Moto G5 and G5 plus were the Great Mid-Range phones when they released. The reason is that even if specs are reasonable, Moto Near Stock Android OS is excellent. Moto is releasing, some unplanned security patch updates once in a While. But there is no chance for the Pie Update. It can be used for 1-2 Years If you are a regular user. But, if you are a Flash Guy, who already have or used rooted device, You can Now see the Slow and Laggy performance compare with the New devices. So, Yes, you can Enhance the performance by rooting. To do that follow below steps carefully. Don’t skip any steps.
Why should you Root Moto G5 and G5 Plus?
You should have a proper reason, and you know what you are doing. Yes, with a Minimum of 3 and 4 GB RAM and Mid-Range Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, You can use this mobile without root for 2-3 Years If you use correctly. Software is better compared with other manufacturers Custom skin OS. Don’t root because everybody is saying when root your mobile it can become the fastest car in the world. No. Rooting is to extract some performance from the device. But, you already have Powerful specs and software. So, If you are addicted to some root apps, you can root. But, if you want to test, I won’t recommend it.
How to Root Moto G5 and G5 Plus Oreo 8.1 (XT1684, XT1685, XT1687, XT1686)
Moto G5 / G5 Plus International Variants comes with a flexible bootloader other than some carrier locked devices. This means that different smartphone variants can be easily rooted. Also, the device can accept to install TWRP recovery or any other custom recovery file/app alike.
TWRP recovery is a custom recovery file which must be installed on your devices because you can root them successfully. In this article, we explained the easiest method to follow and install TWRP recovery on Moto G5 Plus. However, the tool required for rooting this device is the Magisk App.
With the help of TWRP Recovery, you can quickly flash the latest version of Magisk into your Moto G5 Plus to gain root access. Before sharing the tutorial, you may want to know that, with the TWRP recovery present on your device, you can easily install any custom ROM or firmware. Does it seem complicated? Relax, everything will be explained succinctly in bullets.
Things to check out for;
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Make sure your device battery is charged above 50%
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Backup your current files and data, full data loss process (save them on external storage).
Pre-Requirement Steps
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Enable USB Debugging Mode and OEM Unlock in your mobile. To do this; go to settings >>> about >>> Tap on the “Build Number” 7-10 times consistently to enable “Developer Options,” then go to the “Developer Options” and enable USB Debugging Mode, OEM Unlock and Enable the ‘Advanced Reboot.’ There is no complicated process in Moto G5 and G5 Plus.
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Download and install the Moto USB driver to your computer system.
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Also, download the ADB drivers. Install It in your PC.
- Download Magisk.Zip (Latest Version) and Copy it to Your Phone Memory.
- no-verity-opt-encrypt Download (Latest Version) and Copy it to Your Phone Memory. This file helps you to maintain the Bootloader unlock in your device.
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Download and save the TWRP File in your Internal Memory and rename it to recovery.img.
- twrp-3.3.0-0-cedric.img (Moto G5)
- twrp-3.3.0-0-potter.img (Moto G5 Plus)
Unlock Bootloader using ADB and Fastboot
- Switch off your device. Then, enter into Fastboot mode. To do this- Press and hold down the Volume Down + Power buttons at the same time for some time.
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Press the Volume Up button to continue when you see the warning message.
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Now, connect the Moto G5/G5 Plus mobile to the computer via USB cable.
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Launch the fastboot on your computer. Open a Command prompt on your PC and type below command.
- fastboot devices
- It should display the connected devices. If you didn’t get the device, restart the command prompt and Disconnect and Connect your Moto G5/G5 Plus. If you are detected type below commands.
- fastboot oem get_unlock_data
- Hit enter, you will get some unlock data. Copy those codes and remove <bootloader> Prefix from those lines and copy them into one single line.
- Go to Official Moto Unlock Page. Log in with your moto account and in the Box, Paste those codes and Check the unlock Bootloader Status. If you get, Yes you can unlock, You can request unlock Key from Moto.
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After the process complete, you will get 20 Digit to unlock key in your email. Now type the following command to unlock bootloader in your device.
- fastboot oem unlock UNIQUE CODE
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You should type this code two times and Hit enter to unlock your device successfully. After the successful unlock your device will automatically reboot to the standard OS.
- Check again enable “Developer Options,” then go to the “Developer Options” and enable USB Debugging Mode, OEM Unlock and Enable the “Advanced Reboot.” Sometimes they disabled them self after the boot.
Flash TWRP
- Switch off your device. Then, enter into Fastboot mode. To do this; press and hold down the Volume Down+ Power buttons after Android Logo Appears Still press Power button and Press Volume Up Button.
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Now, connect the Moto G5/G5 Plus mobile to the computer via USB cable.
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Launch the fastboot on your computer. Open a Command prompt on your PC and type below command.
- fastboot boot twrp recovery.img
- After the process complete, It will boot into the temporary TWRP. Don’t Boot into standard OS until we flash magisk.
Install Magisk and no verity in your Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus using TWRP
- Select Wipe->Advance Wipe->Select Cache Data.
- Return to Home of TWRP select Install.
- Select Magisk.Zip.
- Again Return to Home of TWRP select Install.
- Select no-verity-opt.Zip.
- After the Installation Reboot Your Mobile.
- You can also install Magisk Manager in your Mobile Applications.
What More?
As already mentioned, Moto G5/G5 Plus has a minimum of 3/4 GB RAM, and it is a Good software side phone; There are Major regular updates and monthly updates, from Motorola for a long duration. So, if you are sure about what you are doing, you can root your device.
Selva Ganesh is a Chief Editor of this Blog. He is a Computer Engineer, An experienced Android Developer, Professional Blogger & addicted Web Developer. He runs Android Infotech which offers Problem Solving Articles around the globe.
Is this guide updated and no risk of bricking my device?
It is purely Depends on you. But, If you follow our Guide correctly, Without skipping any step, You can root your mobile, without bricking.
I got a little problem.
Every time I tried to “fastboot boot twrp recovery.img”, I get the same message: “error: cannot load ‘recovery.img'”.
I’m using a moto g5 plus and it is unlocked( get warning screen saying that).
Where did I go wrong? Where exactly do I put the TWRP file?
Put your recovery.img file, where your fastboot files are installed. Also, check your device is detected by Fastboot or not.
Maybe you changed the name of your TWRP file, it happened once to me, with the same error, you have to name it “recovery.img”, also if you use the PowerShell instead of the cmd window, you have to add .\ before every fastboot command. The other thing you can do is download the latest twrp for moto g5 plus (potter) from the official page of TWRP, I use the 3.3.0 version, and it works pretty well.
Thank you for your Advice and Feedback. I hope this will Help other users.
Hey, I have a question, if I have a custom ROM, that deactivates root, can I flash magisk without the no-verify-encrypter thing?
Most of the Custom ROM doesn’t require no-verity. It is used for encryption purpose. You can flash Magisk without this.