How to Use Android Root Tool — First-Time Setup Guide

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit recommended)
• At least 500 MB free disk for ART + drivers
• Administrator access on the PC (required for driver install)
• Data-capable USB cable (not a charge-only cable)
• An Android device (Infinix, Tecno, Xiaomi, Motorola, Samsung, etc.)

1. Download & extract ART

1. Download from the official site

   Go to androidroottool.com and click the big Download button. The ZIP is about 180 MB.

2. Extract the ZIP

   Right-click → Extract All → pick a short path like C:\ART. Avoid OneDrive / Google Drive paths — synced folders can corrupt the DLLs during first launch.

3. Whitelist in antivirus

   Add the C:\ART folder as an exclusion in Windows Defender and your antivirus. ART uses signed child processes (adb.exe, fastboot.exe) that some AV engines flag as PUP.

2. Install USB drivers

ART needs five driver sets. Each one handles a specific USB mode:

• Google Android USB — ADB / fastboot
• MediaTek USB VCOM — Preloader, META, BROM
• Qualcomm QDLoader 9008 — EDL mode
• Qualcomm Diagnostic USB — Xiaomi/OnePlus Diag
• Unisoc/Spreadtrum USB — SPD mode

1. Open the drivers folder

   Inside the extracted ART folder, open drivers\.

2. Run install.bat as Administrator

   Right-click install.bat → Run as Administrator. A black console window appears and iterates through the five driver packages. Click Install on every Windows Security prompt.

3. Verify in Device Manager

   Open Device Manager. You should see categories for "Android Device", "MediaTek USB VCOM", and "Qualcomm USB Driver". No yellow exclamation marks means drivers are OK.

3. Enable USB debugging on your phone

1. Unlock Developer Options

   On Android: Settings → About phone → Build number. Tap Build number 7 times. You'll see "You are now a developer!".

2. Enable USB debugging

   Back out to Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging. Toggle it ON.

3. Enable OEM unlocking (optional)

   In the same Developer options screen, enable OEM unlocking. Required only if you'll be unlocking the bootloader later.

4. Launch ART

1. Right-click → Run as Administrator

   The first launch needs Administrator rights so ART can register itself with Windows Firewall and open raw USB handles. Subsequent launches don't need admin unless you flash in EDL mode.

2. Approve the firewall prompt

   Windows Firewall asks "Allow Android Root Tool to communicate?". Tick Private and Public, then Allow access. ART needs this to pull the device catalog from our server.

3. Wait for the catalog to load

   On first launch ART downloads the device catalog (~5 MB). The brand/model dropdowns populate once this completes. If the catalog never loads, see Troubleshooting.

5. Connect your device

1. Plug the USB cable

   Use a data-capable cable. Charge-only cables (the thin ones that come free with some chargers) will not enumerate.

2. Approve the authorization prompt

   On the phone a dialog appears: "Allow USB debugging from this computer?". Tick Always allow and tap Allow.

3. Watch ART detect it

   The log pane shows the serial, brand, model, chipset, and Android version within 2–3 seconds. If it says unauthorized, repeat step 2.

6. Run your first operation

Safe first operations to verify everything works:

• Android Service → ADB Functions → Read Info — Reads brand, model, chipset, Android version, bootloader status. Completely non-destructive. Great sanity check.
• Android Service → ADB Functions → Reboot to Recovery — Reboots the phone into recovery. Non-destructive.
• Android Service → ADB Functions → Reboot to Fastboot — Reboots to fastboot. Non-destructive.

Troubleshooting

ART brand/model dropdown is empty

The catalog download failed. Causes: outdated TLS on Windows 7/old Windows 10, antivirus HTTPS inspection (especially Kaspersky), corporate proxy, or ISP DNS block. Try opening https://androidroottool.com in a browser — if that works but ART catalog doesn't, antivirus HTTPS inspection is the usual culprit.

Device shows "unauthorized"

The RSA fingerprint wasn't accepted. Unplug, go into Developer Options → Revoke USB debugging authorizations, replug, and accept the prompt again.

Device shows "offline"

Driver mismatch, cable issue, or another ADB server (Android Studio, Scrcpy, BlueStacks) is holding the device. Open CMD and run adb kill-server, then retry.

MediaTek device not detected in Preloader

MediaTek VCOM driver missing. In Device Manager, the device shows as "Unknown device" or "MTK USB Port". Re-run drivers\install.bat as Administrator.

EDL mode shows yellow exclamation

QDLoader 9008 driver signature issue. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement temporarily (Shift + Restart → Advanced Startup → F7 at startup settings), then reinstall.