Posted on Jun 18 2014 - 1:27am by Anurag Kumar

Renowned developer and white hacker geohot has come up with a fantastic rooting tool named Towelroot which has successfully rooted Xperia handsets like Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact, M, Z, ZL, SP, M2, T, TX running android 4.3 and android 4.4.2 version. Towelroot exploit is using a apk file which after installing has successfully rooted many Xperia handsets so far as reported by the users. Best one click root method, roots in 30 seconds.

We have created a handy guide to root Xperia Z1 using Towelroot exploit which is confirmed working on Xperia Z1 C6902, C6903 running android 4.4.2 .757 firmware version. Rooting voids warranty so make sure you are ware of this, in order to get warranty back you need to re-install the stock firmware using PC Companion, SUS or flashing via flashtool.

Root Xperia Z1 / Z1 Compact using Towelroot exploit

Below method is confirmed working on Xperia Z1 C6902 / C6903, Xperia Z1 Compact D5503, Xperia Z Ultra. Works on locked bootloader handsets. It should work on all android 4.3+ versions.

For Xperia Z1 C6902 / C6903, Xperia Z1 Compact D5503, Xperia Z Ultra Prerequisites 

  • Enable ‘unknown sources’ option. Go to Settings > security > enable unknown sources.
  • Enable ‘USB Debugging’. Go to Settings > Developer settings > enable USB debugging.

Connect phone to PC. Make sure your Phone’s ADB drivers are installed in PC successfully.

Step 1: Download the below mentioned file, extract it in your PC. You will get two content named : folder ‘files‘ and install.bat file.

Download z1cRoot v1.zip 

Towel Root files

Step 2: Go to Towelroot site and download the tr.apk ( ignore any security warning ) file. Click the lambda image icon to download.

Step 3: Put the tr.apk file downloaded in above step inside files/tr.apk

Towel Root files content

Step 4: Now click the install.bat file to run the cmd program.

Your phone will be recognized and the process will run. Follow the onscreen instructions displayed in cmd window.

Towel Root Exploit

Towel Root Exploit Xperia Z1

Towel Root Exploit Xperia Z1 Compact

Step 5: Towelroot app will open in your phone, tap on “make it rain” button and your phone will be rebooted in 15 seconds.

Download Towel Root app

Root Xperia Z1 Towel Root

Xperia Z1 Towel Root

Your phone is now rooted. Reboot it. Download the Root Checker app from Play Store to verify for root access.

Xperia Z1 Root Access Towel Root app

In case if you are getting error like SU binaries are not updating then download the latest version of SuperUser app. Extract the apk from below mentioned file and install the apk. Open the app and update the binaries.

Download UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.99r5.zip

For Xperia M2, M, SP, T, TX, Z, ZL

To root Xperia M2, M, SP, T, TX, Z, ZL download the Towelroot apk and install it. Open it, tap on “make it rain” option and wait for onscreen instrcutions to come, device reboots, root access is there, update SU app from above mentioned link.

Now you can root number of Xperia devices using Towelroot, try it guys and let us know if it works on your device or not. Drop your comments below if have any doubts.



About the Author

Blogging as a hobby. Sales & Marketing Professional. MBA (IB) from IIFT Delhi (2015-17). Founder & Editor-in-Chief of GizmoBolt.com ( formerly XperiaGuide.com ) , TipsySafarnama.com & TipsyChai.com. Follow at Facebook I Twitter I Google Plus | LinkedIn | Instagram. Contact at [email protected] for feedback and sending tips. Donate Us.

85 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

  1. Olivier June 18, 2014 at 2:18 am - Reply

    Worked great! Thanks

  2. Abhinay June 18, 2014 at 9:58 am - Reply

    Thanks, It worked on Sony Z (C6603)

  3. Tara June 18, 2014 at 12:08 pm - Reply

    Will this root tool work on Xperia T2 Dual?

  4. Aamir June 18, 2014 at 12:33 pm - Reply

    Do I need to backup my phone data…

  5. k June 18, 2014 at 2:13 pm - Reply

    worked great on my c903, thanks alot!

    • k June 18, 2014 at 2:14 pm - Reply

      c6903 i means haha

  6. Nik8 June 18, 2014 at 3:17 pm - Reply

    Is the procedure same for XZ?

    • Anurag Kumar June 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm - Reply

      it is clearly written in end of post that for XZ XZL you just need to install the apk, run it, tap on “make it rain” option and it is done.

      • AL July 4, 2014 at 10:08 pm - Reply

        hi . i just installed mspy in a sony xperia ZL. it was frustating that i found out i need it to root it.

        The question is. I still need to make the USB DEBUGGING for the ZL ??

        Once the phone is rebooted, i need to install the super user ? o that app comes with the phone ?

        It will prompt upon restart that mspy request acces tu super user ?

        THANK U !!!!

  7. dinesh June 18, 2014 at 3:18 pm - Reply

    it will work on xperia zr..

  8. Behi June 18, 2014 at 4:35 pm - Reply

    successfully rooted Xperia E1 Dual 😀

  9. XPERIA Z1 June 18, 2014 at 10:04 pm - Reply

    Funciono Perfecto Xperia Z1 C6906

  10. shashidhar June 18, 2014 at 11:06 pm - Reply

    Hi Anurag, Today I purchased Xperia Z1 Compact and i spreinstalled with androd 4.3. I want to upgrade it to kitkat. Is it safe to update the device and root via towelroot ? I want to root because I want to install apps on SD card.

  11. Albert June 19, 2014 at 12:10 am - Reply

    Hello, this is just to say thank you, it worked perfectly in z1 c6906

  12. poenyaku June 19, 2014 at 6:35 am - Reply

    work great on ZR C5502 stock 4.4.2

    • Navaneeth Kumar July 4, 2014 at 9:25 pm - Reply

      can u please tell me how to do it? with details
      i can’t do it.

      • Anurag Kumar July 4, 2014 at 9:26 pm - Reply

        with details only it is mentioned above.

  13. ripqhy June 19, 2014 at 9:14 am - Reply

    noob here… has anyone try it on ZU running on 4.4.2 build 14.3.A.0.747 ? because normal install isn’t working.. thanks 🙂

  14. Yogeshwar Patel June 19, 2014 at 2:29 pm - Reply

    It void my warnty or not?
    Also Can i Backup my TA Partion After i root my Xperia Sp With This tool?

  15. Yogeshwar Patel June 19, 2014 at 2:30 pm - Reply

    Can i Use it On My loked Bootloder of Xperia Sp

  16. Yogeshwar Patel June 19, 2014 at 2:49 pm - Reply

    Can I Cilme my Warnty Through restore TA Partaion

    • Anurag Kumar June 19, 2014 at 2:50 pm - Reply

      just flash back original firmware ftf and warranty is back, but root is lost 😛

  17. Yogeshwar Patel June 19, 2014 at 2:52 pm - Reply

    How Can Flash Origanl Firmware ftf.

  18. Yp June 19, 2014 at 5:57 pm - Reply

    Sir Please help After i root my phone using the given tool , my phone does not start very well means its only show sony xperia animation for long time and not show anything only xperia animation, please help me

  19. Victor June 19, 2014 at 9:53 pm - Reply

    Works on xperia Z1 C6903 4.4.2 14.3.A.0.757
    YES!!!!!

  20. XPERIA M June 19, 2014 at 10:41 pm - Reply

    funciona en el SONY XPERIA M (c1904)??

  21. Paul June 19, 2014 at 11:51 pm - Reply

    I rooted xperia z. Am on 4.3 and probably receive KitKat in week or so. If I upgraded to KitKat will root will be lost?

    • Anurag Kumar June 20, 2014 at 12:31 am - Reply

      yes you will loose root then.

      • Paul June 20, 2014 at 10:09 am - Reply

        Thanks for reply.I downloaded root only apps. So if I again root xz at 4.4 will the rooted apps will work normally or I have to set them up again?

  22. dinesh June 20, 2014 at 11:39 pm - Reply

    if the mobile is rooted.the warranty is voids i konw about that…
    after rooted.if the mobile is updated,the warranty will came back or not?

  23. lija June 21, 2014 at 8:32 am - Reply

    error on my c6903 it says :
    EODC not found not ZIP
    file ‘tr _signed.apk’ is not a valid zip file
    rm failed for /data/local/tmp/tr_singed.apk, no such file of directory

    • Blablabla June 22, 2014 at 2:08 am - Reply

      I’m facing the same issue! Sony Xperia Z1 C6903, Android 4.4.2, Firmware 14.3.A.0.757. Does anybody know what the hell is happening?

    • etcetera etcetera June 23, 2014 at 4:33 am - Reply

      I have same issue too.

  24. heberth June 21, 2014 at 10:56 pm - Reply

    Hice todo lo que dice pero a lo que abro el install.bat que le doy a una tecla para seguir dice que la Apk not found
    tengo un Sony Expiria M

    • Larv June 25, 2014 at 3:38 pm - Reply

      Lo Instale en Xperia M c1904 4.3 funciona perfectamente.. heberth Solo tienes que copiar la apk a la memoria e instalar. las primeras instrucciones son para el Z… Saludos..

  25. Paul June 22, 2014 at 6:30 pm - Reply

    Will I receive software updates after rooting? Please answer please

    • Blablabla June 24, 2014 at 5:32 am - Reply

      Yes, yes! That have been said a gazillion years ago. Please google it before posting such questions.

  26. Ashley June 25, 2014 at 10:52 pm - Reply

    Not working. Please help.
    I have xperia z1. In the middle of the process there eocd not working and it is not installing the app

  27. mustafa June 27, 2014 at 4:56 am - Reply

    i have problem it say
    /system/bin/sh: su: not found what should i do

  28. joblaze June 28, 2014 at 11:38 am - Reply

    thank you i rooted my xperia z1 14.3.A.0757 ON KITKAT 4.4.2

  29. Kevin C. Torres June 29, 2014 at 3:03 am - Reply

    Hola Lo Hice En Mi Sony Xperia M 4.3 y funciono ademas es muy sencillo.

  30. Xperia M June 29, 2014 at 11:55 am - Reply

    Funciona perfectamente……. comprobado en Xperia M c(1904) con Android 4.3 y con bootloader bloqueado……….

  31. Mike June 30, 2014 at 1:01 am - Reply

    Funciona para la actualizacion 4.4.4 del Xperia Z1?

  32. Dynamiclynk July 1, 2014 at 8:18 pm - Reply

    Doesn’t work D5503 (4.4.2) KERNEL 3.4.0 Build 14.3.A.0.757

  33. beii July 3, 2014 at 3:20 am - Reply

    Thanks 🙂 work 100% on my xperia v lt25i latest firmware 9.2.A.2.5 😀 my phone succesfully rooted now 😀

  34. Brenladais July 10, 2014 at 12:43 am - Reply

    Didn’t work on Xperia Z1 C6903 4.4.2 .761
    “Make it rain ” says my phone is successfully rooted and don’t have to reboot, but Root checker says i’m not rooter :/

  35. Brenladais July 10, 2014 at 12:46 am - Reply

    Didn’t worked on Xperia Z1 C6903 4.4.2 .761.

    Make it rain says successfully rooted and no need to reboot, but root checker says not rooted :/

  36. Axel July 10, 2014 at 3:09 pm - Reply

    How to download towelroot for Xperia Z there is no files at all!

  37. Soggy July 10, 2014 at 5:06 pm - Reply

    Will I still get updates through the normal update channel??

  38. Timeth July 21, 2014 at 8:33 am - Reply

    When I run the install.bat it says

    EOCD not found, not Zip
    file ‘tr_signed.apk is not a valid zip file
    rm failed for /data/local/tmp/tr_signed.apk no such file or directory

  39. Chan August 5, 2014 at 9:26 pm - Reply

    i can’t download tr.apk .how to download?

  40. Edwar August 12, 2014 at 6:30 pm - Reply

    fallo con xperia M c1904 android 4.3 dice que el dispositivo no esta soportado

  41. sla August 12, 2014 at 8:49 pm - Reply

    this is root… but isn’t full-root…
    zperia M

  42. Tomica September 28, 2014 at 10:39 pm - Reply

    This didn’t work for me on Z1 Compact, firmware 14.4.A.0.108

  43. Vipul Garg September 29, 2014 at 9:30 pm - Reply

    xperia m c1904 4.3 app says rooted but root checkers says no access to root

  44. Mamun October 2, 2014 at 11:36 pm - Reply

    Can I uninstall towelroot app after root?
    if I uninstall towelroot after root what will be happen?

  45. Jo October 6, 2014 at 7:00 am - Reply

    This is not working on my Xperia Z C6603 .. whenever I hit the “Make it rain” button it says phone is not supported.

  46. Mae October 9, 2014 at 5:40 pm - Reply

    Everything worked very well on my Sony Xperia Z1, but when I checked with RottChecker (app) if my phone is root, the app says that it’s not. Why?

    (I don’t know if the ADB Driver is installed, but I don’t know how to do this. Is it the reason why the root didn’t worked?)

  47. t2 October 12, 2014 at 7:30 pm - Reply

    i try to root my xperia t2 ultra n all goes well bt at last tr spp shows “the phone isnt currently supported” hlp me

  48. Constantin October 21, 2014 at 3:09 pm - Reply

    On My Xperia e3 does not work. You could help me with this problem.Thx

  49. erjano November 5, 2014 at 7:14 am - Reply

    mi M2 (2306) no lo puedo rootiar con towelroot ya que el android es 4.4.2, anteriormente le puse 4.3y ahí si se puedo… y quiero el 4.4 ya que anda mas fluido, ayuda plss

  50. ian November 5, 2014 at 9:13 pm - Reply

    how come my pc detect it is a trojan file? is it safe?

    • Anurag Kumar November 5, 2014 at 9:19 pm - Reply

      you are free not to use it then. Remember it is a root tool. Leave a message to the TowelRoot developer.

  51. Sawan Patel November 30, 2014 at 7:01 pm - Reply

    Anyone tried this on Xperia Z Ultra(C6802) with build 14.3.A.0.757? Please reply.

  52. gk December 4, 2014 at 9:19 am - Reply

    is there a method for rooting Xperia e3??
    towelroot doesn’t work..

  53. skazmat December 12, 2014 at 1:36 am - Reply

    Anyone tried this on Xperia Z Ultra(C6802) with build 14.3.A.0.757? Please reply.

  54. mary anne December 13, 2014 at 5:08 pm - Reply

    why my phone is not compatible? my phone is sony xperia z1 why? just message me in my facebook thanks

    • Anurag Kumar December 13, 2014 at 10:39 pm - Reply

      Newest firmwares are not supported anymore.

  55. bose December 13, 2014 at 9:44 pm - Reply

    i have xperia zl 4.4.4 and clicking on “Make it rain” shows that device isn’t compatible…what should i do??

    • Anurag Kumar December 13, 2014 at 10:39 pm - Reply

      newest firmwares are not supported anymore.

  56. ivaylo December 26, 2014 at 12:28 am - Reply

    not work Z1 6903 4.4.4 14.4.A.0.157

  57. Kristver January 18, 2015 at 10:13 am - Reply

    Did not work on my xperia m2 kitkat 4.4.4
    Any other suggestions? Model d2303
    Grts from belgium

  58. MSRuqZ January 27, 2015 at 9:53 pm - Reply

    Dont work!
    Xperia Z

  59. nikhil lakra February 2, 2015 at 12:37 pm - Reply

    i have xperia sp,android 4.1.2,build 12.0.A.2.245. will towelroot work on it

  60. Antonio February 14, 2015 at 11:59 am - Reply

    It works on my xperia m,THANKS.
    But doesent work on my xperia m2 aqua with 4.4.4 and new update few days ago.PLEASE HELP

    • Kostas February 28, 2015 at 3:21 am - Reply

      Same here. It is probably the firmware that makes the problem. Try on 4.4.2 maybe it works.

  61. Kostas February 28, 2015 at 3:18 am - Reply

    Not working on my Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 4.4.4 Kitkat and build 18.3.1.C.1.13 stock rom stock kernel.

  62. Hari mawardi April 5, 2015 at 6:55 pm - Reply

    This is work for Xperia z1 C6093 ver 4.4.4 or not? Please info

  63. Anubhav April 17, 2016 at 10:17 pm - Reply

    I have lollipop version in my xperia zl. Will this work?

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