Losing a music collection on a smartphone is an unpleasant situation, but often fixable. Device owners Samsung Galaxy face tracks disappearing for various reasons: accidental pressing, system failure, or formatting of the memory card. The main rule in such a situation is to immediately stop writing new data to the device so as not to overwrite deleted files.
Modern shells One UI and Google services provide several levels of data protection, which many users simply do not know about. From the built-in “Trash” in the file manager to cloud synchronization, the chances of returning your favorite songs are high. In this article we will look at all the current methods, from simple built-in tools to using professional software.
Checking the built-in recycle bin in the My Files application
Start searching for missing songs from the most obvious place - the internal “Trash” of the file manager. In smartphones Samsung the application My files saves deleted objects for 30 days before final erasing. This is a buffer zone that saves you from accidental user errors.
Open the application and scroll through the list of folders to the very bottom. Find the section Trash and click on it. If your songs were recently deleted, you'll see them in this list. Select the desired tracks or select the “All” option to restore the entire folder.
Please note that the amount of memory occupied by the Trash may be limited by system settings. If you deleted a lot of files at once, some of them may have been cleaned up automatically ahead of schedule. It is also worth checking the storage settings in the Settings → Device maintenance → Storagesection to make sure that the trash function is active.
⚠️ Attention: Files deleted from a microSD memory card often do not end up in the phone’s system trash and are erased immediately. They require other recovery methods.
If you don't see the Trash folder in the My Files app, click on the three dots in the top corner and select Settings, then turn on the Trash switch.
Sync with Google Play Music and YouTube Music
Many users forget that their music library could be automatically uploaded to the cloud. Google services, such as YouTube Music (formerly Google Play Music), have the function of downloading personal tracks. Even if the file is deleted from the phone, a copy of it can be stored on the corporation’s servers.
Go to the application YouTube Music and go to the “Library” section. If you've previously enabled syncing, your tracks will be available to stream or re-download. To check, go to your account settings through a browser on your computer and the “Music” section.
Recovery in this case it comes down to re-downloading the tracks to the device. This is especially true if the phone has been reset to factory settings. Make sure you are signed in to the same Google accountthat you used previously.
- 🎵 Check the "Downloads" section in the YouTube Music app.
- ☁️ Go to website music.youtube.com from your computer to view the full library.
- 🔄 Enable synchronization in the application settings to avoid future losses.
Restoring from a Samsung Cloud or Google Drive backup
If you have set up an automatic backup on your device, restoring data becomes a matter of a few minutes. The platform Samsung Cloud or Google Drive could preserve the folder structure and contents of media files before they were deleted.
To check, go to Settings → Accounts and Backup. Select "Data Recovery". The system will show a list of available backups with the dates of their creation. Select the copy created before the songs were deleted and check the “Audio” or “Music” section.
The process may take time depending on the amount of data and the speed of the Internet connection. It is important to understand that when restoring from a full backup, the current data on the phone may be replaced by data from the archive. Therefore make a copy of current important files before starting the procedureif they appeared after the backup creation date.
| Source | What it restores | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Cloud | System settings, photos, audio | Samsung account |
| Google Drive | Contacts, calendar, some media | Google account |
| Smart Switch (PC) | Full copy devices | USB cable, app on PC |
| OneDrive | Photos and videos (autoload) | OneDrive application |
What to do if the backup is too old?
If the available backup was created a long time ago and does not contain the necessary songs, do not restore it completely. It is better to use specialized software for deep memory scanning, which will be discussed below.
Using the Samsung Smart Switch app on a PC
The official utility Smart Switch from Samsung is a powerful tool not only for transferring data, but also for returning it. If you have previously made a full backup of your phone to your computer, this is the most reliable way to return music in its original quality without loss.
Connect your smartphone to your computer via the original USB cable. Launch the Smart Switch app on your PC and click the “Recovery” button. You will see a list of saved backups. Select the desired date and in the list of data types, make sure that “Music” or “Audio files” is checked.
The app allows you to restore data selectively without affecting other phone settings. This is a safe method that eliminates the risk of system damage. After the process is completed, check the folder Music in the internal storage of the device.
☑️ Preparing for recovery via Smart Switch
Specialized software for deep recovery
When the built-in tools are powerless, third-party apps for Data Recoverycome to the rescue. Utilities such as Dr.Fone, DiskDigger or EaseUS MobiSaverscan the physical memory of the device in search of traces of deleted files.
The principle of operation is based on the fact that when deleted, the file is not physically erased immediately, but is only marked as free space. As long as no new information is written over it, the data can be read. For most of these apps to work, you need to activate the mode USB debugging in the developer menu.
To enable this mode, go to Settings → About phone → Software information and quickly click 7 times on “Build number”. Then, in the “For Developers” menu that appears, enable the “USB Debugging” switch. Connect your phone to your PC and run a scan in the recovery app.
⚠️ Attention: To perform a deep scan of the internal memory on new Samsung models, you may need superuser rights (Root). Obtaining root access will void the warranty and can lead to damage to the device if handled improperly.
The effectiveness of such apps varies. If a lot of time has passed since deletion and the phone has been actively used, the chances of success are reduced. However, for microSD memory cards, these tools work almost flawlessly, since they do not require superuser rights.
The fewer operations you perform on the phone after deleting files, the higher the chance of their successful recovery by scanner apps.
Loss prevention and setting up auto backup
The best way to combat data loss is preventing the situation. Set up automatic synchronization of music folders with cloud storage. This could be Google Drive, Yandex.Disk or Dropbox.
In the settings of the selected cloud application, find the “Startup” or “Synchronization” section. Specify the folder where your music is stored (usually /Music or /Download). Now each new track will be duplicated to the cloud instantly.
It is also recommended to regularly make full backups via Smart Switch to a computer or external hard drive. Store your music in multiple places: on your phone, on a memory card, and in the cloud. This "triple protection" strategy ensures you'll never be without your favorite collection.
- 💾 Set up auto-upload of the Music folder to any available cloud.
- 📅 Once a month, make a complete copy of your phone on your PC via cable.
- 📂 Use file managers with the “Recycle Bin” function, for example, Solid Explorer.
Is it possible to restore songs if the phone has been reset to factory settings?
Restoring after a Factory Reset is extremely difficult, since the process often involves encryption and clearing access keys. There is a chance only if you use a full backup made BEFORE the reset, or if the data was stored on a memory card that was not formatted.
Is it safe to use free recovery apps?
Free versions often have limitations on the size of the files being restored or show previews without the ability to save. Download software only from official developer sites to avoid viruses that can steal your data.
Why may recovered files not be opened?
If a file has been partially overwritten by new data, its structure is broken. As a result, the file is restored, but turns out to be damaged (broken). In such cases, only searching for an alternative copy in the cloud or from friends helps.
Does the Android version affect the chances of recovery?
Yes. On Android 10 and higher, security and memory encryption mechanisms (Scoped Storage) have been strengthened. This makes it difficult for third-party apps to access physical memory sectors without root access, reducing the effectiveness of deep scanning.