet Test can not be passed. That is where Magisk jumps right in.  It leaves SafetyNet untouched, so users are still able to access Android Pay and Netflix, but still allows for powerful root tools like Xposed to continue working.

So, Lets Get Started On The Installation

Note: If you’ve used a different root method before, you’ll have to completely unroot your device before using Magisk.

First and foremost, you’re going to need the Magisk.zip file. You can grab the download here. Go ahead and grab the Magisk Manager while you’re at it—you’ll need it later. Copy both to your phone’s internal storage.

You’re also going to need a custom recovery like TWRP to flash Magisk on your phone. Head over to the TWRP site here to see if your device is supported or check out our tutorial on installing it unofficially here.

To start the process, boot into your custom recovery. As this is a bit different on every phone, i recommend you to Google instructions for your specific model to see how it’s done, assuming you are not sure.

From your custom recovery, flash the Magisk.zip you transferred to the phone earlier. In TWRP, that means tap on “Install,” then find the Magisk file. Tap on “Install Image.” and "Swipe to Confirm

 

Reboot your phone and you’ll need to install the Magisk Manager, which you should’ve downloaded from the above XDA thread. Once installed, It should start up on the status page, where you’ll see that you’re running the current version and it’s properly rooted. You can also perform a SafetyNet check here if you’d like, which I encourage.

NOTE: Your device won’t pass the SafetyNet check if the bootloader is unlocked unless you use Magisk Hide.

If your device doesn’t pass the SafetyNet check (as mine didn’t at first), apps like Android Pay won’t work until you fix this—regardless of Magisk Hide status. If you’re using a device with June security patches, you’ll need to enable Magisk Core Only mode in Settings (and then reboot) before it will pass SafetyNet. This will disable all Magisk Modules, but all root functionality and BusyBox will still work. If that doesn’t fix the issue, check this thread for troubleshooting.

Let me know down in the comments section if you were able to complete the procedure and if you would like to see a video tutorial.