How to root Nexus 4 in 3 easy steps

Prerequisites to root Nexus 4:

1. Configure USB drivers. You can install drivers using one of these toolkits – WugFresh’s toolkit or Mskip’s toolkit. You can also manually install the drivers using Android SDK.
2. Install Android SDK. Follow this guide to configure Android SDK.
3. USB Debugging needs to be enabled on your device. Follow this guide to enable USB Debugging.
4. Backup your device’s storage, messages, contacts, etc just in case.
5. Fastboot binary. Put the file in <sdk_directory>/platform-tools.

Once you have fulfilled the requirements, continue reading further. Rooting your Nexus 4 is a 3 step process – Unlocking Bootloader, Installing Custom Recovery and Rooting.

Three Easy Steps to Root Nexus 4

Unlocking Bootloader

Step 1: Put your device into bootloader mode. To do so, power off your device by holding Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously. You can also put your device into bootloader mode by tying in following command in CMD or Terminal.

[quote]adb reboot bootloader[/quote]

Step 2: Connect your device to the computer using a USB cable.

Step 3: Open CMD or Terminal and type on the following to confirm that the drivers are properly configure. If the drivers are installed and your device is connected properly, you’ll see your device’s ID on the terminal.

[quote]fastboot devices[/quote]

Step 4: Type the following in CMD or Terminal. This step will wipe everything off your device.

[quote]fastboot oem unlock[/quote]

Step 5: You will be prompted with a warning message. Use the Volume keys to highlight Yes and select it using the Power button. The bootloader will now be unlocked.

Step 6: To confirm that the bootloader is successfully unlocked, look at the text in front of Lock State, it should be unlocked.

Step 7: Reboot your device using the following command

[quote]fastboot reboot[/quote]

Installing Custom Recovery

Step 1: Put your device into bootloader mode. To do so, power off your device by holding Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously. You can also put your device into bootloader mode by tying in following command in CMD or Terminal.

[quote]adb reboot bootloader[/quote]

Step 2: Download the latest version of your preferred recovery. [ CWM | TWRP ]

Step 3: Put the downloaded recovery image file ( .img ) on your desktop. If it is inside a compressed file, extract it.

Step 4: If you are running Windows, open CMD and type in the following command.

[quote]cd Desktop[/quote]

If you are using Linux or OSX, open Terminal and type in the following command.

[quote]cd ~/Desktop[/quote]

Step 5: Now we flash the recovery.

1. To flash CWM non touch recovery, type in the following command. Replace x.x.x.x with the build number of downloaded recovery.

[quote]fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-x.x.x.x-mako.img[/quote]

1. To flash CWM Touch recovery, type in the following command. Replace x.x.x.x with the build number of downloaded recovery.

[quote]fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-x.x.x.x-mako.img[/quote]

1. To flash TWRP recovery, type in the following command. Replace x.x.x.x with the build number of downloaded recovery.

[quote]fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-x.x.x.x-mako.img[/quote]

Step 6: Your device is now flashed with a custom recovery.

Rooting

Step 1: Download the latest SuperSU flashable .zip package from here.

Step 2: Connect your device to the computer and transfer the downloaded SuperSU .zip file to your SD Card.

Step 3: Without disconnecting the device, type the following command in the CMD or Terminal.

[quote]adb reboot recovery[/quote]

Step 4: When your device boots into recovery mode, disconnect your device from the computer.

Step 5: Flash the SuperSU package.

1. If you are using CWM, tap on install zip from sdcard > select the SuperSU .zip file > select Yes to start flashing
2. If you are using TWRP, tap on Install > select the SuperSU .zip file > Swipe to start flashing.

Step 6: Once the flashing is finished, reboot your device by selecting reboot system now (CWM) or Reboot > System (TWRP).