How to Root the Samsung Galaxy S III

Hola!

Today, I will show you the easiest way to root, install ClockworkMod Recovery and a custom made ROM Utility in one go with CF-Root package. This one was made by an XDA senior developer, Chainfire and this is really a smooth package and is must for all noobs out there. There is no custom kernel installed with this root which means you can use the latest CF-Root for any firmware. This works only for the GT-I9300 Galaxy S3 and not for the GT-I9300T or any other phones. So, be careful while choosing this.

I've already installed the CF-Root on my Dad's Galaxy S3 which runs on the stock ICS 4.0.4 with the latest OTA updates and works perfectly. Even though Chainfire recommended to use his utility, I was also able to use ROM Manager and update the recovery at any time you want to. This doesn't include Busybox but you can install it via Superuser or any other app in the Play Store. As I said before, this one's really simple and you can safely try it. All you need is the package and ODIN or alternatively, you can use mobile ODIN Pro to install the root files. Now, let's get into rooting!

As always, I won't scare you but do this at your own risk. This is a really simple method and rooting very very rarely bricks your phone. However, I'm not responsible in case you bricked your phone by any means whilst the process. If you follow the process perfectly, you will get a clean root. Also, rooting will void your warranty (but who cares?).

1. Download ODIN if you haven't downloaded it yet and the latest CF-Root.

    ODIN 1.85 -- Download

    CF-Root -- Download

2. Extract the CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.zip. You will get a .tar file. Don't extract this one.

3. Now, extract ODIN if you don't have it and open ODIN.

4. Now, click on PDA and select the CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.tar you just extracted and click OK.

5. Now, put your phone into download mode. You can do this by holding Power+Volume Down+Middle Key for a few seconds till it shows a warning screen. Simply press Volume Up button till you get the download mode as shown.

6. Plug your phone into your PC. The first box in ODIN will turn yellow and show COM. If you don't get this, either you haven't installed the drivers required or there is some problem with the connection. If drivers are missing, install Kies and try again.

7. Make sure repartition is not checked. Click the Start Button to start the root.

8. After a while, ODIN will show Pass. Sit back and wait for a few seconds as the codes will scribble down your phone and it finally reboots.

9. Voila! If everything is done perfectly, your phone reboots and if you check your menu, the SuperSU application would be present which shows you are rooted. Also, you can check the root access by opening a root application such as the OTA Rootkeeper or Titanium Backup. Enjoy the new rooted SGS3! :)

That's it. You now have a rooted Galaxy S III and now, you can access all the restricted features of your phone and sintall root access applications like Titanium Backup or SetCPU which allows you to overclock your phone. Moreover, you can install custom ROMs or backup your phone via the ClockworkMod Recovery.

If you encounter any problem while rooting, feel free to ask me via comments. If your phone is not booting, then try doing it all over again or try wiping the cache via the recovery. If you are still having problems, do ask me and I will try to help ASAP. I hope you loved it and I'm anxious to hear your feedbacks. Do rate the post. And my sincere thanks to Chainfire for this awesome package. You can check out the thread by following the sources below. Once again, give feedbacks and post your questions. I will try to dig into more mods and custom ROMs as soon as I tame the device.

Sources: XDA, GalaxyS3Root