Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Android is always a great operating system whether you are the root user on it or not. It is also worth noting that you do not ever need to root an Android operating system that is operating on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone like it is some pre-requisite to be cool. There are two reasons why people root the Android OS: to install applications that do not run unless they are a root user or to install a new ROM or modifying the software in some way. Changing the software is usually done by installing a custom ROM or a custom kernel. A kernel keeps the same look and feels and just tweaks the way the internal settings are set up whereas a new ROM is going to give you an entirely new look the next time you turn on the device.

Naturally, some smartphone carrier networks go out of their way to make rooting the Android operating system a tough task–not that it stops our developers from eventually getting the job done. Still, it is important to understand why these companies do not want people rooting–and it usually has to do with money. The obvious way rooting takes away from their earnings is because rooting the Android OS allows people to uninstall things, and by things we mean system apps. Companies like Samsung continue making money from people well after they buy a device. They do this by altering the stock and pure Android ROM so that it comes to you with a bunch of their services. These are usually apps, and they are also what help separate one company from another. HTC has a different set of stock apps than Samsung and so forth. These root apps can make the companies money, and they install the applications on the system partition where you do not have the ability to remove them–unless you are the root user. The root user can do anything from modifying the system partition to installing anything available from the Google Play Store.

The other reason these companies and phone carrier networks do not always like rooting is that it voids the warranty. Some networks do not need your business, so they have no interest in making you happy. A typical company in the US that falls under that category is Verizon, otherwise known as the Big Red. Verizon smartphones have always been a royal pain to try to become a root user on, and they do this on purpose. When people play with the operating system, you would see the statistics of individuals with problems also beginning to rise and that is another reason why companies like Verizon want nothing to do with a rooted Android because they do not want to deal with your problems.

Notes:

  • Chainfire was running on the MMB29K.N920IDVU2BPD2 firmware build number on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920I when he created the CF-Auto-Root tool found in this guide. You do not need to be running on that same firmware when you use this guide. All you need is to make sure that you have the correct Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with the SM-N920I model number, and it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates.
  • New versions of Android can bring new bootloaders with them, and a new bootloader can temporarily stop the CF-Auto-Root tool from working. That is the reason why we make the rooting guides based on each Android versions. Knowing that, you should have no problem getting this guide to work if your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates. However, if it is not working it might be because there is a new bootloader. Chainfire can fix those problems if people leave the new recovery images found in the new firmware files on the official CF-Auto-Root tool thread on the XDA-Developers website. Chainfire, the developers of the CF-Auto-Root tool, sees people’s messages and then uses the information to update the files. The changes he makes are automatically updated in our guides also because we link directly to the CF-Auto-Root pages that he makes.
  • You must have the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with the SM-N920I model number to use this guide. Flashing the wrong CF-Auto-Root file on the device likely bricks the device.
  • You must have a computer that is running on the Windows operating system to use this guide. The Odin flashing application requires a Windows PC.

Files We Need

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920I on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Start by logging into a Windows computer using the administrators account so the Odin flashing tool can run.
  2. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone if you do not have it unlocked already.
  3. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920I smartphone ss you can connect to the computer and the Odin flashing tool can make some changes to the Android software development.
  4. Extract the rooting file to the desktop of the computer so the Odin flashing tool and the CF-Auto-Root tool is visible on the desktop.
  5. Double-click the mouse or touchpad on the Odin flashing tool file and the flashing tool user interface opens on the desktop.
  6. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920I smartphone into the download mode and connect the phone to the computer with the USB cable.
  7. Look out for a new color coming from the ID: COM port which is usually blue or yellow.
  8. Check for the “added” message appearing on the Odin user interface also.
  9. Do not make any changes to the buttons and default settings that are available from the Odin flashing tool.
  10. Click the AP button from Odin and then browse through to the desktop location for the CF-Auto-Root-noblelte-nobleltedv-smn920i tar.md5 file.
  11. Click the Start button from the Odin app and the rooting of the Android operating system begins.
  12. Have a read of all the information that runs down the screen; it should detect the device, mount the system and the cache, reset the SuperSU, run the SuperSU Installer, then the boot image patcher and the show some important messages on the display.
  13. Wait until you get the last few messages that say it is unmounting the system, cleaning up and then rebooting in ten seconds time.
  14. Check that the green box appears on the Odin flashing application user interface and gives the pass message.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920I smartphone running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates. The versions of the CF-Auto-Root tool for the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates is called a systemless root, and that is because it no longer goes through the /system partition. The difference is that this version can unroot completely just by taking a hard reset which saves you from having to flash ha stock ROM which can take a long time to download from websites such has Sam Mobile depending on your connection and hardware.

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone–or any other smartphone for that matter–is about what applications you can install once it is done. Apps like the Titanium backup app which offers a much better backing up experience are all at your fingertips. Anyone wanting to learn more about root apps can check out our post on the best root applications for the Android operating system and then remember some of the names for the next time you visit the Google Play Store.