Last Updated on July 29, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake

These are the instructions to root the Sony Xperia Arc S smartphone for those running the up to date Android Ice Cream Sandwich update.

All owners can head over to the software update menu from the settings and install the Android 4.0 update so your device is no longer running Android Gingerbread. Once done, you are ready to start this guide.

Sony Xperia Arc S

Files You Need

  1. Download the easy one click rooting for your Arc from this page.
  2. Download the universal ADB Driver by Koushik Dutta from this page, or grab them from their GitHub file.
  3. You are choosing to void the Sony warranty when you follow this guide and root the Sony Xperia Arc S smartphone. You can get the warranty back again by unrooting the device. You can usually unroot Sony devices by flashing the stock ROM with the Sony Flash Tool.
  4. You must have a Windows PC to follow this guide when rooting the Arc S smartphone. You cannot root the Arc using this guide from a Linux, Ubuntu or Mac computer.

Rooting the Sony Xperia Arc S

  1. Start by turning on the USB Debugging Mode from the Arc’s settings by tapping on the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging Mode. Those who do not see the Developer Options after scrolling down the settings list will need to unlock the hidden Developer Options menu. Do that by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > Tap the build number 7 times.
  2. Next up is the Unknown Sources option. Enable that now by tapping on the Menu > Settings > Security > Unknown Sources.
  3. Install your universal ADB Driver on the Windows computer.
  4. Download and extract the rooting package from the link above to your desktop. You can drag the file from its default download location which is usually the downloads folder on a Windows PC and shift it over to the desktop that way. Now extract it by right-clicking over the file and choosing the option that says “extract here”.
  5. Double-click and run the rooting script — you will see the run.bat file.
  6. Connect the Xperia Arc S device to the computer using the USB cable.
  7. The rooting script you clicked earlier should now detect your device if the drivers are installed. Follow the on-screen commands to complete the rooting procedure.
  8. When you know you are done after it tells you on the display, reboot your smartphone before you attempt installing your root-requiring apps or installing a custom recovery.

Head over to the Google Play Store once your device reboots and install the basic version of the root checker app. We recommend that basic version mainly because it’s free, but you are welcome to install any paid version if you want to try another app, or if you want to use more features.

Head over to your Arc’s app drawer and tap on the root checker app. Agree to allow the Superuser access, or agree to update the binaries if you are prompted to do either of those.