How to Root Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 had a TWRP root method made available a couple months ago, but we held back on posting a guide until several issues were worked out. Most notably, Samsung introduced remote OEM Unlock control with the Galaxy 8. This causes the Galaxy 8 and Galaxy 9 to boot with a binary error and force the user to flash stock firmware in the event a custom recovery was detected (such as TWRP).

Thankfully, the issues have been sort of worked out, and there is a method of getting around this recovery “protection”. We will therefore be posting two methods of rooting the Galaxy Note 9. One method is for rooting through TWRP, the other method is for rooting through stock recovery.

Most users should root through TWRP, because rooting through stock recovery is not advisable for users affected by the OEM patch. You will know your Galaxy Note 9 shipped with the OEM protection patch if the OEM Unlock function was unavailable until after 7 days of device usage.

Note: Before proceeding, backup all of your important files and data, as part of this guide involves wiping your data.

Root Galaxy Note 9 in TWRP

Requirements

1. Enable Developer Options on your Galaxy Note 9 through Settings > About Phone > Software Information > tap Build Number 7 times.
2. Go to Settings > Developers Options > enable OEM Unlock. If the OEM Unlock switch is unavailable, there is currently nothing you can do.
3. Copy the N9_S9_root .zip to your external SD card.
4. Download TWRP to your computer.
5. Turn off your Galaxy Note 9, then hold Vol Down + Bixby while connecting it via USB to your computer. This will boot your Galaxy Note 9 into Download Mode.
6. Launch Odin on your computer, and disable the “Auto Reboot” checkbox.
7. Click the AP tab in Odin, and choose the TWRP .tar image. Click the Start button.
8. Odin will now flash TWRP onto your Galaxy Note 9. You can now disconnect your phone from your PC.
9. Hold Volume Down + Power until the screen turns off, then hold Volume Up + Bixby + Power to reboot into TWRP.
10. Swipe to allow modifications when prompted by TWRP.
11. In the TWRP main menu, go to Wipe > Format Data > type ‘Yes’. This will erase all data from your Galaxy Note 9.
12. Once it is finished, choose “Reboot > Recovery”, and your Galaxy Note 9 will reboot back to TWRP.
13. Now go to Install > SD Card > choose the N9_root_OEM_issue .zip file you copied earlier. Choose your desired root method, and also choose the “OEM Patch” option if you own an OEM patch affected device. If you are unsure, it is better to choose it.
14. You should also choose to allow the kernel patch for OEM patched devices.
15. When TWRP has flashed the .zip successfully, choose Reboot to System.

You can now check in Developer Options to see if the OEM Unlock option is available. You should also find the Magisk Manager app installed on your device, if that was your chosen root method.

Root Galaxy Note 9 in Stock Recovery

Requirements

1. Enable OEM unlock on your Galaxy Note 9 in the Developer Options.
2. Reboot to Download Mode (turn off device, connect to PC via USB, press Volume Down + Bixby).
3. Extract the prerooted_n960_exynos.zip, you should have a file called N960F_kernel_PreRoot_RH5_DrKetan.tar.md5.
4. Launch Odin on your PC, and in the AP tab, choose the md5 file we just extracted.
5. Once the file has been flashed, your device will automatically reboot and ask to reset. Choose yes.
6. Once your Galaxy Note 9 reboots, install the Magisk Manager APK. You can also install the De-Knox tool APK, because Knox is useless on a rooted device, and will annoy you with security messages.