A Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone with access to the root file system is like having Sudo access on a Linux computer. Windows and Mac users alike will know it a lot more like administrator permissions. Having those permissions running on a mobile device is important for some applications. Without having full access to the system, many of the great applications available for your device are unable to run.

Apps like the Titanium Backup application are great if you have root access. Backing up is something we are always advised to do with our Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphones, but seldom do we actually do it due to it being an experience that leaves most in turmoil. Titanium makes backing up a breeze and it comes with extra features that allow you to remove apps and not just back them up. Titanium can delete any of the Samsung stock apps and remove them completely from the system so they are no longer acting as bloatware on your device.

Samsung Galaxy S6

These are the guidelines to root Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F running the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software update.

Files You Need

  1. Download the CF-Auto-Root for the SM-G920F on Android 6.0 from this page.
  2. The following guide is intended for the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone with the SM-G920F model number. Do not flash the rooting file found in this guide on any other device or it will likely get bricked. You can find out the model number of your S6 by pointing to the Menu > Settings > About Device > Model Number.

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F running Android 6.0 Marshmallow

  1. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy S6 so you can connect it to the computer and have it working with the Odin flashing tool for flashing your files.
  2. Download the rooting exploit from the files section above and extract the CF-Auto-Root package on the desktop of the computer.
  3. Double-click the Odin downloader app that is on the desktop.
  4. Do not make any changes from the default settings when the Odin user-interface opens.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone in download mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  6. Wait a few moments for the ID: COM port to light up a green color and for the word “added” to be in the message box. Anyone without a device that is detected must install the universal ADB Driver and try again.
  7. Click the AP button and browse the desktop of the computer for the rooting tar.md5 file for the Galaxy A6 SM-G920F smartphone.
  8. Click the Start button.
  9. Wait for the device display to say that it is restoring the stock recovery, cleaning up and rebooting in ten seconds.
  10. The Samsung Galaxy S6 device will now automatically reboot in recovery mode. Any Galaxy S6 that does not reach recovery will now be rooted. You will need to enter recovery mode using the hardware buttons during a first time boot to be rooted if it doesn’t happen automatically for your device.

Anyone confident the drivers are working and the device is connected to the Odin flashing tool should download a different version of the Odin flash tool and try again. Some Samsung devices will not work on some version of Odin and these times are impossible to predict.