How to recover data from Android phone with broken screen free Mac?

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How to recover data from Android phone with broken screen free Mac

Having a broken screen on your Android phone can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you have important data stored on the device that you need to access. The good news is, there are a few different methods you can try to recover data from an Android phone with a cracked or broken screen for free using a Mac computer.

Using ADB and Fastboot

One of the best options for recovering data from an Android device with a broken screen is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and Fastboot through the Android SDK Platform Tools. Here are the steps:

  1. Download and install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your Mac.
  2. Enable USB debugging on your Android device. You’ll need to do this before the screen is broken. USB debugging allows connection to Android devices via ADB.
  3. Connect your Android device to your Mac using a USB cable. You may need to use a OTG (On-The-Go) cable if your device’s charging port is damaged.
  4. Open the Terminal app on your Mac and navigate to the platform-tools folder. The commands will likely be something like:
    cd /Users/yourname/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools
  5. Type adb devices to verify your device is connected. You should see the device serial number listed.
  6. You can now use ADB commands to pull data from your device. For example:
    adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera .
    will copy photos from the camera folder to your current Mac folder.

The major advantage of using ADB is that you do not need to interact with the device’s screen at all. As long as you enabled USB debugging beforehand, you can access the device’s file system with command line tools. However, it does require some comfort with using Terminal and Ace commands.

Using Android Data Recovery Software on Mac

If you are not as comfortable using command line tools, your best option is an Android data recovery program designed to retrieve data from phones with broken screens. Here are some top options:

FoneDog Android Data Recovery

FoneDog is an easy-to-use program that can recover deleted files, photos, messages, contacts and more from an Android device with a cracked screen. It has a user-friendly interface that anyone can use without any technical knowledge.

To recover data using FoneDog:

  1. Download and install FoneDog Android Data Recovery on your Mac.
  2. Launch the program and enable USB debugging mode on your Android if you haven’t already.
  3. Connect your device to your Mac via USB and select the broken phone type.
  4. FoneDog will automatically scan your device and find all recoverable data.
  5. Preview found data and select what you want to recover.
  6. Choose a save location on your Mac and recover the data.

FoneDog makes it easy to recover data without needing to interact with your broken device. It has a free trial available so you can test it out before purchasing.

iSkysoft Android Data Recovery

iSkysoft is another excellent Mac data recovery program designed specifically for retrieving data from Android devices with broken screens. Key features include:

  • Intuitive interface for previewing and recovering data.
  • Recovers photos, messages, contacts, call logs and more.
  • Support for 6000+ Android device models.
  • No rooting required.

To use iSkysoft for Android data recovery on a Mac:

  1. Download and install iSkysoft on your Mac.
  2. Connect Android device via USB and launch iSkysoft.
  3. Select the broken phone type and scan for data.
  4. Preview and select data to recover.
  5. Save retrieved data to your Mac or an external device.

iSkysoft Android Data Recovery costs $49.95 but has a free trial so you can test it out. It provides an easy graphical interface for recovering data from phones with cracked screens.

Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Commands

If you are comfortable using command line tools, you can utilize Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to recover data from a phone with a broken screen. ADB is included in the Android SDK Platform Tools package.

Here are the basic steps to use ADB commands to recover data:

  1. Install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your Mac.
  2. Enable USB Debugging in your Android device’s settings.
  3. Connect your Android device to your Mac with a USB cable.
  4. Open the Terminal app and navigate to the platform-tools folder.
  5. Type adb devices to verify connection.
  6. Use ADB pull commands to copy data from your device. For example:
    adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera /Users/yourname/Pictures
  7. Run commands to pull any data you need from the file system.

Some key ADB commands include:

  • adb pull – Copies files from the device to your Mac.
  • adb backup – Performs a full backup of data on the device.
  • adb shell – Accesses a shell terminal on the device.
  • adb logcat – Displays log data from your device.

Using ADB requires some technical skill, but gives you access to the full internal file system to recover any data you need. It works even if the device’s screen is completely broken or blacked out.

Connecting Your Android to a Computer Screen

If part of your device’s screen still works, another option is to connect your Android phone to a computer monitor or TV screen. This allows you to mirror the display and control it from the larger screen.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Connect your Android phone to a monitor or TV with an MHL or HDMI cable.
  2. You may need an adapter depending on your device’s port.
  3. Go to your Android settings and select “Screen Mirroring”
  4. Choose the connected monitor or TV from the menu.
  5. Your device screen should now be mirrored on the bigger display.
  6. You can then navigate your phone to back up data and files.

This gives you access to your phone’s screen and allows you to manually transfer data like photos, videos, and documents off your device.

Using Samsung SideSync to Mirror Screen

If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, you can use Samsung SideSync to mirror your phone’s display to your Mac screen. Here’s what to do:

  1. Download and install SideSync on your Mac from Samsung’s website.
  2. Connect your Samsung phone via USB cable.
  3. Open SideSync on your Mac and it will detect your phone.
  4. On your phone’s notification bar, tap “Accept” to allow connection.
  5. Your Android screen will now be displayed on your Mac.
  6. You can access the screen with your mouse and keyboard to recover data.

SideSync streams your device display in real time and lets you control it from your Mac. Great for accessing data if part of the screen still works.

Using Google Photos Web Interface

If you previously backed up your Android device’s photos to Google Photos, you may be able to access them through the Google Photos web interface without needing the physical phone.

To try this:

  1. Go to photos.google.com in your web browser.
  2. Log into your Google account that was linked to your device.
  3. Google Photos should display all of your backed up images.
  4. You can view, download, and export the photo files.

As long as you had photos set to backup from your Android to your Google account, this gives you a way to retrieve them from the cloud. The same may apply for any data synced to cloud services.

Enabling USB File Transfer in Recovery Mode

Some Android devices allow you to access and transfer files over USB while in recovery mode. Here are the steps if available on your model:

  1. Power off your Android completely.
  2. Hold down the Volume Up + Power buttons together until recovery mode loads.
  3. Use volume keys to scroll and select “Apply update from ADB”.
  4. Connect your phone to your Mac with a USB cable.
  5. Open Terminal and type adb pull /sdcard/ path/to/save/ to copy files.
  6. Or go to Finder and navigate to your phone storage.

This gives you direct USB file transfer capabilities even while the device is powered off in recovery mode. Be careful not to accidentally wipe data while in recovery interface.

Using OTG (On-the-Go) Cable

If your device’s charging port is damaged, you likely won’t be able to connect it directly to your computer. However, you can use an OTG (On-the-Go) cable to bypass a broken charging port and access the data.

An OTG cable has a micro USB connector on one end that plugs into your phone, and a standard USB port on the other end. It allows you to access the USB connection through an undamaged part of your device.

To use an OTG cable:

  1. Carefully plug the micro USB end into your device’s headphone jack or USB-C port.
  2. Plugin the regular USB end into your Mac.
  3. Your Mac should now detect your Android phone.
  4. You can attempt to transfer data off it from there.

OTG cables are inexpensive and give you another option if the charging port won’t connect to your computer. Just be very careful plugging it into your phone.

Conclusion

Recovering data from an Android phone with a broken screen can seem daunting but is possible in many cases. The options include using Android data recovery software, ADB/Fastboot commands, connecting to an external display, and OTG cables. With some persistence and the right tools, you can likely retrieve your lost photos, messages, and other important files.

The key is not to try factory resetting your device or reflashing the OS before extracting your data, as that will wipe everything permanently. Be very careful playing around in recovery mode. Your best bet is likely an Android data recovery program designed specifically for broken phones that can safely scan and restore your files.