As always with our guides an obligatory warning: even though the process of nexus devices is generally very simple, some residual risk remains. Therefore:
Once that is settled, we can start. First, a decision must be made: to choose the "lazy" method and uses the nexus 4 Toolkit, or tapping the few commands by hand? First, we want to describe the manual method before we briefly enter the Toolkit at the end to use. For the first method, Windows users should experience when using the Windows command prompt (formerly called DOS window) have.

Requirements

• A nexus as full battery 4 (at least 50% <)
• A USB cable
• A PC with installation powers
• One hour time

Step 1: make nexus 4 ADB-fit

First need to enable your USB debugging on the nexus 4. For this, you must first enable the developer options.

1. Go on settings ⇒ over the phone
2. Tap the build number, seven times, until you will be informed that you are a developer (if it were really so easy)
3. Now you can find the developer options under settings
4. Enabled USB debugging there

Step 2: install software on the PC

Now need the Android SDK downloaded and unzipped to. Then, you need to install the drivers for the nexus 4. This process varies depending on the operating system - on Windows machines, the drivers can be found on this page.

• Unzipped the driver file
• The nexus 4 via a USB cable connects to the computer
• In the popup dialog you choose you just unzipped driver

Note: Install the driver on Windows 8

Windows 8 , the process was very complicated because you cannot install unsigned drivers in the normal state and must switch off the signature enforcement. Here's how anyway:

• For this go to the modern UI view in the right top or bottom corner and selects the gear
• Here change PC settings select
• Go to General and scroll down quite advanced time - now restart to click
• It restarts the computer. In the following dialog, you select onlyTroubleshooting, then Advanced options , then settings and give the command to restart.
• In the following menu, you pressed 7) disable driver signature enforcement
• If the computer is rebooted, it connects the nexus 4 via USB and install the drivers as described above.

To make sure that the nexus 4 has been installed correctly, start a command prompt or terminal, goes into the folder of the SDK, adb devices exist, followed by pressing the Enter key. Is the device listed, everything has worked out and you can continue safely. If the nexus 4 not included in the list should appear, you will find a detailed step by step solution in the CyanogenMod wiki under the steps 16 to 27.

Step 3: Unlock of the bootloader

The nexus 4 has permanently rooten, unlocked the bootloader will be.Fortunately, Google has created the no great hurdles in the way. Only one thing is to keep in mind: when unlocking the bootloader, the nexus reverts 4 to its factory State, all data will be deleted. We recommend this step so as to make first official act upon receipt of the nexus 4 or otherwise to create a backup of the data.

1. First you start the phone in fastboot mode (turn off, then volume down and power at the same time press and hold)
2. Now you connect the nexus 4 using the USB cable with the computer
3. Opens the prompt or Console (depending on the operating system different)
4. Now navigate to the folder of Android SDK, the fastboot file is located.
5. The command fastboot oem unlock unlocked the bootloader and resets your device

Step 4: install custom recovery

Before we now rooting the nexus 4 can we even a custom recovery Flash, with which it is possible to create nandroid backups, unsigned .zip files to Flash and much more. For this purpose, a recovery file must be downloaded first. TheClockworkMod Recovery is the classic and is available as a normale-or touch version for downloading - the TWPR of TeamWin is worth a look but also.

• Rename the downloaded file in recovery.img and move to the Android SDK folder (sdk/platform-tools).
• Navigate in the command prompt go there and enter the following term:fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Then, the standard recovery of the nexus with the 4 of us replaced desired. This one can be accessed in the future by pressing the volume key in the bootloader so long, until the Android Andy "Recovery" to read is, which in turn needs to be confirmed with the power button.

Step 5: Rooting the nexus 4

Thus, the first step would be already done. Now, the nexus 4 must be only rooted.

1. To her the following Boot Image, as well as the Root Files (SuperUser and BusyBox) have to download (the boot image takes advantage of a security gap and enables to rooting the device)
2. Unpack the ZIP file
3. Placed the files, and the boot image in the Android SDK folder, in which also the fastboot file is located (sdk/platform-tools)
4. With the following command your nexus 4 boots you once with the unsafe image: fastboot boot boot.img

Now following commands must be entered and confirmed with enter are:

• ADB shell mount-o remount, rw / system
• ADB push su / system/bin /
• ADB push Superuser.apk / system/app /
• ADB push busybox / system/xbin /
• ADB shell
• chmod 06755 / system/bin/su
• chmod 0644 /system/app/Superuser.apk
• chmod 04755 / system/xbin/busybox
• CD / system / xbin
• BusyBox--install/system/xbin /
• exit
• exit

Then restart your nexus 4 and have it rooted successfully.

Alternative procedure with the nexus 4 Toolkit

Who can use Alternatively the nexus 4 Toolkit whom the command in the command prompt is not quite haunted. Here, all the steps previously described can be done semi-automatically through a rudimentary graphical user interface.The procedure is identical to that in the Galaxy nexus, that we at this point already described. You can download the nexus 4 Toolkit in the XDA-Developers Forum .
Do you have your nexus 4 successfully rooted? There have been issues or ambiguities in our guide? Let us know - in the comments section.