How to Root Galaxy Note 3!

There’s already a working CWM recovery which means you may be able to easily root your brand, new Galaxy Note 3 easily.
Here’s an outline of steps you must do to root your Galaxy Note 3.  This guide works for all Jelly Bean Android 4.3, KitKat Android 4.4.2, and 4.4.4.  For KitKat, make sure you use the updated CWM recovery instead.
Currently this root guide is for Windows only (or use VMWare for Linux/Mac) but I will have an updated Mac/Linux guide soon.


Step 1. First, make sure you have either SM-N9005, SM-N9006, SM-N900, Korean SM-N900S, Canadian SM-N900W8, Sprint SM-N900P, or T-Mobile SM-N900T model Note 3.  If your model is not listed, try Towelroot  or CF Auto Root instead.

Download the following files:
Download appropriate CWM or TWRP recovery for your Note 3 (Make sure you download the CORRECT version for your Note 3 model!!!)
Download ODIN program and unzip.
Download SuperSU zip file
Download and install Samsung Galaxy Note 3 USB drivers

Step 2. Turn off your Note 3.

Step 3. Hold down, Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together for about 2-3 seconds then let go of all buttons when you see a warning screen like below:

Then hit Volume Up button to enter Download mode.

Step 4. You should now see Download mode. This is the ODIN download mode where you can use ODIN to install custom recovery.

Step 5. Plug a micro-USB cable from your Note 3 to your computer.

Step 6. Run ODIN program you downloaded earlier in Step 1. (only for Windows or use VMWare on Linux/Mac).

You should see a yellow-highlighted box with a random COM number in ODIN program.  If you do not see it, download and install Samsung USB drivers then unplug/re-plug the micro-USB cable.
Also, you may have to use a USB 3.0 cable supplied with your Note 3, try plugging it in a USB 3.0 port first and if that doesn’t work plug it into a regular USB 2.0 port.  One of them should work.

Step 7. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE but choose “PDA” in ODIN program then find the CWM recovery .tar file you downloaded earlier then hit Start button.

Step 8. Your Note 3 should now reboot. When rebooted, copy the SuperSU zip file you downloaded in Step 1 to your Note 3 internal storage.

Step 9. Turn off your Note 3.

Step 10. Hold down, Volume Up, Center Home, and Power buttons together for about 6-7 seconds then let go of all buttons.

Step 11. You should now be in CWM recovery. Choose “Install zip”, then “Install from sdcard”, then choose the SuperSU zip file you downloaded earlier.

Step 12. Reboot and your Note 3 should be rooted.  You can verify by downloading and running Titanium Backup app from Play Store.

Q&A

Q: Will this erase any apps or settings on my Note 3?
A: No, this root method does not touch your apps or settings, it simply installs custom recovery such as CWM or TWRP then root using SuperSU zip file.
Q: Will rooting void my warranty?
A: Most likely yes but there may be a way to unvoid your warranty in the near future (as happened with Note 2).
Q: I keep getting warning messages when running rooted apps, what do I do?
A: This is due to Knox thinking root is a bad thing, just turn Knox off.  Download and install Terminal Emulator app from Play Store then type:
su pm disable com.sec.knox.seandroid
Q: I don’t get CWM Recovery, I just see stock recovery after flashing CWM with ODIN!!!
A: On some Note 3 models,  there is a script that overwrites the recovery you flashed. If you get stock recovery, just simply flash recovery again using method 1, as soon as you see “PASS!”, pull the battery before your phone reboots.
Put the battery back in and boot straight into CWM recovery, then when you reboot in CWM recovery, it will ask you to disable recovery script. Do that and you should be good to go.
Q: I am having trouble with Knox!?!
A: After rooting, open up SuperSU app, it will ask you to disable Knox, say “HELL YES”.
Q: How can I thank you for your tutorial?
A: I don’t take donations but if you could PLEASE visit my website usually. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks to XDA user Chenglu for compiling CWM for Note 3 and thanks to XDA user ChainFire for SuperSU and Thanks to Download Android ROM.com for providing us the downloads.

Galaxy Note 3 Reference
You will need a rooted Galaxy Note 3 to install all ROM/kernels.
NOTE: THE AUTHOR OF THIS SITE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU MESS UP YOUR PHONE, PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS TWICE BEFORE TRYING IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME TO ROOTING AND CUSTOM ROMS!