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How to backup apps, contacts, pictures & files on your Samsung Galaxy S8 before a reset and restore them after [Tutorials]

  • Learn how to backup and restore apps, contacts, pictures, etc. on your new #Samsung Galaxy #S8.

One of the reasons why many Android smartphone owners are hesitant to reset their phones is because they will lose a lot of files and data when they do. That’s why it’s necessary you know how to backup your apps, contacts, pictures and other files so that you won’t lose a single file in case you badly need to reset your device.

In this post, I will walk you through in backing up and restoring your apps and contacts on your new Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone. You will also learn how to backup your pictures from your phone or by using a computer and restoring them after the reset. Please go through the links of tutorials below and click on a link to jump to that section.

But before we jump right into our tutorials, if you happen to find this page because you own the same device but are looking for a solution to a different issue, then try to visit our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we have already answered hundreds of issues reported by our readers before. Find ones that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, contact us by simply filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to backup / restore apps on your Samsung Galaxy S8 before a reset

The apps on your phone have two general classification: pre-installed and third-party. In the event that you decide to reset your phone, built-in apps won’t be deleted but their data will. The latter, however, will all be deleted indiscriminately. Needless to say, you would lose everything including your data if you didn’t make a backup. This is the reason why it is imperative that you learn how to back them up just before you wipe your phone clean. To do this, follow these steps…

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
  4. Tap Backup & restore.
  5. Tap Back up my data and move the slider to ON to back up any account data, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings to Google servers.
  6. Tap Automatic restore and move the slider to ON to restore backed up settings and data when re-installing applications.

To restore apps you’ve backed up, sign in to your Google account and the restoration will be done automatically, although it may take a little while to finish depending on the number of apps you backed up and the amount of data they’ve accumulated.

How to backup / restore your contacts on your Galaxy S8 before a reset

Aside from apps and files, your contacts would also be deleted if you did a reset on your phone. A lot of phone users couldn’t afford to lose their contacts, that’s Google made it a point to make it easier to backup your contacts list. The procedure below can also be done on other Android devices and not just on the S8.

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
  4. Tap Accounts.
  5. Tap the account you would like to sync.
  6. Tap the 3 dot icon.
  7. Tap Sync now.

Basically, you’re just syncing your phone with your cloud account and it is there that your contacts will be saved. Now, to restore contacts you’ve backed up this way, you just need to sign in to your Google account and your contacts list will be populated in no time.

Alternatively, you can backup your contacts locally, which means a file will saved in your SD card in the event that it’s impossible for you to connect to your cloud account due to connectivity interruptions. Here’s how…

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Contacts.
  3. Tap 3 dot icon > Settings.
  4. If necessary, tap Contacts to display > All contacts.
  5. Tap Import / Export contacts.
  6. Tap Export to SD card.
  7. Review the file name for the contact list on the pop-up message.
  8. Tap OK to confirm export.
  9. A message flashes at the top of the screen indicating the contacts will be exported.

To restore contacts you’ve backed up locally, follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Contacts.
  3. Tap 3 dot icon > Settings.
  4. If necessary, tap Contacts to display > All contacts.
  5. Tap Import / Export contacts.
  6. Tap Import from SD card.
  7. Review the file name for the contact list on the pop-up message.
  8. Tap OK to confirm export.
  9. A message flashes at the top of the screen indicating the contacts will be imported.

How to backup / restore your pictures from your Samsung Galaxy S8

As long as your phone has Internet connectivity, you can backup your pictures and media files directly to the cloud. This method is also available to other Android devices and it actually makes backing up a little easier. Here’s how…

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap the Samsung folder > My Files.
  3. Tap Internal storage.
  4. Tap the 3 dot icon.
  5. Tap Share, then tap the content you want to backup.
  6. Tap Share again.
  7. Select the location you want the content to be shared with. Once selected, a progress bar will appear until complete.

Now to restore them, these steps should be done:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap the Samsung folder > My Files.
  3. Tap SD card.
  4. Tap the 3 dot icon > Edit.
  5. Select the check box next to the files your media or pictures is stored on.
    • Pictures are usually stored to a DCIM file.
    • Media files are usually stored in the media file.
  6. Tap the 3 dot icon >  Move.
  7. Select Internal storage.
  8. Tap Move here to move to the main phone memory.
  9. To move files to a location other than the main phone memory:
    • Tap the folder name or tap Create folder.
    • Tap Move here.

If you also want to backup your files to a computer, this is how you do it…

  1. Download and install Samsung Smart Switch that is compatible with your computer from https://www.samsung.com/us/support/smart-switch-support/#!/
  2. Connect the cable to a compatible USB port on your computer.
  3. Connect the other end of the cable to your mobile device.
  4. Allow your computer to install any required drivers for your device. This process may take a few minutes.
  5. Open Smart Switch on your computer, and allow it to make the connection.
  6. If necessary, follow these steps:
    • Touch the Status bar and drag it down.
    • Tap Connected as a media device.
    • Select the Media device (MTP) check box.
  7. On the computer, click Open device to view files.
  8. Navigate to the desired files on your computer:
    • The Card icon is your SD card.
    • The Phone icon is your device’s internal storage.
  9. Drag and drop the files into the desired computer folder.
  10. When finished, safely disconnect the phone from the computer.

To bring the files back from your computer to your phone, this is how you do it:

  1. Download and install Samsung Smart Switch that is compatible with your computer from https://www.samsung.com/us/support/smart-switch-support/#!/
  2. Connect the cable to a compatible USB port on your computer.
  3. Connect the other end of the cable to your mobile device.
  4. Allow your computer to install any required drivers for your device. This process may take a few minutes.
  5. Open Smart Switch on your computer, and allow it to make the connection.
  6. If necessary, follow these steps:
    • Touch the Status bar and drag it down.
    • Tap Connected as a media device.
    • Select the Media device (MTP) check box.
  7. On the computer, click Open device to view files.
  8. Navigate to the desired files on your computer:
    • The Card icon is your SD card.
    • The Phone icon is your device’s internal storage.
  9. Drag and drop the files into the desired phone folder.
  10. When finished, safely disconnect the phone from the computer.

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