Magic Overlayfs: A Magisk Module to Make System Partition Read-Write

Do you want to modify your system partition without losing system integrity? Do you have a device with dynamic partition and no space left for system modification? If yes, then you might be interested in magic overlayfs, a magisk module that uses overlayfs to make system partition read-write.

What is Magic Overlayfs?

Magic overlayfs is a magisk module developed by HuskyDG, a GitHub user and Android enthusiast. It is based on the overlayfs filesystem, which is a union mount filesystem that combines multiple mount points into one, resulting in a single directory structure that contains files and sub-directories from all sources.

Magic overlayfs uses overlayfs to overlay a read-write partition over a read-only system partition, allowing you to make changes to the system without actually modifying the original files. The changes are stored in a separate directory, called the upperdir, which is located in the /data partition. This way, you can easily revert to the original system by disabling or removing the module.

Why Do You Need Magic Overlayfs?

Magic overlayfs is useful for several reasons:

• It allows you to modify system partition on Android 10+ devices, which might not support remounting system as read-write due to security reasons or dynamic partition.
• It saves space on your device, as you do not need to resize or repartition your system partition to make room for modifications. You only need enough space in your /data partition for the upperdir.
• It preserves system integrity, as you do not tamper with the original system files. You can still receive OTA updates and pass SafetyNet checks, as long as you disable the module before updating or checking.
• It supports both Magisk and KernelSU, two popular methods of gaining root access and modifying system partition on Android devices.

How to Download and Install Magic Overlayfs?

To download and install magic overlayfs, you need to have a rooted device with Magisk or KernelSU installed. You also need to have a kernel that supports overlayfs, which most modern kernels do. Then, you can follow these steps:

• Download the latest version of magic overlayfs from below download button.
• Install the module using Magisk app or by flashing the zip file in a custom recovery.
• Reboot your device and enjoy your read-write system partition.

How to Use Magic Overlayfs?

Once you have installed magic overlayfs, you can use any file manager or terminal app that has root access to modify your system partition. For example, you can use MT Manager to browse and edit system files. You can also use adb shell or Termux to run commands on your system partition.

To check if magic overlayfs is working, you can run the following command in a terminal app:

mount | grep overlay

You should see something like this:

overlay on /system type overlay (ro,relatime,lowerdir=/system_root/system,upperdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/system/upper,workdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/system/worker)
overlay on /vendor type overlay (ro,relatime,lowerdir=/vendor,upperdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/vendor/upper,workdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/vendor/worker)
overlay on /product type overlay (ro,relatime,lowerdir=/product,upperdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/product/upper,workdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/product/worker)
overlay on /system_ext type overlay (ro,relatime,lowerdir=/system_ext,upperdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/system_ext/upper,workdir=/data/adb/magic_overlayfs/system_ext/worker)

This means that your system, vendor, product, and system_ext partitions are mounted as overlayfs, with the upperdir in /data/adb/magic_overlayfs.

To disable magic overlayfs temporarily, you can run the following command in a terminal app:

nsenter -t 1 -m sh overlayfs_system --unmount

This will unmount the overlayfs partitions and restore the original system partitions. To re-enable magic overlayfs, you can run the following command:

nsenter -t 1 -m sh overlayfs_system --mount

To remove magic overlayfs permanently, you can uninstall the module using Magisk Manager or by flashing the uninstaller zip file in a custom recovery. This will delete the upperdir and the module files from your device.

Conclusion

Magic overlayfs is a magisk module that uses overlayfs to make system partition read-write on Android devices. It is useful for modifying system partition without losing system integrity or space. It supports both Magisk and KernelSU, and works on most devices with overlayfs-supported kernels. You can download and install magic overlayfs from in this blog provided download button, and use any file manager or terminal app with root access to modify your system partition. You can also disable or remove magic overlayfs easily if you want to revert to the original system.

I hope this article has helped you understand what magic overlayfs is and how to use it. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below or contact the developer on GitHub. Please also give credit to HuskyDG for creating this amazing module and share this article with your friends who might be interested in magic overlayfs.