Root HTC One Mini 2 - so it'll work

The HTC One Mini 2 is the small edition of the HTC flagship One. We explain how to root it in this guide.

Root HTC One Mini 2: Unlock bootloader

Note: The following steps are at your own risk and should only be carried out by experienced users.

Without unlocked bootloader, root is not possible on HTC One Mini 2. You can do that through the website htcdev.com. Follow the instructions here by selecting the menu item "Unlock Bootloader". If the HTC One Mini 2 cannot be found in the supported devices, simply select the menu item "All other Supported Devices".
Important: In this step you will lose the HTC manufacturer's warranty. From this point on, you are on your own and can also irreparably damage your device due to the deep system intervention at the root.
For the procedure of the bootloader unlock you need correctly installed drivers and a working ADB console with Fastboot. We have summarized how the Android Debug Bridge is installed in a separate article.

After unlocking the bootloader, you need to flash a custom recovery on your HTC One Mini 2 in order to gain root access via superuser.
Download the recovery file from this XDA thread.
Turn off your HTC One Mini 2. Press and hold the "Volume down" button and then press and hold the power button. You get to the boot menu, where you select the "Fastboot" menu item using the volume buttons and confirm with the power button.
In this state, connect your cell phone to the PC and start the ADB console. Flash the recovery file to the HTC One Mini 2 using the "fastboot flash" command. You can then use "fastboot erase cache" to clear the cache to ensure that the installation is as clean as possible.
With this custom recovery, you can now install new ROMs or make Nandroid backups at will.

As a final and important step, you need to flash the superuser file on your HTC One Mini 2.
To do this, download the corresponding superuser version and transfer it to your smartphone.
Then start your HTC One Mini in the recovery menu (volume down and then hold down the power button), go to "Install" and look for the Superuser ZIP in the file storage. Install this file and then reboot your device. The Superuser app now appears in the App Drawer and you have root access on your HTC One Mini 2.

Many CHIP readers report that after rooting the screen freezes and the message "This Build is for ...." appears.
Then press the [Volume Up] + [Volume Down] + [Power] buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds.
Now your smartphone should work again and continue booting.

If you are not sure which HTC One Mini variant you own, we have put together the most important differences between the HTC Minis.