If something happens to your smartphone or tablet, what could possibly happen to your personal data on that very same device? Or what if you accidentally delete an important file from your device?
In case this happens, it is very important to always have a backup of your data. That is what this guide is for.
In this article, you will learn how to backup your Samsung device, whether it is a smartphone or a tablet. Not only that, you will also learn how to restore the backup in an emergency scenario.
Keep reading!
Three (3) ways to backup the data on your Samsung smartphone/tablet
Where do you want to keep the backup of your Samsung device? On a cloud server? On an SD card? Or on your computer?
Depending on your preference, the process of taking the backup can change.
Now, you might be thinking of the best option. Is it the cloud, SD card, or computer? But every option has its own pros and cons so let’s talk about them first. Ready?
1 – Saving the backup to Cloud
Pros:
Cons:
2 – Saving the backup to SD card/external USB drive
Pros:
Cons:
3 – Saving the backup to the computer
Pros:
Cons:
Selecting the most appropriate and suitable storage is all up to you. If you do not want your backup to get damaged or corrupted over time, then Cloud is best for you.
But if you want to keep your backup by your side and restore your data immediately even if you do not have an internet connection, then storing the backup on your computer or on an SD card will be the best choice.
Whatever method you choose, we will tell you how to back up your data in all three (3) ways possible. Let’s start with backing up your files on the cloud.
01 – How to backup your data to cloud (Samsung Cloud/Google Drive)
As a Samsung user, you have the ability to back up your device’s data on the Samsung cloud. Additionally, you can back up data to Google Drive as well. Since both features are built into Samsung smartphones and tablets, we will talk about how to back up data on the Samsung cloud and on Google Drive.
It is easier than you think to backup your data on the Samsung cloud or on Google Drive. However, one thing we want to highlight is that if you choose to back up your data on Samsung Cloud, you can select what types of data you want to back up. But if you choose Google Drive as the backup storage, you will not have control over choosing the types of data you want to back up.
On the other hand, there is a downside of using Samsung cloud. If you have a file that is over 1GB in size, you won’t be able to upload it to the cloud. If you have any individual file that is more than 1GB, then you can use Google Drive to back up your data.
Here is what you need to do to back up the data of your Samsung smartphone/tablet to the Samsung Cloud or Google Drive:
Note: Make sure you are connected to a Wi-Fi network or have turned on your mobile data. Also, you need to have a Samsung account or Google account and you should be logged in first before you back up your data.
- Go to Settings
- Tap on “Accounts and backup”
- Select “Back up data” under Samsung Cloud or Google Drive
- Select the types of data you want to back up (If you select Samsung Cloud)
- Tap the “Back up now”
It will take a while to complete the backup process and the time depends on the size of the data you need to backup. The process will run in the background so you do not need to wait until it completes before you use your device.
How to restore the backup from Cloud
To restore the back up, first, you need to sign in to the same account you used to back up the files. Then, follow the steps below:
- Open Settings > Accounts and back up
- Tap on Restore data
- Tap on the back up file that appears
- Select the files from the back up that you want to restore
- Tap on Restore
Wait a while until the restoration completes.
2 – Backup data to SD card/external USB Drive
Backup data for a different Android device can be a hassle, but not for Samsung devices. Samsung devices have an app called “Samsung Smart switch” which you can use to back up your data to an SD card or external USB drive.
There is another security plus point when you back up data using the smart switch. It is that your data will be encrypted using your Samsung account. This means you must log into your Samsung account to restore the backup.
The process is as easy as the backup data on the cloud. All you need is an SD card or external USB storage that has enough capacity to store the back up and a Samsung account.
Here are the steps that you need to follow:
- Insert the SD card, if you haven’t done so
- Download and install Smart switch to your device
- Go to Settings > Accounts and back up
- Tap on “External storage transfer” under the smart switch
- The smart switch will now open. Tap on “Continue”
- Allow permissions
- Select “SD card” or the external drive you inserted
- Select data to backup, then Tap on “Next”
- Make sure all the data types you want are selected and tap on “Back up”
How to restore the back up from SD card/external drive
The procedure to restore the backup from an SD card or external drive is relatively the same. First, insert the storage device into your Samsung device. Then, make sure the back up file is not in a folder. If you have zipped the file, make sure to unzip the file first. Once you have checked that your file is ready, do the following:
- Go to Settings > Accounts and back up
- Tap on “External storage transfer”
- Tap on the back up file
- Select the files you want to restore
- Tap on “Restore”
Wait for a few minutes to complete the restoration. You can use your device while it is getting done and you will receive a message once it is completed.
3 – Backup data to a computer
When you are going to back up your files on a computer, you need two things: an app and its client software.
For Samsung devices, you can use the same “Samsung smart switch” app and its client software to back up the data into a computer. Also, the client software supports both iOS and Windows Operating Systems which is good for most people.
First, download and install Samsung smart switch client software on the computer. Then, download and install the Smart Switch app to your Samsung device (if you have not downloaded it yet).
Finished installing? Bring the data cable and follow the instructions below to backup the data on your Samsung device into the computer.
- Connect your Samsung smartphone/tablet to the computer using a data cable.
- Tap on allow on the prompt you get on your device.
- Open the smart switch software on your computer.
- Click on backup.
- Select which data types you want to back up.
- Click on backup to start.
That is it. Now, it will start backing up the data on your smartphone. It will take some time and once it is finished, you will get the completion message. Then, you can plug out your device.
How to restore the backup from the computer
Here is how you can restore the data from a previous backup file on your computer:
- Connect your device to the computer
- Tap on “Allow” on the prompt you get on your device
- Open the smart switch software on your computer
- Click the “Restore” button
- Select the back up file
- Click on “Restore now”
- Select the data types you want to restore
- Click the “Ok” button to start the restoration
You will see a message from the smart switch software after the restoration is completed.
That is all about backing up and restoring your data. Does this guide help you backup/restore the data on your Samsung smartphone/tablet? Give us a feedback in the comment section
If you have any questions regarding this guide, feel free to ask. The comment section is yours.
Have a nice day!
