Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Rooting is the final to get started with customizing an Android device as that is when you can actually begin to customize the elements on your device. Without root, the stock ROM on your phone will not allow you to modify any of the system files which results in less options for customization.

If you could remove that hurdle that is put in by the stock ROM, you can customize your phone to a greater extent. Root is what allows you to remove all of the restrictions imposed by the stock ROM and allows you to then modify whatever part of the phone you want. It could be the boot animation on your phone that you do not like and wish to replace it, or whatever it is, once you are rooted, you can change it.

Motorola Moto G4

Gaining root access on the Motorola Moto G4 is actually a three-stage process. The first stage deals with unlocking the bootloader on the phone so that a custom recovery can be flashed. The second stage then flashes a custom recovery on the phone replacing the stock recovery.

The third stage is described in the following tutorial which flashes SuperSU on the phone to gain root. Once this one is done, you will have the ability to modify almost all the elements on your phone without any restrictions.

So, without further ado, here’s how to root your Motorola Moto G4 using SuperSU:

Details We Should Know

  1. You must have unlocked the bootloader on your phone before you can do this tutorial. If you have not done so yet, head to our how to unlock the bootloader on the Motorola Moto G4 tutorial and do so.
  2. You must have a custom recovery installed on the Motorola Moto G4 phone before you can root the phone. If you do not have a custom recovery, head to our how to install a custom recovery on the Motorola Moto G4 tutorial and flash one on your phone.
  3. This tutorial flashes SuperSU on the phone to achieve root access.
  4. The following tutorial uses flashing steps for TWRP. In case you have ClockworkMod or any other recovery on your phone, you will want to make the changes in the steps by yourself.

Files We Need

  1. Download SuperSU and save it to your computer. Do NOT extract the file as it must be in its original format for it to be flashed using a custom recovery.

Rooting the Motorola Moto G4 running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates

  1. Plug in your phone to your computer using a compatible USB cable. Ensure your phone can receive files from your computer.
  2. Copy SuperSU .zip from your computer over to the internal SD card storage on your phone.
  3. Place the file in the root folder so that you can find it easily when you flash it.
  4. When SuperSU .zip is copied to your phone, unplug your phone from your computer.
  5. Turn off your phone completely using the Power button.
  6. Turn your phone back on in TWRP Recovery mode. To do that, hold down Volume UP and Power buttons together for a few seconds.
  7. Your phone should reboot into the TWRP Recovery mode.
  8. Before you go ahead and flash SuperSU, you will need to run a command through the Terminal in the recovery. To do that, tap on Advanced in the recovery menu.
  9. When the recovery’s advanced menu launches, tap on the Terminal option so that you can execute a command on your phone.
  10. When Terminal launches in the recovery mode, type in the following command and press Enter:
    echo SYSTEMLESS=true>>/data/.supersu
  11. You will not get a confirmation or anything on your screen but the command has been successfully executed.
  12. Now return to the main menu of the recovery mode.
  13. Tap on Install in the main menu to select a file to be installed on your phone.
  14. Navigate to your internal SD card storage and find and select SuperSU .zip to be installed on your phone.
  15. When you have selected the file, tap on Swipe to Confirm Flash to flash the file on the phone.
  16. Wait for TWRP to flash SuperSU on your phone. It should only take a few seconds to do that.
    When TWRP’s done flashing SuperSU, you need to reboot your phone for the changes to take effect. You can do that by tapping Reboot followed by System in the recovery menu and your phone should reboot.
  17. Allow your phone to reboot.

Congratulations, your Motorola Moto G4 is now rooted and has a custom recovery. Rooting the Motorola Moto G4 smartphone when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates is going to allow people to install more apps. The additional applications that can be installed are what we call root apps, and they can range from anything between the Titanium Backup app to Viper4Android that enhances the sound for the music we might enjoy. The Google Play Store plays host to most of these extra apps, but there is no easy way to find them. People need to research what the apps are and then search for those app names. Anyone in need of some ideas can check out what we think are the top root applications for people to install on the Android operating system and pick the ones they like. That'[s not the list of every root app–there are thousands available for people to install.

Now go ahead and get your favorite goodies running on your phone, or check out our guide that gives you ideas on what can be done with a rooted Android phone.

Let us know how this went for you in the comments below!

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