How to Root OnePlus 7T with Magisk

By Raymo111

Last updated 5 May 2021

Disclaimer: I have personally tested every step of this. However, I did the rooting in August 2020, and things MAY HAVE CHANGED. I'm not responsible for anything you do. Back up your data!

So, like me, you've just got your OnePlus 7T. You want to root it, because OnePlus is the only phone manufacturer amazing like that. That's what you should do, at least in my opinion. P.S. If you are here before you got it: wow, good for you for planning ahead.

Notes

• I'm writing this tutorial as I do it myself, both for my sake in case I need to do this in the future, and so I get everything, without missing something, to you.
• OOS = Oxygen OS, OTA = Over the Air (update), and OB = Open Beta of OOS (took me a while to figure out the second one)
• If anything goes wrong:
  • I'm not responsible
  • Try rebooting first before you smash something in anger. If you do smash something, don't smash something expensive.
  • https://www.oneplus.com/global/support/softwareupgrade > OnePlus 7T (not 7T Pro!) has the stock boot image that you can flash using fastboot the same way you flash a patched version.
• In case 10.0.0.12 isn't the newest version anymore and xda-devs doesn't have a patched GLOBAL version of the latest OOS then this xda post might help. (I also just saved it on wayback machine just in case)
• I've confirmed that major OOS updates (like 10->11) DO work with the update method below (keep root without losing data). However, it is still your responsibility to backup your data!

Root

1. Remove all packaging from your phone, but don't put the included case on yet. It's a pain to put on and you'll thank me in a few minutes.
2. Go through setup. Keep in mind you may have to do this again later. Maybe. Oh, and don't bother with biometrics (i.e. fingerprint or face unlock) because you'll be removing those in a minute.
3. After you get to the part where OnePlus tells you to insert your SIM, now you can put the case on. Tip: put the top right corner on last :) Oh, and you're welcome!
4. Download the latest versions of ADB and a Magisk-patched boot image for OnePlus 7T. (OOS 10.0.12, the latest version as of the 10 August 2020, is included in this repo.
5. If you're on windows, extract the ADB zip file to C:\adb. Open cmd there. Otherwise, add adb to your path or open up a terminal where adb is.
6. Head over to Settings > About phone. Tab on the Build number at least 7 times to get developer access.
7. Note your build number. If it isn't the latest (i.e. > 10.0.12) then you'll need to System > System updates > update your OOS. If you don't, you risk bricking or bootlooping. At the very least, wifi won't work. Believe me, I tried.
8. Once that's up to date, head over to Security & lock screen and set Screen lock to none. Go to System > Developer options and enable Advanced reboot, USB debugging and OEM unlocking. It sounds scary but you gotta do it if you wanna root.
9. Plug your phone into your computer and enable USB debugging when it pops up on your phone. I would set it to always enable. If you want to do that now just unplug and replug :)
10. In the terminal you opened (yes cmd is a terminal), run

adb devices

If the device doesn't show up then you mmay have skipped some section of the tutorial. Feel free to create an issue to this repo and I might help you out.

11. Assuming it does show up, you can hold the power button on your phone and reboot to Bootloader (tap it when the options pop up). If you like running commands you can also use

adb reboot bootloader

12. You should see a hacker-like screen on your phone. Run

fastboot oem unlock

13. Use the volume keys to select the unlock bootloader option, and power key to confirm.
14. If your phone reboots, verify that adb is still active (with the devices command) and go back to fastboot.
15. Make sure your device is connected one last time with fastboot devices (reboot your phone by holding down the power button if it doesn't show and you typed the command right). Then, boot the patched OEM image with

fastboot boot path-to-magisk_patched.img

Don't delete any files just yet, as you might have to do this again in a few moments. If the phone doesn't automatically reboot, run

fastboot reboot

16. Head over to https://magiskmanager.com/downloading-magisk-manager on your phone and download Magisk Manager. If you can't connect to Wi-Fi then you messed up. Now might be a little late to read my notes, but better late than never. If something else that's bad has happened, you might have to go through setup again. If so, then: I told you so.
17. Install Magisk manager, enabling APK installation on your phone if you need to.
18. Open up Magisk (you might be rebooted). Before you press the tempting INSTALL buttons, open up Magisk settings and ensure that Update Channel is set to stable and Dark Theme is turned on (the second part is optional but highly reccommended by 9/10 professional hackers.
19. Open the Advanced Settings dropdown on Magisk's homepage and make sure that force encryption and AVB 2.0/dm-verify are preserved (make sure those options are checked).
20. If Magisk says Magisk is not installed beside a red circle with a question mark, you most likely were rebooted during Magisk installation. Because of A/B partitioning in Android 10 and fastboot boot being temporary, you now have to reboot to fastboot again and repeat step 15. Hope you didn't delete the boot img :)
21. Now you can install Magisk (use the INSTALL button beside Magisk is up to date). Tap INSTALL, Direct Install (Recommended), and watch your phone enter hacking mode (You might have to ALLOW access to your device). Tap Reboot, and your phone should now be rooted!

Once you get apps that request SU access, the Superuser menu in Magisk manager will show them. At this point, it is a must to set up lock screen and security, as well as any other settings you want to customize or rice. Make sure to go to developer options and disable rebooting after automatic updates.

Update

1. To install an OTA update and keep root, download the OTA update.
2. Head over to Settings > System update and tap on the cog icon on the top right corner.
3. Click on ‘Local upgrade‘ and select the OTA .zip file needed for installing the update. Once selected, tap Install. The update will take a few minutes to install. Do NOT reboot yet.
4. Open Magisk Manager and repeat step 21, but this time select the Install to Inactive Slot (After OTA) instead. Root should be preserved and the OTA update should be installed. Note that you only need to flash one of the A/B on each OTA update, and root will persist even after reboots.
5. On this reboot it might take a long time (30+ spins for minor versions, 100+ for major versions). Take a shower, go for a walk, play a game of chess on classical time control. Whatever you do DON'T POWEROFF YOUR PHONE!!