No matter which Android device you own, if you count yourself as an above-average user and are interested in seriously modifying the look and feel of your device, rooting is a must. Although it needs no introduction, rooting means getting the superuser app installed on your device to get system-level access to the Linux kernel on which Android is running. Nowadays, rooting has reached a level where any new device gets a root method merely days after it becomes publicly available (or in some cases, even before that). The same applies to Samsung’s latest flagship in its Note phablet lineup, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
The device, which became available just last month, carries the top of the line processor, hardware and software available right now, and offers a user experience second to none in the Note lineup of devices. Supplement that with root access, and you have a pretty winning combination. Thankfully, the root for Galaxy Note 3 also comes from the renowned Chainfire, whose auto-root has served a viable, working solution for a lot of Android devices. What’s even better is that the root is available for almost all variants of the Note 3, and hence, if you have the T-Mobile or Sprint variant, you’re not excluded.
Our guide applies to all devices for which a root package is available at the source link. However, the usual disclaimer applies, too; while safe, this method will void your warranty and we cannot be held liable to any damage to your device as a result of following these instructions.
Also, before you begin, be sure to backup your device, follow our guide on: How to completely backup your Android device on PC without root access. And download the Samsung Android USB driver as well.
Step 1: Download the root package for your variant of Galaxy Note 3 from here. You will also need Odin3 software application, which you can get from here.
Step 2: Extract the package to get to the .tar.md5 file, and save it to a convenient/easily-accessible location on your PC.
Step 3: Reboot your device into Download Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down and Home keys whilst powering on the phone.
Step 4: Launch Odin3 on your PC and connect your Note 3 using USB cable. Wait for Odin to detect the phone (you should see a COM value in the first box, and an Added message in the box below).
Step 5: Click on PDA and select the extracted .tar.md5 file for your device. Make sure Repartition is not checked, and Auto-Reboot is checked (basically, nothing except Auto-Reboot should be checked).
Step 6: Click the Start button and wait for Odin3 to finish flashing the PDA. The phone will reboot as the process completes.
That’s it – past the reboot, you will have root access on your Galaxy Note 3 on Android 4.3. Enjoy.
(Source: XDA-Developers forum thread)
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