In this guide, we will show you how to unlock the bootloader of your Samsung Galaxy Smartphone or tablet. Once you unlock bootloader of your Samsung device, you can root, install custom ROMs, and custom recovery on it to take more control of your device.

Unlocking bootloader on your Samsung device might void your warranty. Proceed with caution.

Steps to Unlock Bootloader on Samsung Galaxy

Step 1. Backup your Samsung device

Unlocking the bootloader of your Samsung device will totally wipe any data you have on your device. All your data such as apps, media, app data, documents – everything will be deleted permanently. To put it shortly, this will factory reset your device.

We strongly recommend to backup all the data on your Samsung device before proceeding with the tutorial. We have a detailed guide on how to properly take a full backup of your Android device. You shall refer to it if you want some guidance: How to Backup Android Device Completely.

Related: Fix Missing OEM Unlock Toggle on Samsung Galaxy Devices

Step 2. Enable Developer Options

‘OEM unlock‘ option on Samsung devices is kept under a setting called ‘Developer options’ which by default is hidden for security reasons and we need to enable it. You can follow the below steps for the same:

1. To enable Developer options: go to Settings > About Phone > Software information and look for an option called Build number.
2. Once you find that option, keep tapping on the Build number option repeatedly until you see the text ‘You are now a developer‘ or ‘Developer options is enabled.

Step 3: Unlock Bootloader on Samsung Galaxy using ‘OEM Unlock’ Option

Modern Samsung devices do not need any commands to be issued to them in order to unlock the bootloader. All you need to do is simply enable an option that will unlock bootloader on your Samsung Galaxy device.

1. Go to Settings > Developer options.
2. Scroll down until you see an option called ‘OEM Unlock‘ and enable the same.
   Note: Once you tap on the ‘OEM Unlock’ option, you might be asked to enter your device PIN/Password (if you have set any). Enter the same to proceed.

And that is how you unlock the bootloader on Samsung Galaxy device. No need to install ADB and Fastboot Drivers or execute any adb fastboot commands from your computer. With a tap of a single button, your Samsung device bootloader will be unlocked in no time.

Related: How to Install TWRP Recovery on Samsung Galaxy Devices

Understanding Bootloader Unlock on Samsung

If you have seen a bootloader Unlock/OEM Unlock for any other device other than Samsung, you would be able to see a bunch of fastboot commands being given. This is true for almost all Android devices except for Samsung. In Samsung devices, the OEM has built-in this particular feature right into the device that all you are required to do to unlock the device is simply enable an option called ‘OEM Unlock’.

Once you unlock the bootloader, you can proceed to install TWRP Recovery on your Samsung device and even root your device with Magisk. Unlocking the bootloader is sort of an agreement with your manufacturer that you take full responsibility for what happens to your Android device. It also unlocks a wide range of options for a power user such as installing a custom ROM or flashing custom Kernel or take a full nandroid backup of your device etc.

But always remember that with great power comes great responsibility. Make a full backup of your device always before doing any power-user stuff so that you can always restore and get back your data and settings.