If you have been or have ever been interested in jailbreaking your device, you must have heard of the famous checkra1n tool, but this tool requires you to have a Mac or computer running Linux. Technically, Windows won't be able to install and run checkra1n, but you can use a utility called bootra1n to run the checkra1n tool on a Windows PC and jailbreak your device.
While the process will take you a little tricky compared to just running checkra1n on a Mac or Linux computer, using bootra1n is a great way to jailbreak if you don't have a Mac or Linux PC. Don't worry if it will be complicated or difficult, because in this article, I will guide you through it step by step.
What you need to know
Most of you will hear people say that checkra1n currently only supports macOS and Linux, and this is still true. In fact, the bootra1n utility will essentially use "a bit of Linux" to trick your computer into running the checkra1n tool in the Linux workspace.
For this to work, you will have to install bootra1n. In a nutshell, you will load an ISO file containing a bit of Linux with checkra1n built-in to a USB or empty drive, then boot your computer to that USB or drive. In short, you will need to boot the Linux version from a USB / removable drive / hard drive instead of Windows on your primary boot drive. (usually drive C)But in fact, it still runs on Windows computers and this is extremely convenient.
What you will need
There are a few things you need to get started with this tutorial. These include:
- 01 USB or drive At least 512MB free space storage capacity
- Computer running 64-bit or 32-bit Windows, using AMD or Intel chips
- iPhone or iPad (chip A7 - A11) supported by checkra1n
- The USB-A to Lightning cable is MFi certified (USB-C to Lightning won't work)
- Utilities bootra1n (64-bit or 32-bit)
- Software Rufus, free download now https://rufus.ie/
You can download the bootra1n utility on Github (Click on Assets to see the download link) and you should download it before continuing to read this tutorial.
I cannot link to the download directly in this article because this utility is constantly being updated and I want to make sure that you are always downloading the latest version to minimize errors during implementation.
How to run checkra1n on a Windows computer
If you're ready to run the jailbreak using checkra1n on a Windows PC, follow these steps:
Install bootra1n into the USB / drive
first. After you have downloaded the bootra1n utility from the Github link above and the Rufus software, plug in your iPhone / iPad and USB. (or portable hard drive if you don't have USB) on the computer.
2. Right-click on the Rufus software you downloaded, and click Run as administrator. A message appears to confirm running the software, just click OK.
3. If your computer has never run the software Rufus, maybe it will ask you to download additional files, just click Yes is to be.
When the Rufus window appears, it will automatically detect your USB drive. Click the button SELECT, later select the file bootra1n-xxxxx.ISO that you have downloaded earlier.
4. After selecting the file bootra1n-xxxxx.ISO, a message appears. Now choose the option Write in ISO image mode (recommended) and click OK.
5. File bootra1n-xxxxx.ISO will appear in the Rufus software. Other things you leave as default, then click the button START to continue
6. Rufus will warn you that your USB drive will be reformatted and flashed with the new .ISO file. Click OK to continue.
7. SAfter Rufus finishes reformatting the USB and replacing it with the .ISO file, you have finished creating a USB containing Linux and the checkra1n tool.
In the next step, you will need to boot the computer into that USB drive to run checkra1n.
Boot the computer into the USB containing bootra1n
first. Reboot the computer and enter BIOS mode (If you do not know how to enter the BIOS, look for Google according to the model you are using). You can usually enter BIOS mode on a Windows computer by pressing repeatedly F2 key or Delete while the machine is starting up.
Note: The following boot order setting process will vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer your computer uses, so I cannot give out the exact steps for your computer. If you do not know how to change the boot order, you need to search Google a bit to know how.
2. Once in BIOS mode, look for the option Boot and make sure that your newly formatted USB flash drive is first in the boot order.
3. Save your changes and restart your computer. When the computer is restarted, you will see the interface shown below instead of Windows. Just Press the Enter key on the keyboard to continue.
4. In the next interface, you will find it a bit strange because it's all command line, just wait until it finishes running and ask for login credentials. Enter the following:
- login: anon
- password: voidlinux
Note: When entering a password, you will not see the password appear, because this is the general security mechanism of Linux, similar to macOS. You just enter the correct letter one by one and press Enter.
5. After successful login, you will see a "$" icon appear in the command line. Enter the following:
sudo checkra1n
6. Now the checkra1n tool will appear and look like the image below.
How to jailbreak by checkra1n
first. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to scroll right and select an option Start, then press the key Enter.
2. Checkra1n's next interface tells you that your iPhone or iPad needs to be booted into DFU mode. Choose an option next, then press the key Enter.
3. Now you will follow the on-screen instructions to enter DFU mode, if you don't understand what this step says, I will translate for you as follows:
- Select Start
- Hold down the button at the same time power and volume down button 4 seconds
- Release the power button out BUT STILL HOLD the volume down button in 10 seconds
Depending on the device you use, this guide will be a little different, but the instructions on this screen are quite intuitive so I think you will do it, if not, then do it again.
Move to the button Start, then press Enter and follow exactly what the instructions are on the screen.
4. After you have successfully put your device into DFU mode, bootra1n will start running and jailbreaking your device.
5. Your iPhone or iPad will now display the boot screen according to the checkra1n interface. Do not disconnect it until the jailbreak is complete.
6. After the jailbreak process is finished, you can reboot your computer and re-enter BIOS mode to reconfigure the boot order from your hard drive.
7. Back to your iPhone or iPad, you should now see the checkra1n app on the home screen. Open it up.
8. Click on Cydia, then select Install Cydia.
9. checkra1n will begin to download the base system packages and install Cydia.
ten. Open up Cydia app, switch to tab Sources (Sources) and press Refresh (Refresh) in the top left corner to refresh all your sources, then install any updates Cydia requires.
Once done, congratulations, you have successfully jailbroken your device without needing a Mac or Linux PC.
Please refer to the following articles to find and install for yourself the tweak that suits you:
Epilogue
The process of jailbreaking with checkra1n on a Windows machine is a bit more complicated than on a Mac or Linux, but the great thing is that you can use this method if you don't have any other options for you. Official support for Windows is expected to be included in the next checkra1n soon, but there is no specific timeline at this time.
However, do not get too excited but forget to reset the boot drive for Windows via the BIOS. If you do not do this, your computer will constantly boot into the USB, or if you remove the USB drive, it may show an error.
Are you jailbreaking your device using bootra1n on a Windows computer? Or are you stuck at any step in the above tutorial? Leave a comment below for me to help.
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