How To Root a Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P, & 7

There are many advantages to rooting a Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P, and 7 devices. Some of the benefits of rooting include getting access to exclusive root-only apps, having the ability to flash any customized version of the OS, and even overclock the CPU using a custom kernel.

Root lets you make changes to the very core system of your device making it a truly customizable phone you’ve ever had. There are certain procedures you need to follow to gain root on your devices.

Root a Nexus 5 & Install a Custom Recovery On It

• Download CF-Root for Nexus 5 and extract it to your computer.
• Turn off your phone.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time to reboot into the bootloader mode.
• Double-click on root-windows.bat in the CF-Root folder and it’ll root your device.
• Once your device is rooted, head over to the Google Play Store and download and install TWRP Recovery app on your phone.
• Tap on TWRP Flash on the main interface.

• Select your device and TWRP file. Then tap on Flash to Recovery.

• Reboot your device when the recovery is flashed.

You’re now rooted and have a custom recovery installed on your Nexus 5.

Root a Nexus 5X

Unlock Bootloader:

• Go to Settings > Developer options and enable both USB debugging and OEM unlocking.

• Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
• Download Fastboot and extract it to your computer.
• Open the Fastboot folder, hold down Shift, right-click anywhere blank, and select Open command window here.

• Run the following commands hitting Enter after each line.

  adb reboot bootloader
  fastboot oem unlock

• Then run the following command to reboot your phone.

  fastboot reboot

Flash TWRP Recovery:

• Download TWRP Recovery IMG file and save it in the Fastboot folder.
• Open Settings > Developer options and enable USB debugging.
• Run the following command in Command Prompt.

  adb reboot bootloader

• Type the following and hit Enter to flash TWRP recovery. Replace twrp.img with your actual file’s name.

  fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

• Reboot your phone.

Root a Nexus 5X:

• Download SuperSU and transfer it to your phone.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power buttons together. Then select Recovery from the menu on your screen.
• Tap on Install and install the SuperSU file.

• You’re rooted.

Root a Nexus 6

Unlock Bootloader:

• Go to Settings > Developer options and turn on both OEM unlocking and USB debugging.

• Connect your phone to your computer.
• Download Fastboot and extract it.
• Open the Fastboot folder, press and hold down Shift, right-click on any blank space, and select Open command window here.

• Run the following command when Command Prompt launches.

  adb reboot bootloader

• Use the following command to unlock your bootloader.

  fastboot oem unlock

• Use the following to reboot your device.

  fastboot reboot

Root a Nexus 6:

• Download CF-Root for Nexus 6 and extract it to your computer.
• Turn off your phone.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power buttons to boot into the bootloader mode.
• Connect the phone to your computer.
• Run the file named root-windows.bat from the CF-Root folder.
• You’re now rooted.

Install a Custom Recovery:

• Download TWRP Recovery and save it in the Fastboot folder.
• Enable USB debugging from Settings > Developer options on your phone.
• Run the following command to boot into the bootloader.

  adb reboot bootloader

• Use the following command to flash the recovery. Replace twrp.img with the actual file’s name.

  fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

Root a Nexus 6P

Unlock Bootloader:

• On your phone, go to Settings > Developer options and turn on both OEM unlocking and USB debugging.

• Plug-in your phone to your computer via a USB cable.
• Download and extract Fastboot on your computer.
• Launch the Fastboot folder, press and hold down Shift, right-click anywhere on your screen, and select Open command window here.

• Run the following commands to unlock your bootloader.

  adb reboot bootloader
  fastboot flashing unlock

• Use this command to reboot your phone.

  fastboot reboot

Flash a Custom Recovery:

• Download TWRP Recovery for Nexus 6P and save it to the Fastboot folder.
• Enable USB debugging from Settings > Developer options on your phone.
• Connect your phone to your computer.
• Run the following command in Command Prompt.

  adb reboot bootloader

• Use the following command to install the recovery. Make sure to replace twrp.img with the original name of your file.

  fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

Root a Nexus 6P:

• Download SuperSU and move it to your phone.
• Power off your phone.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power buttons to reboot into the bootloader mode. Then select Recovery.
• Tap on Install and install the SuperSU file.

• You’re rooted.

Root a Nexus 7 & Install a Custom Recovery On It

• Download CF-Root for Nexus 7 and extract it.
• Turn off your phone.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power.
• Plug-in your phone to your computer.
• Run root-windows.bat from the CF-Root folder.
• You’re rooted.
• Download and install TWRP Recovery app.
• Tap on TWRP Flash.

• Select your device and tap on Flash to Recovery.

Unroot a Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P, & 7

• Download the factory image for your phone and extract it to your computer.
• Turn off your Nexus device.
• Press and hold down Volume Down and Power buttons to reboot into the bootloader mode.
• Launch a Command Prompt window in the unzipped factory image folder and run the following command:

  flash-all.bat

• Wait for it to flash the stock firmware on your phone.
• When the firmware is flashed, run the following command to relock your phone’s bootloader.

  fastboot oem lock

• You’re now back to the unrooted stock firmware for your Nexus phone.