How to recover all data on a Samsung phone after resetting Android

Resetting settings on Samsung Galaxy is a radical way to return your smartphone to its former speed, but it often results in the loss of valuable data. Vacation photos, work contacts, saved passwords or notes - all this can disappear in an instant if there is no backup. Fortunately, even after hard reset there are still chances for recovery. In this article we will analyze all current methods of returning data to Samsung after a resetincluding official tools from Google and Samsung, third-party utilities for PCs, as well as little-known techniques for working with internal memory.

It is important to understand: the success of recovery depends on three factors: reset depth (regular reset via menu or complete flashing), availability of backup copies (even if you did not know about them) and actions after reset. For example, if you've already written new files to your phone, they may have overwritten the old data, making it more difficult to get them back. Let's start with the most reliable methods and gradually move on to more risky, but sometimes the only possible ones.

1. Restoring from a backup of Samsung Cloud or Google Account

If synchronization with Samsung , the data can be returned in just a few clicks. These services automatically save: Samsung Cloud or Google Accountwas enabled on your

• 📞 Contacts, calendars and notes
• 📷 Photos and videos (if the function was enabled Autoload)
• 📱 System settings, wallpaper, data of some applications
• 🔑 Passwords for Wi-Fi and accounts (Google only)

To recover data from Samsung Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and archiving → Samsung Cloud.
2. Select Recover data and log in to your account Samsung.
3. Tick the required categories (for example, Contact or Gallery) and press Restore.

To restore from Google Account:

1. When setting up your phone for the first time after resetting, select Copy data and log in to your Google account.
2. The system will offer to restore data from the latest backup - confirm the action.

⚠️ Attention: Backups in Samsung Cloud are stored for a limited time (usually 30 days after deleting the device from your account). If you have not used your phone for a long time, the data may have been deleted automatically.

2. Using Samsung Smart Switch to restore from PC

Samsung Smart Switch is an official utility for transferring data between devices, but it can also restore backups. If you have previously created a backup through this application (for example, when replacing a phone), follow the instructions:

Download and install Smart Switch on your PC from the official website Samsung. Connect your phone via USB (use the original cable!) and follow the steps:

1. Run Smart Switch on your computer.
2. Select Restore in the main menu.
3. The app will show available backups - select the one you need by date.
4. Tick the data to be restored (for example, Messages, Call log, Documents).
5. Press Restore and wait for the process to complete (do not disconnect the cable!).

If Smart Switch does not see the backup copy, check:

• 🖥️ Folder C:\Users\[Your_name]\Documents\Samsung\SmartSwitch\backup on the PC - perhaps the backup is saved locally.
• 🔄 app version (update to the latest via the menu Help → Check for updates).
• 📡 Connect to the Internet - some copies are stored in the cloud Samsung.

Install the latest version of Smart Switch from the official Samsung website

Use an original USB cable (not cheap analogues!)

Disable USB debugging mode in developer settings

Charge the phone at least 50% to avoid crashes

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⚠️ Attention: Restoring via Smart Switch will overwrite the current data on the phone. If you added new contacts or files after the reset, they will be lost. First, export them manually!

3. Recovering deleted files using PC apps

If there are no backups, the only chance left is to scan the phone’s internal memory for “traces” of deleted files. To do this, you will need specialized apps, such as Dr.Fone, EaseUS MobiSaver or Tenorshare UltData. They work on the principle of deep scanning RAW data, but have limitations:

app	Supported data	Free version	Root required
Dr.Fone (Wondershare)	Photos, videos, contacts, messages, WhatsApp	File preview	No (partially)
EaseUS MobiSaver	Photos, videos, audio, documents	Recovery of 2 files	Yes (for deep scanning)
Tenorshare UltData	All above + application data	Preview	No
DiskDigger	Photo, video, documents	Yes (with restrictions)	Yes

Instructions with example Dr.Fone:

1. Install the app on your PC and connect your phone via USB.
2. Select mode Android data recovery.
3. Enable USB debugging on your phone (click 7 times, then go back to Settings → About phone → Build number press 7 times, then return to Settings → System → For Developers and enable USB Debugging).
4. Select file types to scan (for example, Gallery and Contact).
5. Wait for the scan to complete (it may take up to 1 hour) and mark the files for recovery.

Important nuances:

• 🔍 The less you used the phone after the reset, the higher the chances of recovery. New data overwrites old data!
• 📵 Not all apps support the latest models Samsung (for example, Galaxy S23 or Z Fold 5). Check compatibility on the developer's website.
• 💰 Full-featured versions are paid (from 500 to 2000 rubles). Free versions only allow you to view found files.

Why don’t apps find all deleted files?

When resetting Android settings, it does not physically erase data - it only marks memory sectors as “free”. However:

1. The system may overwrite these sectors with new data (for example, when installing applications).

2. On phones with encryption (by default on new Samsung), recovery without a password is almost impossible.

3. Files deleted a long time ago could have been overwritten before the reset.

4. Recovery via Recovery and Download Mode

If the phone does not turn on after a reset or you suspect firmware damage, you can try to extract the data via Recovery modes or Download Mode. These methods require technical skills and are only suitable for experienced users.

First, try booting into Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press simultaneously Power button + Volume up + Bixby (on new models without Bixby — only Power + Volume up).
3. In the menu Recovery select Apply update from ADB (if you need to flash a patch) or Mount /system to access files.

To extract data via Download Mode (one-time mode for flashing):

1. Install on PC Samsung USB Drivers i Odin (tool for flashing).
2. Boot the phone into Download Mode (press Power + Volume down + Bixby).
3. Connect to PC - in Odin the port should be detected (for example, COM3).
4. Use utilities like ADB or TWRP (if installed) to copy files from internal memory.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect actions in Odin or Recovery can turn your phone into a “brick” (inoperative state). If you are not confident in your abilities, contact a service center.

5. Restoring specific types of data

Let's consider the nuances for the most popular types:

📞 Contacts and call log

If synchronization with Google or Samsung has been disabled, try:

• 📧 Export contacts from the old SIM card (if they are there saved).
• 🔍 Use apps like GT Recovery to scan the internal memory for the remains of the contact database (contacts.db).
• 📱 Check the folder /data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/ via Root Explorer (required root access).

📷 Photos and videos

For multimedia, the chances of recovery are higher than for other data. In addition to apps from Section 3, try:

• 🖼️ View folder DCIM/.thumbnails - sometimes thumbnails of deleted photos remain there.
• ☁️ Check cloud services: Google Photos, Yandex Disk, Dropbox (autoload may have been enabled).
• 📁 Use PhotoRec (a free utility for recovering graphic files by signatures).

💬 Messages (SMS/MMS) and instant messenger chats

Messages are the most difficult to restore, but there are ways:

• 📲 For SMS: apps SMS Backup & Restore (if there was a backup) or scanning a file mmssms.db in /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/.
• 💬 For WhatsApp: check the folder /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases —there may be backup copies of chats (msgstore.db.crypt14). Rename the file to msgstore.db and install WhatsApp again.
• 📌 For Telegram: if it was enabled Cloud Chat, messages will be restored automatically when you log in to your account.

6. When recovery is not possible: alternative solutions

Unfortunately, in some cases it will not be possible to return data:

• 🔒 The phone was encrypted (since Android 6.0 encryption was enabled by default).
• 🗑️ After the reset, a lot of new data was written to the phone (overwriting memory sectors).
• 🔥 Flash memory is damaged (for example, after a fall or moisture).
• 🛠️ Produced full wipe via TWRP or service software.

If data is critical, consider the following options:

• 🔧 Chip-off recovery: at the service center they can remove the memory chip and read it using special equipment. Cost - from 5,000 to 20,000 rubles.
• 📦 Contacting the operator: if you need an SMS or call log, the operator can provide a printout for a certain period (by law, data is stored for 6 months).
• 📧 Checking email: often photos or documents were sent by mail "just in case".

⚠️ Attention: If the phone was stolen or lost and then found after a reset, do not try to recover the data yourself. Contact the police - illegal access to other people's data is prosecuted under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

7. How to avoid data loss in the future

To never face the problem of recovery again, set up automatic backup:

For Samsung:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and archiving → Backup and recovery.
2. Enable Archive data and select an account Samsung.
3. Set up a schedule (daily/weekly) and select categories for backup.

For Google:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable Backup to Google Drive.
3. Click Set up backup and select the data to save.

Additional measures:

• 📲 Regularly copy photos to a PC or external drive.
• ☁️ Use cloud services with versioning (for example, Google Photos stores edited versions of photos for 60 days).
• 🔄 Before resetting, export contacts to a file .vcf via the app Contact.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about data recovery on Samsung

Is it possible to recover data after a reset if the phone does not turn on?

Yes, but only if the problem is not hardware damage. Connect your phone to your PC and try scanning the memory through apps like Dr.Fone (mode The device does not turn on). If the phone is not detected, it will require repair or chip-off restoration at a service center.

Samsung Smart Switch does not see the backup copy. What to do?

Check:

1. Folder with backups on PC (by default C:\Users\[Name]\Documents\Samsung\SmartSwitch\backup).
2. Version Smart Switch (update to the latest).
3. USB connection (try a different cable or port).
4. Phone settings: in Settings → For developers enable USB debugging.

If the copy was in the cloud, log in to the same account Samsungfrom which the backup was made.

Is it possible to restore data if you installed a new one after resetting firmware?

The chances are extremely low. The new firmware overwrites the system partitions where the remains of old data could be stored. The only option is chip-off recovery in a specialized service, but this is expensive and does not guarantee 100% results.

How to recover Wi-Fi passwords after a reset?

If there was backup is enabled in Google Account, passwords will be restored automatically when you log in to the same account. Otherwise:

• Try to connect to the router via cable and look at the password in its settings (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).
• Use apps like WiFi Password Viewer (root access required).

Is it worth paying for data recovery apps?

It depends on the value of the lost files. Free versions (for example, DiskDigger or PhotoRec) can handle simple tasks (photos, documents). Paid apps (Dr.Fone, EaseUS) offer deeper scanning and support for new models. If the data is critical. (for example, working documents or single photographs), the cost of the app (1,000–2,000 rubles) is justified. In other cases, try free methods first.