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Root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra via Magisk

UPDATE 1 (February 23, 2021): In the latest Magisk v22.0 update, you don’t need to try out the Magisk Canary build. Rather you could directly go ahead with the Stable one. Furthermore, the Magisk Installer ZIP and Magisk Manager APK have been merged into a single package that could be flashed via TWRP. Please refer to our guide to know more: Download and Install (or Update) to Magisk v22 [New Method]. The original article to “Root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra via Magisk” follows below.


In this guide, we will show you the steps to root your Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra device via Magisk. Flagship offerings from Samsung have always managed to attract quite a few eyeballs. And the latest addition is no different either. All its three variants have created a buzz and the hype mill is running in full swing. Well, more often than not, the S series seem to justify this hype, and hopefully, this might be the case this time as well.

With that said, these devices are also known to be quite active players in custom development. And these three offerings from the South Korean giants seem to be carrying forward this legacy. It is now possible to gain access to the system partition as well as administrative rights over your device. In other words, you could now root your device via Magisk (and Odin). So how will this process go?

First off, we will check if your devices will unlock the device’s bootloader. Then we will download the stock firmware and get a hold of the AP tar file.  Then this TAR file will be patched via Magisk which will give us the magisk_patched.tar file. This will then be flashed via Odin onto your device followed by a few additional Magisk setups and your device stands rooted. So with that said, let’s check out each of these steps in-depth to root the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk.



How to Root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra via Magisk

Well, I won’t go into detailed listing the benefits of rooting your Samsung device. However, the risks of rooting definitely deserve your attention. The first prerequisite in rooting calls for an unlocked bootloader. Doing so will wipe off all the data on your device and make the warranty null and void. Likewise, rooting will trip the Knox, and apps dependent on it might not function.

So if that’s all well and good, then let’s get on with the guide to root the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk. As of now, only the Exynos and Hong Kong Snapdragon Galaxy S21 devices can be bootloader unlocked, hence this guide is currently applicable only for these sets of devices. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

STEP 1: Unlock Bootloader on Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra

First and foremost, you will have to unlock the bootloader on your Galaxy S21 series device. If you haven’t done so, then please refer to our comprehensive guide on How to Unlock Bootloader on any Samsung Device [New VaultKeeper Method]. If you don’t wish to check out that guide, then here are the shorter instructions.

how-to-unlock-bootloader-samsung-galaxy-s21-ultra-plus

  1. Enable Developer Options followed by OEM Unlocking on your device.
  2. Then boot it to the Download Mode.
  3. After this, press and hold the Volume Up key for a few seconds, until you are taken to the Device Unlock Mode.
  4. Finally, hit the Volume Up button to confirm the unlocking of the bootloader.
  5. When your device boots up, connect it to the Internet and verify the OEM Unlocking is enabled.

That’s it. The bootloader on your device is now unlocked. Let’s move over to the next step of this guide to root the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk.

STEP 2: Download Galaxy S21/S21 Plus/S21 Ultra Stock Firmware

Next up, you will have to download the stock firmware for your device. There are quite a few ways of doing so. For example, you could use the Frija Tool, SamLoader Tool, or websites such as SamMobile. As for this guide, let’s proceed with the Frija Tool. So refer to our comprehensive guide on How to Download Samsung Stock Firmware/ROM via Frija Tool.

download galaxy s21 firmware frija

You may use the below given below information for Frija/SamMobile. Do keep in mind that the CSC, PDA, and CSA are region-dependent, and the below-given information is for India. You may refer to our guide to Check CSC on your Samsung Device and then input the detail accordingly.

DEVICE NAME: GALAXY S21
MODEL NUMBER: SM-G991B
COUNTRY: INDIA
CSC: INU
PDA: G991BXXU1AUB8
CSA: G991BOXM1AUB8

DEVICE NAME: GALAXY S21+
MODEL NUMBER: SM-G996B
COUNTRY: INDIA
CSC: INU
PDA: G996BXXU1AUB8
CSC: G996BOXM1AUB8

DEVICE NAME: GALAXY S21 ULTRA
MODEL NUMBER: SM-G998B
COUNTRY: INDIA
CSC: INU
PDA: G998BXXU1AUB9
CSC: G998BOXM1AUB9



STEP 3: Extract Galaxy S21/S21 Plus/S21 AP File

The next step in this guide to root the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk calls for the AP file. You could get that from the stock firmware, as follows:

galaxy s21 stock firmware files

  1. Extract the downloaded stock firmware file to any convenient location on your PC.
  2. You should now get the following five files in .tar.md5 format:
    AP, BL, CP, CSC, and HOME_CSC
  3. Out of this, we will be using the AP file now, the rest of BL, CP, and CSC will be used later on in this guide.

STEP 4: Install Magisk Canary on Galaxy S21 series


[UPDATE: With the release of the new magisk v22, you don’t need to try out the Canary build. Rather you could directly proceed with the stable one. Download the Magisk v22.0: Magisk-v22.0.apk. The original article follows below and the instructions are still valid for Magisk v21 and earlier builds].


Next up, you will have to download and install the Magisk Manager Canary build. This is because topjohnwu (Magisk developer) has fixed an underlying issue using his patch and then merged it to the Canary build. For the unaware, Canary build is always used to test the experimental features and is used for development features.

Once everything is fixed, it moves over to the stable, build. With that said, you shouldn’t experience any stability issues as such with the Canary build on the S21 series. [If you wish to learn more on this, then please refer to our guide on How to Fix Magisk patched boot.img issue while Rooting Android 11].

magisk-update-channel-canary-android-11-root-galaxy-s21

  1. Moving on, once you have installed the Magisk Manager Canary app on your device, launch it.
  2. Then tap on the Settings gear icon situated at the top right.
  3. Then go to the Update Channel and select Canary.

That’s it. We will now use this Canary build of Magisk to patch the AP file and root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices.



STEP 5: Patch Galaxy S21/S21 Plus/S21 AP File via Magisk

You will now have to patch this AP firmware file which in turn will give you the magisk_patched.tar file. To do so, you may refer to our comprehensive guide on  How to Patch Samsung AP Firmware via Magisk. For shorter instructions, here’s what needs to be done:

patch-ap-file-root-magisk-samsung-galaxy-s21-plus-ultra

  1. Transfer the stock AP firmware file (that you have extracted from the firmware) to your device
  2. Now launch the Magisk Canary build that you have installed just now.
  3. Tap on Install next to Magisk and then choose the ‘Select and patch a file’ option.
  4. Navigate to the AP firmware file and select it. Then tap on the Let’s Go button situated at the top right.
  5. The flashing process will now begin. Once done, you should get the resultant patched file in the Downloads folder, named magisk_patched.tar.

STEP 6: Boot Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra to Download Mode

You will now have to boot your S21 device to Download Mode so that Odin is able to identify it and carry out the flashing of the patched AP file. So refer to oue guide to Boot any Samsung Device to Download Mode. For direct and short instructions, follow along:

download-mode-galaxy-s21-ultra-plus

  1. Power off your device. Then press and hold the Volume Up and Volume Down keys together.
  2. While pressing both these keys connect your device to the PC via USB cable.
  3. Finally, leave both these buttons and hit the Volum Up key to boot to Download Mode.
  4. Once booted to Download Mode, move to the next step to root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk.

STEP 7: Root Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra via Magisk and Odin

It’s now time to flash the patched AP file via Odin and root your device. But this file wouldn’t be flashed alone, rather its associated BL, CP, and CSC files will also be flashed. For a detailed comprehensive explanation on this, please refer to our guide on How to Flash magisk_patched.tar (patched Samsung AP file) via Odin. However, for direct and up to point instructions, refer to the below steps:

root-samsung-galaxy-s21-plus-ultra-odin-magisk_patched.tar

  1. To begin with, transfer the magisk_patched.tar file to your PC where the other firmware files (AP, BL, CP, CSC, and HOME_CSC) are present.
  2. Then connect your Samsung device to the PC via USB Cable (make sure it is booted to Download Mode).
  3. After this, load the following files to the Odin tool:
    • First off, click ‘BL‘ and load the BL firmware file.
    • Then click ‘AP‘ and load the magisk_patched.tar file.
    • After this, click ‘CP‘ and load the CP firmware file.
    • Then click ‘CSC‘ and load the CSC firmware file (the normal CSC file, not the Home CSC file).
  4. Now go to the Options section of Odin Tool and uncheck ‘Auto Reboot‘.
  5. Finally, click on Start to begin the process. Once done, you should get the PASS!‘ message.
    flash-success-odin-pass-message

You may now unplug your device from the PC and boot it to the OS. Likewise, you may close the Odin Tool as well. There is just one more thing left to do- setting up Magisk. This will only take a few seconds and then your Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra device will be rooted. Follow along.

STEP 8: Complete Additional Magisk Setup

magisk-requires-additonal-setup-galaxy-s21

  1. Once your device is booted to the system, launch the Magisk Manager app.
  2. It will now bring up the Require Additional Setup prompt, tap on Yes
  3. The process will take a few seconds and once done, your device will automatically reboot. That’s it. The process stands complete.

So with this, we conclude the guide on how to root Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra devices via Magisk without using TWRP Recovery. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.


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  • cixelsyd

    ABSOLUTELY PARAMOUNT to mention IN THE TITLE, or at bare minimum, the body of the article, that this will ONLY work on Hong Kong Snapdragon and Exynos variants.

    • Sadique Hassan

      Hi Cixelsyd, since only the Exynos and Hong Kong Snapdragon Galaxy S21 devices can be bootloader unlocked as of now, rooting would only be applicable for those devices. But you’re right, I should have mentioned it in the guide as well. Thanks for pointing it out.

  • any twrp recovery for s21 phones?

    • Sadique Hassan

      Hi Alex, an unofficial build of TWRP is there at XDA. But I haven’t tested it myself so can’t recommend it to others. If you are willing to try, then you may refer to this XDA post. You will also need to flash the VBmeta TAR file. If you are willing to try, then please post the results as well, it might help other readers. Thanks.