How to Root a Google Pixel (Pixel 7–11) with Magisk

Rooting your Pixel gives you full access to the phone, including the modem-level info that normal apps can't see. I rooted my Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 with the steps below, and the same method works on every Pixel from the Pixel 7 through the Pixel 11.

The short version: you unlock the bootloader, patch your phone's init_boot.img file with Magisk, then flash the patched file back onto the phone. This guide uses a Windows PC.

Why I root: with root you can run apps like Network Signal Guru (NSG), which shows the QCI value your carrier assigns your data. That's how you can see your real data priority (more on that in Data Priority Explained).

• Pixel 7, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10: NSG works. These Pixels use Samsung modems.
• Pixel 11: NSG does not work right now. The Pixel 11 switched to a new MediaTek modem that NSG doesn't support yet. Rooting itself still works fine on the Pixel 11.

Before you start: read these warnings

• Unlocking the bootloader wipes your phone. Everything on it gets erased (apps, photos, messages). Back up first.
• Carrier-locked Pixels can't be rooted. If you bought your Pixel from a carrier like Verizon, the OEM unlocking toggle is usually greyed out and can't be turned on. Without it, you can't unlock the bootloader. Pixels bought unlocked from Google (or carrier phones the carrier has fully unlocked) are the ones that work.
• System updates remove root. Every time you install a Google system update (OTA), root goes away. To get it back, repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the file for your new build.
• Banking apps, Google Wallet and Play Integrity can break. Many banking apps detect root or an unlocked bootloader and refuse to open. Google Wallet tap-to-pay and other apps that rely on Play Integrity checks may stop working.
• You'll also see a warning about the unlocked bootloader every time the phone boots. That's normal.

What you need

• A Windows PC (this guide is Windows-only)
• A USB cable that supports data (not a charge-only cable)
• SDK Platform-Tools for Windows (free, from Google): developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools
• Google USB Driver (free, from Google): developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb. You only need it if Windows doesn't detect your phone (see Troubleshooting).
• Your Pixel, charged up, with your data backed up

Step 1: Unlock the bootloader

1. Turn on Developer options. On your phone, go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number 7 times until you see "You are now a developer!"

2. Turn on USB debugging and OEM unlocking. Go to Settings > System > Developer options and turn on USB debugging and OEM unlocking. If OEM unlocking is greyed out, your phone is carrier-locked (see the warnings above).

3. Download Platform Tools. On your PC, download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows from Google's Platform Tools page. Extract the ZIP and open the platform-tools folder. Click the folder's address bar, type cmd and press Enter. A Command Prompt window opens already pointed at the platform-tools folder.

4. Connect your phone. Plug the phone into your PC. On the phone, tap Allow on the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt (check "Always allow from this computer"). Then type this into Command Prompt and press Enter: adb devices Copy

You should see your phone's serial number with the word device next to it. (The Command Prompt screenshots in this guide are examples, so your serial number and file names will be different.)

If it says unauthorized instead of device, you haven't accepted the USB debugging prompt on the phone. Unlock the phone, tap Allow, and run adb devices again.

5. Reboot into the bootloader. Type adb reboot bootloader Copy and press Enter. The phone restarts into the bootloader (fastboot) screen.

6. Unlock the bootloader. Type fastboot flashing unlock Copy and press Enter.

7. Confirm on the phone. Use the volume buttons until it says Unlock the bootloader, then press the power button to select it. Press the power button again to restart the phone. Your phone will factory reset.

8. Set your phone back up. Because the unlock wiped the phone, go through the setup screens again. Then turn Developer options and USB debugging back on (repeat steps 1 and 2 above). You'll need USB debugging again in Step 3.

Step 2: Get your init_boot.img file and patch it with Magisk

To root, you need your phone's init_boot.img file, patched by Magisk. I get it from Google's official OTA file for my exact build, using a free payload extractor. That's the method I tested on both phones. (Google's factory images also contain init_boot.img, but they aren't simpler, so I'm sticking with one method here.)

1. Download the payload extractor. Get the Windows version of the Android OTA payload extractor from GitHub: github.com/tobyxdd/android-ota-payload-extractor. Put it in its own folder on your PC.

2. Find your exact build number. On your phone, go to Settings > About phone and scroll to the bottom to find your Build number.

3. Download the matching OTA file. Go to Google's OTA images page and download the OTA for your exact Pixel model and build number. It must match exactly. A file from the wrong build can stop your phone from booting.

4. Extract init_boot.img. Unzip the OTA file and find payload.bin. Move payload.bin into the same folder as the payload extractor, then drag and drop payload.bin onto the extractor. When it finishes, you'll have a folder of .img files. Find init_boot.img.

5. Copy init_boot.img to your phone. Any method works. I uploaded it to my Google Drive and downloaded it on the phone.

6. Install Magisk. On your phone, download the latest Magisk from the official GitHub: github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk. Go to the Releases section and download the .apk file (v30.7 when I wrote this). Only download Magisk from the official GitHub. If Chrome asks, allow it to install unknown apps, then install the APK.

7. Patch the file. Open the Magisk app, tap Install next to Magisk, choose Select and Patch a File, and pick the init_boot.img you copied over. Tap Let's go. Magisk saves the patched file to your Download folder as magisk_patched-XXXXX_XXXXX.img (the X's are random).

8. Copy the patched file back to your PC. Move the magisk_patched .img file to your PC (Google Drive works again). Save it somewhere easy to find, like the platform-tools folder.

Step 3: Flash the patched file

1. Connect and check. Plug your phone back into the PC and open Command Prompt in the platform-tools folder again (type cmd in the address bar). Type adb devices Copy and make sure your phone shows up as device. Then type adb reboot bootloader Copy to restart into the bootloader.

Once the phone is on the bootloader screen, type fastboot devices Copy. You should see your serial number with fastboot next to it.

2. Flash the patched init_boot. Type the following command with a space at the end, but don't press Enter yet: fastboot flash init_boot Copy

Now drag and drop your magisk_patched-XXXXX_XXXXX.img file into the Command Prompt window. That adds the file path to the end of the command. Press Enter. You should see "Sending" and "Writing" lines that both end in OKAY.

3. Reboot. Type fastboot reboot Copy and press Enter.

Step 4: Check that it worked

When the phone boots back up, open the Magisk app. If root worked, it shows a version number next to Installed (instead of "N/A").

You're done! Your Pixel is rooted. Now you can install apps that need root, like Network Signal Guru, to see your QCI values on a Pixel 7, 9 or 10. (Remember, NSG doesn't support the Pixel 11's MediaTek modem yet.)

Troubleshooting

• adb devices shows "unauthorized": You haven't accepted the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt. Unlock your phone, tap Allow, and run the command again. If the prompt never appears, unplug and replug the cable.
• adb devices shows nothing: Make sure USB debugging is on (after the unlock wipe you have to turn it on again), try a different USB cable or port, and make sure the cable supports data.
• fastboot devices shows nothing (phone is on the bootloader screen): Windows is missing the driver. Download the Google USB Driver and extract it. Open Device Manager, right-click your phone (it may show as "Android" with a yellow warning icon), choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers, and pick the extracted driver folder. Then run fastboot devices again.
• OEM unlocking is greyed out: Your phone is carrier-locked (common with Pixels bought from Verizon). You can't unlock the bootloader on it.
• "'adb' is not recognized" or "'fastboot' is not recognized": Command Prompt isn't open in the platform-tools folder. Open the folder, type cmd in the address bar, and try again.
• Phone won't boot after flashing: The OTA file probably didn't match your build number. Get back to the bootloader screen (hold Power + Volume Down with the phone off) and flash the original, unpatched init_boot.img: type fastboot flash init_boot , drag in the original init_boot.img, and press Enter. Then redo Step 2 with the correct OTA file.

FAQ

Which Pixels does this work on?

The Pixel 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 (including the Pro and other variants), as long as the bootloader can be unlocked. I tested it on my Pixel 10 and Pixel 11.

Can I root a Verizon or other carrier Pixel?

Usually not. Carrier-locked Pixels, like ones bought from Verizon, can't turn on OEM unlocking, so the bootloader can't be unlocked.

Will I lose root when I update my phone?

Yes. System updates remove root. After an update, download the OTA for your new build number and repeat Steps 2 and 3.

Will Google Wallet and banking apps still work?

They may not. Many banking apps, Google Wallet tap-to-pay and apps that use Play Integrity checks detect root or an unlocked bootloader and block you.

How do I unroot?

Flash your original, unpatched init_boot.img using the same fastboot flash init_boot command from Step 3. That removes root. Relocking the bootloader wipes the phone again.

Does Network Signal Guru work on every rooted Pixel?

No. It works on the Pixel 7, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10, which use Samsung modems. It doesn't work on the Pixel 11 right now because of the new MediaTek modem.

Want to know what those QCI values mean for your speeds? Read Data Priority Explained.