Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Using smartphones is all about apps. Apps can do just about anything from providing fun and games, TV shows, helping you make phone calls and just about anything that you need to do that does not come natively on the device will be done with the help of apps. Some apps do not require access to the root file system and some applications do. The ones that do are not able to run on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone until you root the device. Rooting the Android operating system on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone is going to make you the root user. The root user is the administrator of the system and can install anything they want–and that includes all of the apps that you could not install before when you had the stock version of Android that your device came with when it was opened out of the box.

One of the applications the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone can run when you are a root user is the Titanium Backup application. The Titanium Backup app is the best way to backup Android, and you will not find any apps that come close to being an able to backup the way Titanium Backup can without root access. The only way backing up can come close to what Titanium has to offer is by taking the NANDroid Backup and then enhancing the NANDroid Backup with the NANDroid Manager application. Both of those ways are viable options if you get the chance to choose, and both are available for rooted users but never the nonrooted user. About the best of the rest for nonrooted users is the Helium Backup app, and nobody thinks Helium comes close to the goodness that you get from the Titanium Backup app or even the NANDroid Backup.

Chainfire was running on the MMB29K.N920PVPU2BPC3 firmware build number when he created the CF-Auto-Root file that is available in this guide. You do not need to be running that same firmware as he was to follow this guide and flash the rooting file in this tutorial. You can be running on any firmware build number that is based on Android 6.0.1 marshmallow and as long as you have the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone with the SM-N920P model number it should work correctly for you.

Notes:

  • You must have the Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with the SM-N920P model number to flash the rooting file that is available in this guide. It does not matter if you have it unlocked or not, the model number is still substantial.
  • You need to have a computer that is running versions of the Windows operating system before you can use the Odin flashing application. The Samsung devices always use the Odin flashing application for the CF-Auto-Root tool whereas the other devices can install it a different way. Samsung devices always rely on Windows.
  • There could still be some more Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates that roll out over the air for the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone. None of those should cause any problems to the CF-Auto-Rot tool because the problems usually come into play when we are talking about new versions of Android that bring new bootloaders with them. Still, if a CF-Auto-Root tool file does need updating, people should submit the recovery image files that are found in the new firmware to the official CF-Auto-Root tool thread made over at the XDA-Developers website so that Chainfire can see the messages. He uses that file that you left and updated the rooting file so that it starts working again. The updates that Chainfire makes of the CF-Auto-Root tool is always automatically updated real time in our guides because we link directly to the Chainfire repository page.
  • The following guide is made for the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone with the SM-N920P model number when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates.

Download Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920P CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920P on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Using CF-Auto-Root

1. Unlock the Developer Options menu from the Galaxy Note 5’s About Device menu so you can get into the menu and change some of the options.

2. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Sprint Galaxy Note 5 smartphone so you can connect it to the computer with the USB cable and then it allows for developments to be done to the software.

3. Extract the CF-Auto-Root tool file to the desktop of the computer and you will get the Odin flashing application and the rooting file on the desktop that you can use.

4. Run the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer so when you connect the Galaxy Note 5 smartphone at the computer, the flashing application can pick up your device.

5. Double-click the Odin executable file that is on the desktop and then

6. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone into the download mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.

7. Check that you can see a blue or yellow color coming from the ID: COM port and the added message is available from the Odin flashing application user interface.

No added message and no light coming from the ID: COM port means that the Samsung USB Drivers are either not yet installed or not working correctly. You can try checking that you are using the Odin flashing application as administrators by right-clicking on the file on the desktop and choosing to run it as an administrator, or logging out and logging into a Windows account that is associated with the administrators permissions. If that does not work, try installing the universal Windows ADB Driver by Koushik Dutta on the computer instead and see if that fixes the problem.

8. Click the AP button from the Odin application on the computer and then upload the CF-Auto-Root-XXX-XXX-XXX.tar.md5 package from the desktop to this location.

9. Do not make any changes to the default settings that you would usually get from the Odin user interface.

10. Click the Start button and then pick up the smartphone without unplugging it from the USB cable.

11. Check that you get a bunch of text rolling down the display over the next few minutes and have a good read of that text so you can see what is happening to your device. Also, notice the meaningful messages that Chainfire has programmed into the software so you can know what to expect. The rooting exploit takes longer now that it is a systemless root and not going through the /system partition. Do not be worried about the extra time that it takes if you are used to using the CF-Auto-Root tool from Lollipop, KitKat and under it. It is a different process. Also, the device can boot loop a few times; don’t panic if you see this either. It is a regular part of the new rooting process.

12. Check that you get a green box coming from the Odin app user interface that is giving you the pass message inside the box.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone with the SM-N920P model number when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates using the new and improved systemless root method. Your smartphone now reboots back into the normal mode, and you will see the SuperSU application is now installed and enabled from the app drawer. Feel free to open the SuperSU applications that are making you the superuser and take a look around, but don’t feel that you have to. All the settings are already set up so that it is going to grant you root access to the applications that you want to run. All you need to do is check that you get the message popping up on the display after you try to run an app and then grant the root access to the apps that you want to have root access to the internal system. Also important is when you deny apps that ask for root access if you do not know what they are. It is rare just to get pinged by malware, but on the odd chance that it does happen, you need to know what to do about it. If you grant root access to malware, then you are in trouble as it can potentially start to read information from your other apps like the messages and even banking apps. For the most part malware is easy to see: you either just installed an app and it is asking for the root access or you didn’t. Just know what apps you are installing and check the comments and how many downloads they have to make sure you are downloading something that is legit and not a scam. It is, for this reason, that it is good to check out some lists of the best root applications for Android so you can download some favorite apps that we already know and trust instead of just roaming the Google Play Store freely and choosing anything that you come across that you think looks cool.

Once you understand how SuperSU works, it is time to confirm that you do have the root access to the internal system by installing one of the many root checker applications that are available out there for you to run. When the root checker application can confirm the root status of the smartphone, it is time to check out what things can be done with a rooted Android operating system. Remember that root access is usually all about installing apps and it is what you can do with those apps that are most attractive. There are some powerful apps available now that can help you with the battery, Remove the system apps, change the frequency of the CPU and GPU, change the design and UI, enhance your music experience with the speaker and a great deal more.

Moreover, those who checked the root status and were not so lucky can try to solve why that is so the device gets rooted correctly. There are a couple of common things that you can try before you search around the web for answers. The first common issue is if the device did not get into the recovery mode like it was supposed to during the rooting process. That can be fixed by waiting until you see the message on the display saying that it is going to reboot in ten seconds and then when it does reboot hold down the hardware button combination for the recovery mode. That will boot into the recovery mode manually, and it should result in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone being rooted just like all the other times.

Furthermore, another thing you can try if you are looking for ideas is installing different versions of the Odin flashing application. The Odin flashing application is made by Samsung but was never officially released and as such, there is no changelog along with the unique versions of the app. Chainfire bundles in a version of the Odin flashing application (Odin 3.10) but that does not necessarily work for every device perfectly. He just puts it there to help you get started. If you are finding your device is not getting rooted then try another version that comes with another number and see if that flashes better.

Lastly, if all else fails, you can head over to the Sam Mobile website and try installing another firmware version instead. You can flash the firmware the same way you flash the rooting file using the Odin flashing tool and with the same settings. Once you know how to use the firmware section of the Sam Mobile site, it can help you run a firmware that gets rooted easier. Anyone with a device that is SIM unlocked has advantages when it comes to installing the firmware. The SIM unlocked people can install firmware from other phone carrier networks as long as it is still the same model number. Those who do not have an unlocked device will need to install firmware from the same phone carrier network and the same model number. Everyone must always install firmware from the same model number, or it will brick the device until you get the right stock ROM flashed correctly again. Once you have a new firmware version, try flashing the rooting file again and see if that helps.

CF-Auto-Root on XDA-Developers

Chainfire, the developer of the CF-Auto-Root tool available in this guide, has created a CF-Auto-Root tool thread on the XDA-Develoeprs website. You can use the CF-Auto-Root thread on the XDA-Developers site for requesting new root methods for devices that are not currently available.

Encryption

Note that flashing a CF-Auto-Root file (regardless of the device) wipes the data if the device storage is encrypted. For everyone else, there should be no data loss when rooting with the CF-Auto-Root tool.

Samsung’s Knox security

Some smartphones and tablets in the Samsung range come with Samsung’s Knox security. The CF-Auto-Root tool trips Knox which prevents you from unrooting and using the warranty again.

Flash counters

Any device with a target flash counter is triggered when using the CF-Auto-Root tool. Chainfire’s Triangle Away supports many devices for this problem.