Anyone who has ever tried to root a Samsung device has no doubt come across the CF-Root method by popular developer Chainfire, which, known as CF-Auto-Root these days, roots devices quickly and in a simple manner without much hubbub. Now, Chainfire has released CF-Auto-Root for the Nexus 4, which will let your root your new and shiny Nexus smartphone easily and quickly with almost zero input from your side.

The guide below will walk you through the necessary steps for rooting the Nexus 4 with CF-Auto-Root. The procedure is completely safe, though it will wipe all data on your device as its bootloader needs to be unlocked before rooting, so you will need to backup important files and apps.

Read on to find out how the Nexus 4 can be rooted using CF-Auto-Root.

Compatibility

This guide is applicable only for the LG Nexus 4. Do not try this on any other device.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Root Nexus 4 with CF-Auto-Root

  1. Rooting your Nexus 4 will unlock its bootloader, which will wipe all the data from your phone, including personal files on the storage, so you should back them up before proceeding. First, backup installed apps and personal data such as contacts, messages, bookmarks, etc, by referring to our Android Backup Guide for help. Then, copy everything from the SD card to your computer, which will also include the apps and data you backed up.
    NOTE: If your phone’s bootloader is already unlocked, no data will be wiped and you can skip backup of data.
  2. Download and install the Android SDK → from here. This will install the necessary drivers for the phone on your computer. Remember that even though your Nexus 4’s storage shows up on the computer when you connect it, the Android SDK drivers are separate and are required for the rooting process.
  3. Download the CF-Auto-Root package from the source page.
  4. Extract the contents of the CF-Auto-Root file to a convenient location on your computer.
  5. Turn off your Nexus 4. Then, boot into fastboot mode by holding down the Volume down and Power buttons together till the screen turns on and shows “Start” written in big green letters.
  6. Then, connect your Nexus 4 to the computer with your USB cable, then wait for Windows to finish installing the drivers (drivers will be installed only the first time). For reliability, ensure that you use a USB port at the back if you are using a desktop computer, as the front panel ports can be loose and cause problems.
  7. Head to the folder where you extracted the CF-Auto-Root files, then double-click on the “root-windows” file to start up the root program.
  8. Before proceeding, make sure you took a backup as explained in step 1. Then, press any key to start the rooting procedure.
  9. At one point, the phone will reboot and show a red Android logo while it is being rooted. Once the procedure is complete, the phone will boot up normally and if you didn’t have an unlocked bootloader before rooting, all data would have been wiped.
  10. NOTE: After rooting, check in your phone whether an app named “SuperSU” is installed, which is the app that allows you to grant root access to any app that asks for root. If the app isn’t visible in your device’s apps list, then it was probably not installed during the rooting procedure. In that case, simply install SuperSU from the Play Store yourself.

Your Nexus 4 has now been rooted, thanks to the extremely simple to use CF-Auto-Root. Any app that needs root access to work can now be used, after granting it root access when asked. Enjoy!