Last Updated on January 5, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

These are the instructions to root the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LTE-A with the model number SM-N920W8 running on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Anyone who has not rooted the Galaxy Note 5 LTE-A using the CF-Auto-Root tool will be getting the bootloader unlocked during the guide. You must backup your Note 5’s data before starting the guide to rooting the Note 5 LTE-A device or else you cannot restore that data later.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Files You Need

  1. Download the CF-Auto-Root file for the Note 5 LTE-A device in 5.1.1 from this page.
  2. Download the universal ADB Driver from Koush on this page.
  3. Download the original Odin 1.85 from this page.
  4. The following guide to root the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LTE-A running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is based on the LMY47X.N920W8VLU1AOI1 firmware build number. You do not need to flash the LMY47X.N920W8VLU1AOI1 on your device before using the guide. Chainfire gives that information as an indicator you can use. Some devices in the Samsung range do not boot older images, so use that build number as a guide. The aforesaid firmware build number is only for some regions and not all regions, so it won’t make sense for all of you to flash it on your device.  Furthermore, future software updates can bring new bootloaders and when that happens the device won’t boot when you use the guide. It requires Chainfire to then apply the update when he finds out about that issue. You can reach him from the official CF-Auto-Root thread on XDA Developers.

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LTE-A SM-N920W8 LTE-A running on Android 5.1.1

  1. Download and install the universal ADB Driver on your computer running Windows.
  2. Extract the Odin and the CF-Auto-Root for the Note 5 LTE-A device on the desktop by right-clicking over the files and choosing the “extract here” option from the menu.
  3. Double-click on the Odin executable file on the desktop and the Odin flash tool user-interface will open on the computer.
  4. Enable the Developer Options on your Note 5 LTE-A smartphone by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > Build number at least seven times and it will let you know when you are a developer. Now the Developer Options is enabled.
  5. Enable the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options menu on your Note 5 LTE-A by tapping on the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging Mode.
  6. Tap on the Power button and select the Power Off option from the Device menu.
  7. Boot the Note 5 LTE-A up in download mode by pressing the Home + Power + Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
  8. Release the Home + Power + Volume Down key combination and just press the Volume Up button when it tells you to do that on the smartphone’s display.
  9. Connect the Note 5 LTE-A to the computer with the USB cable you would use for charging the battery.
  10. Look out for the ID: COM port turning green from the Odin user-interface on the computer; this means the ADB Driver is working.
  11. Do not change any of the default settings from the Odin user-interface.
  12. Click the PDA button and browse the desktop for the tar.md5 file for the Note 5 LTE-A CF-Auto-Root file.
  13. Click the Start button when you are ready to root the device.
  14. Wait until the pass message is available from the Odin user-interface.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LTE-A should automatically reboot by itself to recovery mode. The recovery mode is the important ending you must see for the device to get rooted. Those who never see the Note 5 boot into recovery mode should do it manually now by turning off the device and booting by holding the Volume Up + Home + Power button combination.