How do I edit the "build.prop" file in Android without Rooting it?

The following method requires you to have a custom recovery like TWRP or CWM. You can either install the custom recovery or even choose to simply boot through it for this process. This is because you have full access to system files in recovery mode. Also, this is only possible if the system partition is mounted, something which stock recoveries don’t allow. To begin with, download and install ADB and Fastboot drivers onto your system.

·         Install an advanced text editor like Notepad++ or Sublime Text on your system. This is will be used later on to edit the build.prop file.

·         Next up, switch off your device and head over to the recovery mode. Once there, tap on “Mount”. A list of all the partitions on your device will open up. Make sure the checkbox next to ‘System’ is checked, and the checkbox next to “Mount system partition read-only” is unchecked.

·         Once you’ve mounted the /system partition, connect your device to your PC and open the ADB window. Once there, type in the following command to transfer the build.prop file onto your system:

1.  adb pull /system/build.prop <path to save file>

For example, I wish to transfer the file to C:\Beebom on my system, hence the command that I’ll be inputting will be:

1.  adb pull /system/build.prop  C:\Beebom

As you can see below, the build.prop file will now be transferred to the specified path, in my case, C:\Beebom.

·         Now that your build.prop file has been transferred to your system, you can edit it easily using the text editor you downloaded previously. To do so, simply right-click on the build.prop file and select “Edit with Notepad++” or any other text editor that you may have downloaded.

·         A new Notepad++ window should now open and you should easily be able to modify the build.prop file. Once you’re done with your edits, simply save the changes.

·         Now that you’ve edited the build.prop file, we need to transfer it back to your device. To do so, run the following command in the ADB window:

1.  adb push <path to your file> /system/build.prop

So, since my file is located at C:\Beebom\, the command that I’ll be inputting will be:

1.  adb push C:\Beebom\build.prop  /system/build.prop

·         Now that you’ve transferred the modified build.prop file, you need to set its permissions as well. To do so, open up the ADB shell by typing in the following command:

1.  adb shell

·         Once you’re inside the ADB shell mode, type in the following command to set the right permissions:

1.  chmod 644 /system/build.prop

And that’s it. You can now close the ADB window. Your build.prop file has now been modified as per your preferences.