Having important data such as photos, messages, contacts, and other files suddenly disappear from your Android phone can be stressful. Whether it’s due to accidental deletion, system corruption, or hardware damage, losing access to your personal information is frustrating. Thankfully, there are various methods you can use to attempt to recover deleted or lost data from an Android device using a PC.
Using Android Backup Files
One of the easiest ways to recover lost Android data is to restore it from a previous backup. Android allows users to backup device data locally or to cloud services like Google Drive. If you had backups enabled, you may be able to restore the lost files from a recent backup archive.
To restore data from a local backup on a PC, first install the Android SDK Platform Tools package on your computer. This will provide access to the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool which can transfer data between an Android device and PC. Next, enable USB debugging in the Developer options on your Android phone and connect it to your computer via USB.
Then open a command prompt or terminal window and navigate to the platform tools folder. Type “adb restore backup.ab” to restore data from a local backup named backup.ab. You may need to authorize the connection on your Android phone. If the backup file is password protected, add the “-p yourpassword” option to the command. This will extract the backup archive and restore its contents to your device.
For Google Drive backups, open the Drive app on your Android phone or sign in to Google Drive on a computer. Find the backup in the Backups folder, select Restore, and choose which data to recover. The files will be downloaded from the cloud backup archive and restored onto your device.
Using Android Data Recovery Software
If you don’t have a backup to work with, your next option is to use third party Android data recovery software. These programs scan your phone’s internal memory and attempt to recover deleted data.
First, install and open the data recovery program on your computer. Some popular options include EaseUS MobiSaver, Fonelab, and iMyFone D-Back. Connect your Android phone to the computer via USB and grant authorization to access data. The software will scan the phone and search for recoverable files based on file headers and metadata.
Once the scan completes, the program will display the recoverable data it found. You can preview files to check their contents and select which ones to restore. The software will retrieve the data and save it to your computer. Be sure to save the recovered files to a different location than the original phone storage to avoid overwriting them.
Most Android data recovery programs have both free trial and paid versions. The free versions typically allow you to scan and preview files but limit how much data you can restore. Paid versions provide unlimited data recovery capabilities, additional features, and better support.
Using ADB Pull Commands
The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) also provides some basic data recovery capabilities using file pull commands. Again, you’ll need the ADB tools set up on your computer and USB debugging enabled on your Android device.
With your phone connected to your PC, open a command prompt/terminal and enter:
adb pull /source/path/on/phone /destination/path/on/pc
For example, to pull your phone’s contacts database to your computer, you would enter:
adb pull /data/contacts/contacts.db C:\restored_contacts.db
This will copy the contacts database file from your phone to your PC. You can pull various database and shared preference files that contain app data from the data/data folder. Media files can be pulled from directories like DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.
While the ADB pull method is less user friendly than data recovery apps, it provides direct access to recover specific databases, shared preferences, and media files that contain your lost information.
Using File Explorers
Some file explorer apps for Android allow accessing your phone’s data for browsing and extracting files when connected to a computer. Apps like FX File Explorer have a Network Storage Explorer feature that lets your PC access the phone’s file system.
Install FX File Explorer on your Android device, enable root explorer and USB debugging options, then connect your phone to the computer. On the PC, open a file browser and enter the URL smb://IP-of-Android-device into the address bar (replace IP with your phone’s actual IP address). You can now browse the Android file system and copy data to recover onto your PC.
Using a rooted file explorer app provides more control and access to system files. But this method only allows you to view and copy files – not actually recover or restore lost data from the phone system itself.
Using Android SMS Backup & Restore Apps
If you specifically need to recover lost or deleted text messages (SMS) from your Android phone, there are apps dedicated for that purpose. Apps like SMS Backup & Restore use your Google account to sync your SMS history to the cloud. Even if you delete messages or lose them on your phone, the app can retrieve them from its cloud backup.
To use SMS Backup & Restore, install it on your Android device and give it permissions to access SMS and your Google account. In the app settings, enable backup and restore confirmation prompts. The app will now automatically backup SMS messages to your Google Drive.
To restore lost SMS messages, reconnect the Android phone if needed, open the SMS Restore app, and tap Restore when prompted. The app will sync your Google Drive SMS backup to your device and recover deleted and lost text messages.
Using Google Sync
If you had been syncing your Android phone to a Google account, you may be able to recover lost phone data from that account. Android natively integrates with Google services to sync your contacts, emails, calendar events, photos, and more.
On a computer, visit Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google Photos – any lost phone contacts, calendar events, and photos may be accessible from those web interfaces. For Gmail, open the Gmail website and switch to the All Mail view to show synced emails from your Android device.
To view synced Android photos and videos, open Google Photos and check the sidebar for folders and albums synced from your device. Any online-synced media will still be accessible even if deleted from the phone.
This Google sync method relies on having regular backups enabled from your phone. But as long as sync was active, it can provide an avenue to recover contacts, emails, calendar items, and photos.
Using App Online Backups
Many popular Android apps provide their own online backup and sync services separate from Google. For example, WhatsApp lets users backup chats and media to Google Drive. Facebook syncs your posts and info automatically. Check if the important apps on your device have cloud backup services enabled.
To recover app data from online backups, install the app again on your Android phone if needed. Open the app, connect to the associated account, and look for restore options. There should be prompts to download the online backup and restore the app data onto your device.
Relying on app-specific backups means you’ll have to repeat this restore process for each individual app. But can be worthwhile to recover data from apps that don’t integrate with Google Drive backup.
Using a Non-Restored System Backup
Some Android custom ROMs and recovery tools create full system image backups as part of the installation process. If you have an older full system backup that wasn’t restored, you may be able extract data from it.
The system backup is typically a large .tar or .img file. You’ll need to connect your Android phone to a computer and use ADB tools to access the backup file’s contents directly.
With your phone connected via USB, open a command prompt and enter:
adb pull /path/to/backup.img /path/on/pc
This will copy the backup file from your Android device to the computer. Then download a utility app like 7-Zip, Tar, or WinRAR to extract the backup file contents. You can now browse through the extracted backup folders and copy any needed data to your PC.
It takes some work, but picking through an old system backup can recover valuable information – especially if you have no other backups to work with.
Factory Resetting Your Phone
As a last resort, you may be able to recover lost files by doing a factory reset on your Android phone. This wipes the phone back to a clean state, which can return previously deleted files if they weren’t overwritten.
Warning: Factory reset will erase all current data on your device. Only use this method if you have no other options left for data recovery.
First, use Android data recovery software or ADB pull commands to extract any accessible files you’ll need from the current state of your phone. Once they are safely copied to a computer, proceed with the reset.
On your Android device go to Settings > System > Reset options and select Erase all data (factory reset). Confirm the action and wait for the reset process to complete.
After the reset finishes, avoid restoring apps from Google Play so you don’t overwrite previous file versions. Use a file explorer to browse the phone storage and SD card for recoverable data that was reset. Copy these files to another location before reinstalling apps.
Factory reset can resurface deleted files as free space is reallocated. Although you’ll need to set up your phone again afterwards.
Going to a Repair Shop
For extensive data recovery needs, you may have to turn to professional help. Cell phone repair shops offer Android data recovery services using commercial tools and clean room facilities.
The benefit of professional recovery is access to advanced data extraction technology. This gives a higher chance of retrieving files from damaged or corrupted phone storage.
However, phone data recovery can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the shop and severity of the situation. It also takes longer as you’ll be without your phone until the process completes.
Before visiting a repair shop, first exhaust all DIY recovery options you can do yourself. But for extreme cases of lost irreplaceable data, professional services may be your last choice.
Preventing Lost Data
To avoid dealing with lost files and data recovery stress, be proactive about backing up your Android phone:
- Enable automatic Google Drive backup in your device settings.
- Manually backup media files and other important data to cloud storage or your computer.
- Use backup & restore apps tailored for your specific phone data.
- Create occasional full device backups through recovery tools like ClockworkMod.
No backup method is perfect, so use multiple strategies for enhanced redundancy. Test restoring backups periodically to verify they work. With solid backups in place, you’ll have peace of mind if data ever goes missing from your phone.
Conclusion
Recovering lost or deleted data from an Android phone is possible through various DIY methods. Backup archives provide the simplest way to restore your information. But even without backups, data recovery tools and techniques can help retrieve your important files.
Follow the data recovery options outlined, taking precautions at each step not to overwrite your files further. With some persistence, there’s a good chance of salvaging at least some of your missing phone data.
And be sure to implement robust backup routines going forward. Having reliable Android phone backups will save you from the stress and effort of recovery should you ever lose your data again.