Rooting Android Virtual Device (AVD)

Disclaimer

For this demo, I will be using the AVD Pixel 5 API 30 (Android 11).

By default, the AVD does not come pre-rooted, so you need to root it yourself. Thanks to newbit for developing rootAVD, a script that makes rooting the emulator easy.

You can verify the emulator’s root status using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which comes preinstalled with Android Studio as part of the Android SDK Platform-Tools package.

Tip

ADB can be found at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\sdk\platform-tools on Windows.

Since running su results in a Permission denied error, this confirms that the emulator is not rooted.

Rooting the Emulator

To begin the rooting process, you need rootAVD. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, clone the repository:

git clone https://gitlab.com/newbit/rootAVD.git

Run the following command to list all available system images:

.\rootAVD.bat ListAllAVDs

Since I’m on Windows, I’ll run the .bat file.

Next, select and copy the command corresponding to the image file your emulator is currently running (make sure the AVD is running). In my case, the command is:

Note

In the highlighted box above, you’ll notice that there’s the same image (Android 30) but for the Google Play Store API.

YES! You can also root an emulator with Google Play Store.

Run the selected command:

.\rootAVD.bat system-images\android-30\google_apis\x86\ramdisk.img

At some point, you’ll be prompted to select a Magisk version for installation.

Press ENTER to install the stable version, or wait a moment, as the script will proceed automatically. This isn’t a big deal unless you want a different version.

Once the patching is complete, the AVD will automatically shut down. If it doesn’t, you may need to shut it down manually (though this is rare).

After shutting down, restart the emulator. You should see a new app called Magisk installed. Next, open the Magisk app. It will prompt you with a message saying, “Requires Additional Setup.” Click OK.