For those of your trying to root your Droid Razr (or Droid 3, Droid 4, Droid Bionic), here’s how to root it on the latest Gingerbread Android 2.3.6. (It should also work on all versions of Gingerbread. If you are on an older version and for some reason it didn’t work, you can follow the older root method).
UPDATE: ICS ROOT METHOD IS HERE!!!
Also, this is completely safe to do, at the worst you will have no root but should root your device so long as you are on Gingerbread.
Step 1. Go to Settings->Development->Applications and make sure “USB Debugging” is checked ON. Then connect your phone to your computer via micro-USB cable. Also make sure the USB Mode is set to “Charge Only” after you connect.
Step 2. Make sure you have Motorola drivers installed if you are using Windows (no drivers required for Mac and Linux). You can verify by going to device manager and seeing “Mot Composite ADB Interface” or something similar to it. (You can download Motorola Drivers here.)
Step 3. Download motofail_windows.zip for Windows and motofail_linux_osx.zip for Linux or Mac:
Download motofail_windows.zip
Download motofail_linux_osx.zip
Step 4. Unzip the file you download and double-click on run.bat for Windows and type “./run.sh” for Mac or Linux in terminal.
Step 5. After about 3 reboots, you should get “Exploit complete” and your phone should have root, Superuser app, and busybox installed.
Step 6. Congrats! Pat yourself on the back and tell 10 of your best friends about it.
Credits – Dan Rosenburg
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You will need a rooted Droid Razr to install all ROM/kernels.
NOTE: PLEASE ONLY INSTALL ROMS INTENDED FOR YOUR VERSION OF Droid Razr! Otherwise you WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE and I will not be responsible! ALL ROMs on this site are ONLY for Verizon Droid Razr!
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Is there any way to verify if the root worked? All i got was superuser and its just blank.. Either way though, you guys rock and thanks for putting the time in so we can have our phones the way we are supposed to!
Nevermind, I watched the video and got the Wi-Fi and it is AM-AZING!!! Thanks again man SO AWESOME!!!! MY PHONE IS FINALLY FREEEEEEEE!
I just got my razr maxx today, I am trying to follow these instructions but I keep getting ‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command. I am kind of a noob, but I did follow the directions and got the fail. What am I doing wrong?
I keep getting the same thing. I updated drivers updated my operating system on my phone and triple checked everything to make sure that it is working but it hit enter on the command prompt and it won’t root it.
SOMEHOW. I got it to work. The only thing I did differently is to extract the files to my desktop. Besides that I can’t offer anymore advice it may have been a fluke or pure dumb luck.
yeah, seems that you need to upzip all the files on desktop…
If you’re doing this on linux, make sure you run the command as a superuser, e.g. “sudo ./run.sh”. That took me a few minutes to figure out.
Good point. If you’re getting a message like the following:
error: insufficient permissions for device
after waiting a long time at this screen:
[*]
[*] Motofail: Universal Motorola Gingerbread Root Exploit (Linux version)
[*] by Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*]
[*] Tested on Droid 3, Droid Bionic, Droid RAZR, and Droid 4
[*]
[*] Before continuing, ensure USB debugging is enabled and that your phone
[*] is connected via USB.
[*]
[*] Press enter to root your phone…
[*]
[*] Waiting for device…
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
It’s because you haven’t logged in as the superuser. I took that step, and it worked exactly as described. Takes a root to make a root, I guess.
Thanks to the OP and the Motofail author, Dan Rosenburg, for freeing up our phones!
how do you unroot when you use this method?
I followed all of the steps and think that it worked for me. However, it only installed superuser and not busybots. What does this program do and do I need it? If so, is there a way for me to instlall it on my phone by itself or do I need to do the whole process over?
I downloaded superuser and I dont know how it works. Can someone please tell me how it works and what it does
Getting an error that says adb server out of date killing. Any suggestions?
Thank you very much for that! i’m using droid razr 2.3.5 and it worked very fine i have nothing to say, too much easy and clear information about the process… i’ll recommend it for my friends… i rooted my phone to grant access on apps that can underclock ur cpu , beacuse droid razr spends too much energy even in standby state… thank you so much again
it doesnt run for me i did everything accoridng to your instructions it doesnt give me root access i have 2.3.6 android running. please help me thank you
[*]
[*] Motofail: Universal Motorola Android Root Exploit (Windows version)
[*] by Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*]
[*] Tested on Droid 3, Droid Bionic, Droid RAZR, and Droid 4
[*]
[*] Before continuing, ensure USB debugging is enabled, that you
[*] have the latest Motorola drivers installed, and that your phone
[*] is connected via USB.
[*]
[*] Press enter to root your phone…
Press any key to continue . . .
[*]
[*] Waiting for device…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Device found.
[*] Deploying payload…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Owning phone…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Rebooting device…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Waiting for phone to reboot.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Attemping persistence…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Cleaning up…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Rebooting…
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[*] Exploit complete!
[*] Press any key to exit.
Press any key to continue . . .
above is what i get…
im so pissed. how the fuck do you unzip a file and reboot what three times? fucking instructions. damn.
If you do not know how to unzip a file, then you do not need to root your phone because you would not know how to need to underclock or to wireless tether. Also, you should go to school again because apparently, you do NOT know how to follow directions.
Yes, also nice to finally meet you Mr. Cooper.
Does anyone know if this root will work for 2.3.6 system 6.12.181.xt912.verizon.en.us?
yes it does …
You have to extract the file to the desktop and it will work….
I can’t seem to figure it out I’m using a Mac. I get to the terminal type the command you have provided then it says “directory or file does not exist.”
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
after rooting maxx won’t take the 181ota update and i really don’t want to unroot and put the phone back to original setup. even though backed-up with tu and ota rootkeeper. its just too much with email accounts
I rooted it succesfully…i think…is there a way to tell? How do I get the hotspot working? What things can I do not that I could not do before I rooted? thx!
You will know that its rooted because you will have superuser app installed. You get the hotspot working by going to google play(android market) and installing an app called wireless tether and after you have it installed and after you start the app, a popup will popup and it will ask whether to grant the app superuser permissions. Click yes. After that, you can just turn on the wireless tether and be done. You can also go to google play and install different apps that require root access, which you have now. Different apps such as Adfree, which takes all ads off your phone. Also, apps such as CPU Tuner that allows you to underclock, or speed your phone up. You can also install screenshot apps to take screenshots. And, Titanium Backup which allows you to back up all files, that way if you do something crazy and factory reset your phone, you can always get everything back to the way it was without waiting. Happy rooting!
I updated my firmware for my Droid razr 2 days ago via the OTC update and now when I try this root method I’m getting the error message
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
It worked flawlessly before the update. Does this not work with the update? Yes the moto drivers are installed, yes I have set to debugging, etc…
HELP!
make sure you open it with windows explorer or the system you use…dont use winrar or anything like that…at least thats what i did when i got that message
My Razr came stock with 6.12.181. is rooting the same as the video above or is there something different I need to do?
Hey Zeto,
I have seen a great tool for the Razr, It’s called (Droid Utility) It has all the possibilities to repair your device from any possibility. There is no need of safeboot simply due to this tool can always get you back to start. They recommend using bootstrap. I got the tool from (www.droidrzr.com). I would like to see you do one of your great videos with this tool. There is someone on YouTube goes by (nat3mil) who does a few small videos and one of them has something to do with the tool (Droid Utility). I am very surprised you have not done something with it yet.
Keep up the Great Work,
Vinny
Will this work with System version 6.12.181.XT912?
i’m runing system verison 6.12.181.xt912 and unable to root my phone.
I have had my phone about a month, and days after getting it, an OTA hit. I am also running 6.12.181.xt912 now, and UNABLE to root phone. Are we sure this works for .181?
I’m an idiot…Sorry! Worked like a champ. NICE!! THANK YOU!!!
Love the root, and the phone. I know in your vid you say that your not a big fan of the Moto phones but this Razr is really nice, the only downside is the battery which can be handled through good CPU management.
Again, great work and thank you for the easy root on my new phone.
-Tim
Can someone confirm that this works on 6.12.181 system version?
Yes, this does work on 6.12.181. I just did it.
Thanks a bunch!
my phone is showing motorola ADB interface in the device manager as not being found. i installed all the motorola drivers and motohelp and the adb in the download you showed us with motofail. windows update cant find a driver either. help please!
Also, i tried extracting all files to desktop, still didnt work
I would just like to first off say great job on the awesome and detailed videos and instructions. I have never rooted a phone nor even tried to mess this much with a one before. I am so glad that I stumbled across your website when I got my Droid Razr a week ago. You have helped so much and I look forward to more quality (and easily understood) videos as you help push forward the Android movement and help unlock the full potential of our phones.
P.S…. Before I found your youtube channel and watched your explanation of why Android trumps iPhone, I was seriously thinking of switching after my 14 day trial of the Razr… Not anymore!
Also…. I’m on the mailing list now correct? Or is there a separate link to follow? I looked around for it, but did not see a thing. Anyways, I’m gonna get back to being high on Android!
To everyone above, i had 438 errors the first few times i ran it.
I now have it working because i extracted the motofail using windows explorer, then when running the file select extract all
i started the script on mac osx and got this:
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
But then nothing happens after that for any length of time. I followed the instructions ‘to the T’ and triple checked everything. Any suggestions?
Have the motorola drivers installed on your computer?
I’m using osx snow leopard. the directions say drivers are for windows only
Sometimes OSX can have some problems with drivers too with kext. Not sure exactly what the problem is but I will do another video using an OSX to clear some of this up.
I ran into this same problem using Ubuntu. Problem was solved in Ubuntu by running
sudo ./run.sh
Will this root work for 6.12.173XT912.Verizon.en.US?
When i insert ./run.sh “No such file or directory” pops up.
Any suggestions??
Thanks
can anybody make a video on how to unzip the file?
REALLY!? YouTube…
went thru every step in tutorial but when i run run.bat it says adb internal or external is not found can someone help plus double checked device manager on computer and moto adb is there so dont know what the issue is.
It worked for me…thank you!
Worked great for my 6.12.181.xt912. THANK YOU!!!
Can you please post video of this on Mac. I am unable to get this to do anything. In Terminal I just keep getting “command not found” or “no such file or directory exists”
Why does it get stuck on finding the device someone help
Okay confused I am also running 6.12.181.XT912 but have had several failed attempts at rooting my phone. I have followed the instructions to the T and still no luck, any suggestions?? No super user no root nothing (mot comp adp) GRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Zubie
Thanks man! Your guide’s easy to read and works!
thx man!! works great
./run.sh: line 57: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Device found.
[*] Deploying payload…
./run.sh: line 62: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 63: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Owning phone…
./run.sh: line 66: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Rebooting device…
./run.sh: line 69: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Waiting for phone to reboot.
./run.sh: line 72: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Attemping persistence…
./run.sh: line 75: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 76: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 77: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 78: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 79: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 80: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 81: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 82: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Cleaning up…
./run.sh: line 85: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 86: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Rebooting…
./run.sh: line 89: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
./run.sh: line 90: ./adb.osx: No such file or directory
[*] Exploit complete!
[*] Press any key to exit.
any thoughts on what i’m doing wrong?
figured it out – had to unzip into root directory.
Didn’t work for me. Can anyone help me figure out what went wrong?
[*]
[*] Motofail: Universal Motorola Gingerbread Root Exploit (OS X version)
[*] by Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*]
[*] Tested on Droid 3, Droid Bionic, Droid RAZR, and Droid 4
[*]
[*] Before continuing, ensure USB debugging is enabled and that your phone
[*] is connected via USB.
[*]
[*] Press enter to root your phone…
[*]
[*] Waiting for device…
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
[*] Device found.
[*] Deploying payload…
885 KB/s (501292 bytes in 0.552s)
[*] Owning phone…
[*] Motofail: Universal Motorola Android Root Exploit
[*] Copyright (c) 2012 Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*] Exploit complete.
[*] Rebooting device…
[*] Waiting for phone to reboot.
[*] Attemping persistence…
remount failed: Operation not permitted
failed to copy ‘su’ to ‘/system/bin/su’: Read-only file system
Unable to chmod /system/bin/su: Read-only file system
link failed File exists
failed to copy ‘busybox’ to ‘/system/xbin/busybox’: Read-only file system
Unable to chmod /system/xbin/busybox: Read-only file system
failed to copy ‘Superuser.apk’ to ‘/system/app/Superuser.apk’: Read-only file system
[*] Cleaning up…
[*] Motofail: Universal Motorola Android Root Exploit
[*] Copyright (c) 2012 Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*] Exploit complete.
[*] Rebooting…
[*] Exploit complete!
[*] Press any key to exit.
I currently have Android Version 2.3.6 with System version 6.12.181.XT912 and this is what happens when I run this.
—————————————————————
Easy rooting toolkit (v2.0)
created by DooMLoRD
Modified by Frasertag
using exploit zergRush (Revolutionary Team)
Credits go to all those involved in making this possible!
—————————————————————
[*] This script will:
(1) root ur device using latest zergRush exploit (10 Nov)
(2) install Busybox (1.18.4)
(3) install SU files (binary: 3.0.3 and apk: 3.0.6)
[*] Before u begin:
(1) make sure u have installed adb drivers for ur device
(2) enable “USB DEBUGGING”
from (Menu\Settings\Applications\Development)
(3) enable “UNKNOWN SOURCES”
from (Menu\Settings\Applications)
(4) [OPTIONAL] increase screen timeout to 10 minutes
(5) connect USB cable to PHONE and then connect to PC
(6) skip “PC Companion Software” prompt on device
—————————————————————
CONFIRM ALL THE ABOVE THEN
Press any key to continue . . .
— STARTING —-
— WAITING FOR DEVICE
— cleaning
rm failed for *, No such file or directory
— pushing zergRush”
1250 KB/s (23056 bytes in 0.018s)
— correcting permissions
— executing zergRush
[**] Zerg rush – Android 2.2/2.3 local root
[**] (C) 2011 Revolutionary. All rights reserved.
[**] Parts of code from Gingerbreak, (C) 2010-2011 The Android Exploid Crew.
[+] Found a GingerBread ! 0×00019118
[*] Scooting …
[*] Sending 149 zerglings …
[*] Sending 189 zerglings …
[-] Hellions with BLUE flames !
— WAITING FOR DEVICE TO RECONNECT
if it gets stuck over here for a long time then try:
disconnect usb cable and reconnect it
toggle “USB DEBUGGING” (first disable it then enable it)
— DEVICE FOUND
— pushing busybox
2070 KB/s (1075144 bytes in 0.507s)
— correcting permissions
— remounting /system
mount: permission denied (are you root?)
— copying busybox to /system/xbin/
/system/xbin/busybox: cannot open for write: Read-only file system
— correcting ownership
Unable to chmod /system/xbin/busybox: No such file or directory
— correcting permissions
Unable to chmod /system/xbin/busybox: No such file or directory
— installing busybox
/system/xbin/busybox: not found
— pushing SU binary
failed to copy ‘files\su’ to ‘/system/bin/su’: Read-only file system
— correcting ownership
Unable to chmod /system/bin/su: No such file or directory
— correcting permissions
Unable to chmod /system/bin/su: No such file or directory
— correcting symlinks
rm failed for /system/xbin/su, Read-only file system
link failed Read-only file system
— pushing Superuser app
failed to copy ‘files\Superuser.apk’ to ‘/system/app/./Superuser.apk’: Read-only
file system
— cleaning
— rebooting
— WAITING FOR DEVICE
ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Sorry my razr is currently in semi brick mode but you can try the latest bionic root method here, should work on the latest razr: http://droidbionicroot.com/droid-bionic-root/how-to-root-droid-bionic-new/
It’s safe to do at the worst u won’t get root.
I believe I had a similar problem on couple of scripts and it actually turned out to be the device drivers.
I had accepted the OTA update from Verizon to 6.12.181.XT912 a couple months before deciding to root my Motorola Droid Razr. I was getting mixed signals if the motofail exploit would work on this build. I eventually said the heck with it and decided to follow the instructions to the letter on this page. I am pleased to say that I am rooted and that was super easy. Kudos to those involved with this build!
Man you are awesome! I was on the iphone band wagon and ended up getting razr maxx, what an awesome device, but with root its even better. I will definately recommend this site to fellow razr users!
Question, Do you lose any phonebook info or other stuff when you Root you Razr Max. Also, what happens when Verizon updates like ICS. I want to get free tethering is why I want to root the phone in the the first place, but dont want to have to do a lot of of manual updates.
Thanks
The error message adb isn’t recognized as an internal or external command. Drivers are up to date. Any suggestions?
EVERY MAC USER WHO IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH TERMINAL:
Make sure that you type “cd desktop” into terminal before you try to run “run.sh”
I struggled with this for a bit, but it should work for you!
-Alec
#1 I want to root my phone for the latest Androind Update [Android 2.3.6][6.12.181]
#2 My pc was attacked when downloading 7ZIP 4.2 and the program has attached to it a ton of unecessary software kind of like a Bill in the federal government.
Please let me know when I can root my updated version, and without using 7ZIP 4.2
Thank You Very Muc For All You Do,
Mike
7zip is a program that allows you to open .zip and other files that are compressed, it is not required for the rooting process. I would recommend winrar, it does just what 7zip and doesnt come with a buch of extra stuff in the download.
I have rooted and it works great. Now what happens since Ice Cream Sandwich is out now for the Droid Razr. Do I unroot or wait for a rooted ICS? Does anybody know?
Use Voodoo OTA RootKeeper to backup the su command before the update. Once it’s updated, use rootkeeper to restore your root access. Worked like a charm for me. The only niggling bits is that I had to reinstall busybox from the app store and superuser needed to change the permissions on su.
When I try to unzip using free version of Stuffit Expander that came with the Lion OS, I get “The Stuffit Engine was unable to determine the file format.”
If I use BetterZip, I get “This archive appears to be damaged”
If I use WinZip Mac, I get “Fatal error: End-of-central-directory signature not found. Either this file is not a Zip file, or it constitutes one disc of a multi-part Zip file.
I see others showing success. Damned Lion OS.
Oh yes. Note to self. Do not right-click on above link to zip file and Save Link As. Actually click the link to get to the Download file. Works now. Dumb arse…
Im extremely confused, and i dont think i really even need to do this. All i want to do is to be able to use a ps3 sixaxis controller with my razr. I was told i have to root my phone. Can someone help me if they know any easier way to use a ps3 controller or if i have to root my razr. please help!!
Does anyone have a link to get motofail_windows.zip? I went to one site but it downloaded iLividsetupV1.exe instead???
Thanks for everyone’s help.
Brent
Don’t know if you still need it, but i should be on 4Shared now.
How can I root my phone after the new update to ICS which is now available
Any suggestions on how to unroot, upgrade to ICS and then re-root?
working on it.
Awesome sauce. Waiting with bated breath…
FYI, My problem was that even after “unrooting”, I kept getting failures on install after download. I ended up calling Verizon, being connected to Motorola, and back to Verizon to send me another phone. That evening, I SBF’d back to original image, and then performed OTA updates, and ended up on ICS.
I still went ahead and did the one OTA update to ICS on the new phone and sending my original (2 mo old) phone back.
CORRECTION, Phone must be in Sync mode for this to work, NOT charge only mode
I just used this tool to root my droid 4 Gingerbread (2.3.6) SV 6.13.219XT894Verizon.en.US. It worked perfectly without a glitch. Now I’m just waiting for ICS.
Great root tool and very easy and seamless. Have used other told for other droids and I like the clarity and depth of you site and the support you offer. You might want to add more mention to the other Droids than the one mention.
Thank you!!!!!!!!
Can anyone tell me how to UNROOT my Droid4? I was able to successfully root my phone using this method, but I need to UNROOT it & I’d really rather not do a system reboot. Any help would be appreciated!