How To Unlock Android Device With Cracked Or Broken Screen
We all know somebody who dropped their phone one too many times with disastrous results. A cracked or broken screen is annoying and to unlock android device with cracked or broken screen can be tasking.
For latest tips, tricks and hacks check out our dedicated section for Android Tricks.
The move from traditional buttons to fullscreen devices means, if you can’t access the screen, you’re going to have trouble; especially if your device doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner.
Here’s a guide with a couple of different methods to unlock your device if you want to retrieve files, messages, and contacts.
If the screen is completely blank, check our guide about how to unlock an Android device with a dead screen.
Method 1: Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
You will need:
- Your device
- Access to a PC
This method has proved to be the most helpful for users in terms of their feedback after completion. However, this method will only work if you have USB debugging enabled on your Android phone. If you don’t have this option enabled, move on to the second method on the list.
The ADB is used to create a bridge between your PC and your Android device. This bridge can be used to unlock the device and to access your files.
Step 1:
To Unlock Android Device With Cracked Or Broken Screen, download the Android SDK package on your PC. You can download it here. Make sure that you download the correct version for your PC. Once downloaded, extract the zip file on your PC.
Step 2:
Download the relevant USB drivers for your phone. You can get the USB drivers for your device from your manufacturer’s website.
Step 3:
Launch the Command Prompt on your PC and change the directory to where the ADB file is located. Type in the following command in Command Prompt.
cd C:/android/platform-tools
Step 4:
Connect your Android phone to your PC using a micro USB cable and enter the following command. If your phone is recognized, you’ll see some numbers in the Command Prompt message.
adb device
Step 5:
Type in the following two commands. You’ll need to type in the second command immediately after the first one. Replace 1234 in the first command with your actual password.
adb shell input text 1234
shell input keyevent 66
Step 6:
If the process is successful, your phone should be unlocked. You can now backup your important files and contacts.
Method 2: USB On the Go Mouse Method
You will need:
- Your device
- An OTG adaptor
- A USB mouse
If you can’t access USB debugging and you don’t have a registered Samsung account, you can try the USB mouse method. This involves connecting your phone to a USB mouse with an OTG adaptor.
You can find the adaptor cable online, and it’s reasonably inexpensive. If it lets you access your device, than it’s definitely worth the price.
Once connected, the mouse will drain your battery, and some devices, (such as the Galaxy S3 Mini) will also be unable to charge during the process, so make sure your battery is sufficiently charged beforehand.
Once you have the wire to hand, the process itself is reasonably easy to complete.
Step 1:
Connect the micro USB side of the OTG cable in your Android tablet or phone and plug in the USB mouse in the OTG adapter.
Step 2:
As soon as you connect the mouse, you should see a pointer on your screen. You can now use the mouse to unlock the pattern or use it to press the keys of the on-screen keyboard if you have a password lock.
If you have to connect your device to a computer (to see what is happening onscreen) and you run into errors, you can connect your phone to your PC via Wi-Fi to see what is happening. Checking our guide for unlocking a dead screen is also recommended.
Method 3: Samsung Account Method
You will need:
- Your device
- A registered Samsung account
- A PC
If you have a Samsung account registered with your device, you can use their website to remotely unlock your screen. The problem is, many users haven’t registered their device with the service. If you’re one of the lucky few to have done so, here’s how to unlock your screen.
Step 1:
Open the Samsung website and login using your account information.
Step 2:
Select your device from the menu on the top left of the screen.
Step 3:
There should be an option called Unlock my screen on the sidebar. Click it, and you should now be able to access your device.
Frequently Asked Questions on Unlock Android Device With Cracked Or Broken Screen
How do I unlock my Android without touchscreen?
Step 1: Plug in the USB mouse to the adapter after connecting the Micro USB side of the OTG adapter to your device. Step 2: When the devices are connected, a pointer will appear on your screen. The pointer can then be used to enter the device’s password or unlock the pattern lock.
How do I unlock my phone if my touchscreen wont work?
Restart your device by pressing and holding the Power button and Volume Down key for longer than 20 seconds if your Android touch screen stops working after the update. With this action, your touchscreen responds more quickly and smoothly.
Conclusion
A cracked screen is bad enough, but being unable to unlock the device renders it useless. If you can get past the code you can disable it for future use, or at least recover any files and contacts that you need. If you want to get the screen replaced, it’s always a good idea to back up your files if possible as they will probably wipe the device.
This is a common problem, so if you were able to unlock your device thanks to the guide or there is a method that we haven’t covered let us know in the comments below. You can also send us a message, (or a follow) on both Facebook and Twitter.
If we managed to help out or you have any problems, let us know in the comments below.
i need help for my intex pulse tablet…it is a non voice calling tablet…problem is that the touch panel has broken…i find nowhere to get it repaired so i bought an OTG cable n a usb mouse for it…its does shows the pointer n works well for a while but disappears after 1 or 2 minutes n i have again try reconnecting… i think the problem isnt in the otg connecting port or hardware portion… this may b some settings problem… help me what sud i do to atleast use my tablet via mouse..
Very sorry to hear that. The problem could be really on your tablet hardware. If it connects for a while then as you said there isn’t a problem with the OTG. Unfortunately as far as I know there isn’t any setting that would help us. The problem should be on your hardware.
How to unlock the phone, having pattern password with the screen is cracked & display is not working?? Need Help
My screen is crack and it is encrypted. When I plug the mouse in to use it the keypad goes away. This is a LG g2 what can I do?
Some see an external device and assume it’s an input device.
What is it you are looking to do with the mouse?
Could you try a Bluetooth keyboard? There are some out there with a trackpad built in.
What about RSA fingerprint? I plugged mouse by otg to my xperia z and now USB debugging is enabled. Still, when I try to connect my phone to pc I have to accept RSA fingerprint but I can’t because in order to do that mouse must be plugged to phone. Any help with that?
Hope you understand (poor English) 🙂
Hey Marklar, I don’t understand your question. Please rephrase your question.
Same problem here.
Basically when I plug my tablet to my PC using USB with USB debugging enabled, it asks me on the tablet to accept/allow USB Debugging.
The problem is I can’t use the USB OTG mouse WHILE its plugged in to my PC!
Rose,
I do not understand why you are connecting your phone to your PC while using a mouse.
Because I NEED to use the mouse to click on something on the phone (since the touchscreen is broken) WHILE I am plugged into the computer!
I need to do both at the same time. That is my problem T_T
You might be able to find an adapter that has multiple ports for USB. You can also connect your phone to your PC on wifi
Hi, I hope that you do see this message and can help. I have a samsung galaxy A3 and my screen is broken. I haven’t registered it, it’s locked and so I can’t use third-party apps to access my data or access my phones screen interface remotely through a PC. I need help urgently. In South Africa where I stay, it costs as much as a new phone to have an LCD screen . Please Help
It sounds like you eliminated all of the possibilities other than replacing the screen.
I have broken screen on my ocatal on one to fixed my town
Thank you for NOT helping and deleting my previous comment.
No, we didn’t delete your comment. Every time you comment, it comes to our queue. Only after approving your comment, it goes live on the site. This is to make sure we are not getting spammed in comments section.
A little late, but for the next person with that issue: Try enabling a bluetooth mouse so that you don’t have to face the “OTG host versus device” paradox. If you’re using a USB hub, it doesn’t help because a USB hub (AFAIK) can only have one host device. Maybe they’ll fix this in next OTG revision (along with being able to both charge and use a USB mouse/keyboard/Flash drive/etc.).
What if I can’t see the screen and usb debugging is disabled? I have a OTG cable but i can’t see my screen. My phone can still turn on but has no feedback. any advice?
Matt, I think Method 1 in https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/ should fit your case. Let me know if it works.
I have a question about an s6 and a broken screen.
Can you assist me?
Thanks,
I can access the things here and am a developer, and I got the infamous black screen of death on my Nexus 5. I’ve done all of the rebooting, and holding the keys, ect nothing helped. I was wondering if possible, could I input a pattern password with the adb tool?
Do you mean you want to set up a password using adb? If yes, then i don’t think it’s possible.
no, I just need the files off phone. i don’t need the phone anymore but nothing happens when I plug the USB cord in…just charges
No I don’t want to set up a password I want to unlock my phone
Hi. I am in windows command Prompt.I am stuck on step 5 of the first method. what is the correct way to enter those commands?
Arne,
You need to enter the command in the command promt as you did in Step 4. It should work. Let us know the feedback.
My Galaxy Note 2, the display has gone black and touch is not working. The phone however is on the network and working fine.
I want to unlock the phone so that I can use Kies to get the backup and contacts. I dont think any of the above mentioned methods can help me. Is there any other way except getting the display changed?
Kevin,
https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/ this should help you?
Hi. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and I thought that it was totally dead but I connected it to Samsung Kies on my PC and Kies finds the phone and gives the ID so there is life!
Keis tells me that the selected device is locked and I must enter the password on the connected device but of course I cannot do this. In any case I was not using a password I had a input pattern on the 3×3 matrix.
How do I enter the pattern in a command prompt using SDK? Is it simply the numbers 1 through 9 that correspond to the pattern dots on a phone keypad?
Once unlocked can I then run Kies and access my data? Quickly I suppose before the phone auto locks itself!
Thanks for this method it seems promising!
Mike
Mike
I believe these posts will be helpful to you.
https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/ and https://techsamaritan.com/how-to-unlock-android-phone/
Can i use method one if i lock my screen using a dot pattern? is there a way to convert this pattern to numbers so that i can input it in the command prompt? (htc one X)
Thank you !
Sorry, It will only work for passwords and not patterns.
I also had the same problem and I solved it by deleting the a file somewhere in the system
I didn’t remember what was the website I refer to
http://bfy.tw/sF4
my phones screen is smashed and cracked and everything is there away i could connect my phone to my pc and view my phone on it?
Andrey,
I have explained this here https://techsamaritan.com/cracked-or-broken-android-screen-recover-photos/
Also have a look at this one. This should help by connecting it to TV https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
Trust this helps?!
Dekh bhai meri tablet ki screen creaked ho gyi hai
So plzzzzz mjhe btaye screen lock keyboard se kaise open kru
My htc one x’s screen is totally dead and I’ve looked at https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/ and ll other explanations…however one question remains unanswered…I lock my screen using a pattern…so when using the SDK and command promt method, what password do i input? is there a way to translate the pattern into a code of numbers? (from 1 to 9) ?
Thank you
I dont think it’s possible, but you can use method 1 to unlock your pattern using a USB mouse.
I have galaxy s4 broken shattered screen. how do I debug usb on the cell. I can get pics But I need texts contacts and other files?
This post might be useful to you https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
in the first mathod step 2 it says download usb drivers for your phone, what does that mean?
Kyle,
If your phone’s usb drivers are not installed on your pc, you’ll need to manually download and install them for a successful connection.
Hello, my boyfriend broke his LG G2’s screen (for the second time, sigh) and we really need to get the pictures off of there. My question is, does it matter what ‘type’ of OTG adapter we get? For example, the list of adapters on Amazon has one for Sony Xperia, Samsung Galaxy, so on, but I don’t see any for LG G2. Will it still work if we got one that isn’t specifically “made” for his phone? (Personally, I don’t really see a difference in the pictures, I think it’s just a way to hike up the price…)
Kat
This shouldn’t be a problem in my opinion as long as the phone supports OTG. The phone names are usually for marketing.
so my nexus 4 screen is shattered but still visible. I have a password (numbers) but not the pattern. Will the mouse usb technique still work?
Ray,
Yes it should work. I haven’t personally used it, but when you click on the mouse on the text box for entering the password, you should get the on screen keyboard and you can then press the keys using the mouse clicks.
My nexus 4 has a broken screen and a PIN lock but it is not supporting the USB mouse. It isnt reading it at all. HELP
Hi There,
Have you tried another mouse or making sure that the ports w¡are working Ok? =-)
Hello, i recently broke screen of my sony xperia z3+, display is fine but the screen is unresponsive. I tried to unlock it using usb-otg cable and a mouse but it failed to detect the usb. Both usb-otg (also used alternate one in case) and mouse is working, even the port is fine (i could charge my phone and my laptop can detect it). I have tried android data recovery applications but nothing worked. Could you please suggest anything that could unlock my phone so that i could get access to my pictures?
i also have a mac…but the file u said to download wont recognize it…help!
Ray
I cannot understand your question. Could you please be more specific on what file?
Thank you so so so so so so so so much bro
i have the s5 and broke the screen still on feel it vibe and ring but cant answer or unlock…i had the fingerprint unlock any way i can unlock it to retrieve pics off it and transfer it to new device or pc?
Manuel,
May this is helpful? techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
My s4 screen has been cracked for a while but still able to use phone normally, now it froze when on facebook so reset it now i cant put my code in to unlock screen lock any tips
Hope this helps? techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
method1 …………………….stuck in level 3………illigal command………give me asolution……its urgent admin……..plz help me
Fawaz, Try going into the platform tools folder and using shift+right click, select open command window here. then enter the rest of the commands.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!
I recovered my data with USB mouse first to unlock pattern and afterwards I enabled BT for another mouse so as to free usb port for charging. You clever monster!!!!!
Will the OTG -Method also work with patterns and PIN-Codes and is OTG working with a nexus 4?
( the glass and the LCD is broken but still you can see everything, USB debugging is disabled, PIN and Pattern has to be entered… 🙁 )
Ines,
Otg wont work without a special mod on xda. That mod is risky!
I installed the JDK and the Android Studio through the above links… but I can’t find “Platform Tools” or “adb” anywhere in the installed directories.
All I want is to access the phone internal storage but I can’t unlock it because I have a broken screen and a pattern-unlock… any leads will be helpful. Thank you.
Peter,
Try reinstalling it. Let me know the outcome.
Thank you soooo muuuuch!!!!!!!
Most welcome Alvaro :).
Some face difficulty in following the steps. Can you share your success story of this article?
when I download the software and enter in the first line under command it says back to me the system cannot find the path specified?
Jennifer,
Open command prompt from platform tools manually and then enter other commands.
HI,
I purchased the connecter and have plugged in my mouse but I am not getting my mouse pointer. I’m still at the unlock screen. Also, doesn’t seem like my mouse is getting any power as the light is not on. Please advise!!! I’m using a google nexus 4.
Thanks,
Omar
Omar,
I have updated the article with successful user comment. Hope this help?
My screen won’t even go on on my Nexus 7 (first gen) so I can do the mouse method. I had planned on rooting it at some point but never had the chance to, now I’m paying for that mistake. I know the device boots because I’ve heard the battery alarm go off many times before (and I know its not my 2nd gen). I would really love to finally do something with it because its useless to just sit there (not gonna throw it away or send it in).
Dominic,
Try this https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
It should help
Can you please help me ? Im stuck in step 5
“adb shell input text ” and then my password?
Is this correct?
please tell me the correct code
Prabudh,
Yes. It is correct.
Oh my God..!!! This is awesome.. I have Book marked this site.. My touch pad was not working and for the past one month, I couldnt use my other phone.. tried everything to unlock the pattern security.. nothing worked.. now USB otg mouse method.. thank you .. thank you.. so much..
Wils, Kerala, India
Wils,
Happy to help you 🙂
Some users face difficulty. Can you share your success story. It will help other readers.
Hi,
I have a broken screen on my Motorola Razr Maxx. USB Debug is disabled (meaning mouse method wont work) and I have a password setup. I can only see screen on tv via hdmi. PC wont recognize the phone. What should I do? Thanks a lot.
Neso,
You can use mouse when USB debugging is disabled.
hi my phone has a pin password and i cant remember it.HELP
Jaedon,
Try this https://techsamaritan.com/how-to-unlock-android-phone/
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a cracked digitizer. The phone will still power on but the screen stays black. I have a new phone but need to get contacts from the old phone. There is no lock on the phone but unfortunately the USB debug was never activated. Is there anyway to access the contacts from the original phone?
Caitlan,
You can try using this method https://techsamaritan.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/ and transfer the contacts.
so i click the link to download the android sdk package…i must be blind cause i cant see that file anywhere..any help?
Kevin,
Click on the download android studio button.
Hi , It would be my pleasure if you can help me Sir.
For the second time, i encounter this problem again with too many password attempts. Its my Sis’ android phone. The volume down + power button worked at first. But now it can’t be use . Just the volume up + power button which displays
Spreadtrum Factory Test
full phone test
view phone
item test
BT EUT
ctp calib
i already tried it all of course nothing works. What does it mean?
thanks ^^
Miharu,
Let me know why are you using the power and volume buttons for?
I have forgot my pattern.. and all data saved is in internal memory and usb debugging is also disabled so what to do to save the entire data… please help….:-)
Ashwani,
Try method 2. Let me know the feedback.
Hello Sam, Yasir, Danny:
My LG G2 has a cracked unresponsive-to-touch screen. Screen shows the unlock pattern, which I cannot get to work. Phone is working as I received calls and can see other notifications.
Tried using OTG mouse (both with wireless mouse adapter and wired mouse via female-to-female USB connector). I do not see the pointer on the screen. Is there any other simple solution – something that replicates my phone screen on a computer monitor or anything else? Please help!
Thank you.
-Rishi
Rishi,
May be try another USB mouse. Also read other successful working comments.
Thank you mate! Your post has been really useful to me. I have recovered all my pic from my mobile phone using the OTG cable!! Plug&play 😀
Nestor,
Thanks for telling this. Happy to help you mate 🙂
Hi guys,
great site, thank you! I’m fairly android savvy, but here’s a tricky one: Dropped my Galaxy S5 Mini, now touchscreen unresponsive and lockscreen on. USB otg is not supported by this phone, I’ve tried. USB debugging is not activated. Findmymobile only lists my S3 I used to have before.
With these restricitions, none of your solutions worked so far. I can get the phone online in a Wifi spot it remembers if that’s any help.
Thanks in advance!
John,
There might be a way to make OTG work. Try this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2186034
Hi,
I’m able to get to Step 3 of Method 1, but I keep getting the error that “The System cannot find the path specified”. Is there any way to go more in depth with this step? I know I have all the proper tools installed.
Thanks!
Try going to platform tools folder and opening command prompt from there by holding shift and right clicking on an empty area.
Hello,
I had the same issue as D but your reply still did not help as I still get the same response. Do you have any other suggestion?
Thank you for your time.
Sorry, I’m unable to help you further. Thanks for reading.
Nice info here. But I have my Nexus4’s screen broken and I tried connecting a mouse with an OTG, however, Nexus 4 did not recognize the mouse. I have a pattern lock. Somebody here mentioned the same problem, but I do not see if it was solved. May be it is a known problem with Nexus 4? Please help
Sunita,
According to my knowledge, nexus 4 doesn’t support USB OTG 🙁
when i type in adb devices get the list and it says device is offline
Zach,
Do yo get a serial number? If you don’t, then the device is not connected properly. Maybe the USB cable is faulty or the drivers are not properly installed.
I’m lost on step 3. Step 3
Launch the Command Prompt on your PC and change the directory to where the ADB file is located. Type in the following command in Command Prompt.
cd C:/android/platform-tools
Whats does ADB file mean? where the program for android is located?
Abe,
yes where the software is located. Go to the platform-tools directory, hold shift and right click. Click on open command window here and type in the rest of the commands.
I’m sorry, but what is the platform-tools directory?
Can you please explain where exactly is this “platform-tools” folder? i’ve been searching for it i cant find any “platform-tools” folder. There is no Android directory in my C:\. 🙁
These are the first set of instructions I have found that I actually will work. One issue I am having.
On step 4 when I do the adb devices command. I get successful responses, but when it says “list of devices” nothing show up. Therefore when I do the remaining command, I get an error that device not found. Any Ideas?
Joe,
It probably means that your device is not connected properly. Make sure that the cable is working properly.
I too am getting this “list of devices” . I am pretty sure the cable is working properly. What can I do to make sure my device is connected properly?
Incase this helps someone else who is also unable to carry out the methods for unlocking the device screen mentioned above.
If you have set your phone up with a samsung account.
You can go on https://findmymobile.samsung.com/login.do
Sign in and theres an option on the site for remote unlocking your device.
Click it and in a few seconds your phone will be unlocked, ive also found it useful being able to install extra apps from the play store from my laptop. After signing into the play store you can install to device by selecting it from the list.
Hope this helps
I have two Nexus 7’s, both screens are broken, both are locked. Id like to get my data, but Id also like to replace the screen. Does anyone know where I can find a “reliable,” source to purchase the screens from? Is there a way to access my devices and retrieve the data on them without replacing the screen first?
Hi. Do you have solutions for broken or non functional screens only? Or can you help me with unlocking my phone which has got locked due to multiple passwords trials. It now asks me to sign in through gmail id and since the data pack isn’t on so am not able to sign in. I tried various solutions given online but none shot the trouble.
PS: i can’t afford to have a factory reset as i have some important docs in the phone memory..Help needed ASAP.
Hi Neha,
Check out this post https://techsamaritan.com/how-to-unlock-android-phone/
I should help you
Hi,
The mouse is not getting power. The light isnt on.
i’m stuck on method 1 step 3, i keep typing just as it is written in the command but it keeps saying path not specified, what am i doing wrong?
And there is one more way I found that you can get past the lock screen for those of you that didn’t get the other methods to work for them.
First I have an LG G3, and anyone that doesn’t like this phone I don’t know what to say to change your mind except that if you had problems with the G3.. You either did it yourself to the very delicate piece of electronic LG Goodness that by the way just like any electronic shit like your desktop PC because you wouldn’t drop you home PC or your “tv as a better example with a screen to better compare to a phone,. But you wouldn’t knock those to the ground and expect everything to be all gravy and everything work 100% everytime.
Or if you have a faulty LG G3 and didn’t drop it or cause some other horrible type of trauma to the phone it is actually pretty durable as long as you don’t crack the screen I dropped mine quite a few times and never had a bumper case on the phone and until I broke the glass the phone functioned fine till then, wish I had the bumper now. But my mother bought me a cheap tablet and it came with a keyboard that has the same plug as the charger port for the LG g3 and it unlocked the phone easily before it updated to 5.0 now its a different set of keys to push.
BUT SORRY FOR MAKIN YALL READ THIS MUCH BEFORE I GIVE YOU THE SOLUTION BUT GET A KEYBOARD THAT PLUGS INTO THE PHONE AND HOLD VOLUME UP AND DOWN KEYS AT THE SAME TIME ON THE LOCK SCREEN AND IT SHOULD TAKE YOU TO THE HOMESCREEN IF NOT TRY RANDOM BUTTONS BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT DOESNT WORK AT LEAST IF THE BATTERY SAVER IS ON BUT IF CHARGED VOLUME BUTTONS SHOULD WORK!?!?!?!
Hi, so when i typed in “cd C:/android/platform-tools” in the command prompt it says “the system cannot find the path specified” help please
My Nexus 4 has a cracked screen, but I can still see everything on it when I wake it up with the power button.
OTG & USB mouse doesn’t work with a Nexus 4 unfortunately. Works with my Nexus 7 tablet, so I know it’s my phone.
Also, the other method won’t work because I have a pattern lock and not a numeric lock.
Any suggestions?
Pattern locks can be changed to a numeric one if you have Android device manger. https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager log in with same email id as on the phone.
Hi Somitha,
Thanks for your suggestion. =-)
In steps 3-4 of method 1 (I can’t see the screen so method 2 would be difficult even if I could get the adaptor) after searching I finally found a “platform-tools” folder more to the depths of C:\Users\Mark\AppData\Local\Android\sdk\platform-tools that does indeed have an ADB file but when I navigate there with the command prompt and type “adb devices” it returns “List of devices attached” followed by nothing. I tried with my new phone and it has the same result. Could this mean that I do not have USB debugging enabled or is there some solution other than trying to find another way to approach this?
Hi JOA,
I got a broken screen phone. So I tried Method 1. But I am not able to unlock it. I hope you can help me in this regard.
Also I used [email protected] When I connect my device, it is recognized by [email protected] But when I am trying to click it, the total screen is moving along with the mouse instead of getting unlocked. I mean the screen is unresponsive for my mouse clicks over it. Kindly let me know why I am not able to make a mouse click on it.
I have an old Samsung SCH-S720C that has a broken screen. Nothing turns on. The buttons light and when you ran your finger on the screen it vibrates like it does when a wrong password is entered. If i connect to my PC, the sd card shows but not the files from the phone. the password is pattern. how do I recover my pictures and other files. I need the pictures. please help
I’m pretty much at the step to where im on the command prompt when I entered *adb devices* says my device is unauthorized and wont respond when I try to do the part where I put my password in. So how do I fix this issue?
I honestly have no idea what i am doing or where everything is going on my computer. Hopefully this ends well…
Hi Mariah,
Know that we are here to help you with anything and please don´ t hesitate to ask. Do you need help with something in particular? Thank you for you comment.
Ok i have a motorola moto x whose screen is broken as in totally black. I can connect it to my pc as i can see the different directories. however when I get to step 4 and type in adb devices I do not get a list. How do i get this to work
Thanks!
I need help…I have a Samsung Mega and I cracked the screen on it…..it won’t let me unlock my screen. I can’t do any methods dealing with computers. So if there’s anything I can do please tell me. Thanks
Please help…I have a Samsung Mega and I cracked the whole screen….it won’t let me unlock the screen…..what should I do. I can’t do anything dealing with a computer…If y’all have any solutions please tell me. Thanks
I recently bought a Samsung virgin mobile phone on ebay and found out it had a screen lock I have worked with eBay and the sellers with no success I just need to know is there a way I can unlock it thank you
Hi Gary,
I wonder if our article – https://techsamaritan.com/how-to-unlock-android-phone/ will help you at all?
i just crack my tablet screen accidentally now its touch is not working .I have slide lock . how can i unlock that … please any solution
First and foremost if your phone is a samsung and it was registered as such, samsung have a webpage which will allow you to remote unlock your phone… findmymobile
Thank you for the advice 🙂
My screen Is broken on my Motorola G and I need to back up everything before I get it replaced how can I do this without the ability to unlock my phone as it is typing in codes.
Hi Bob,
The ‘codes’ you refer to are typed in on a computer, not your device?
My Samsung S iii Mini Screen cracked and touch is also not working. Before that USB Debugging option was not enabled. Now I can’t enabled this. So now what ever command I run using adb it shows, “error: device not found” . How can I get my data back? Is there any way to send command to enable the usb debugging?
great advice you giving us guys , but now my is not with the typing , but with the screen it is white after it fell down andi can’t see on the screen yet I have some important messages saved on the phone and not on sim ,how can I be able to see them . can my PC be any help if so how please out thank you
thanks for information. this is very exciting for me
Hi There,
You are most welcome. What is it that you like the most?
Made it to step 4 but my phone is not being recognized.
Hi Team..
First of all thank you for all the help that you are guys are extending in resolving unlocking issues. Appreciate it !
I seek your help in one of the problems I am facing.
I am using Method 1 : Android debug bridge to unlock my phone. I was able to successfully follow all steps mentioned in your write up. My device got recognized successfully in my PC.
However when I am executing step 5, I am encountering some issues –
As mentioned in step 5 I am typing the following commands :
adb shell input text 1234
shell input keyevent 66
when I type in the command adb shell input text 1234 ( replacing 1234 with my phone password) , I am getting the following error
” WARNING: linker: libvc1dec_sa.ca7.so has text relocations. This is wasting memory and is a security risk. Please fix.
WARNING: linker: libvc1dec_sa.ca7.so has text relocations. This is wasting memory and is a security risk. Please fix. ”
and when I type in the second command shell input keyevent 66, I get the below message –
” ‘shell’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file. ”
Please advice.
Any help in resolving this issue is much appreciated. I cannot afford to restore and loose phone data hence kindly help in unlocking my phone successfully.
Thank You and once again appreciate all the help !
my ibuddyconnect creen broke ……….. i want to get the photos ……. and when i connect it to pc the drive is not shown………is there any solution??
Your PC may not be recognizing you phone because of a faulty USB cable. Try using a different one. If that is not it, try connecting your phone to another PC since the ports on your PC may not be working properly. If the previously mentioned still doesn´t work, then you may have some hardware problems on your phone, have someone take a look at them. Please let me know how it worked out for you.
Am using a htc jetstream with a broken screen though every thing still shows bt with dis ur mouse idea can i use it to unlock my tablet dats locked by just dragging the ring n can I use d mouse to operate d entire device b4 I can get a new screen
Hello, can you tell me if this works with Xperia P. Whenever I type adb devices in the Command Prompt it shows a message Lists of devices attached but it actually shows no devices..i cannot proceed. Please help
Hello I cracked my lg g2 the other day I really need to get my stuff off the phone. I bought the otg adapter and mouse but I get no cursor and I know it works because I plugged it into my moms Samsung s5 and my brothers same exact lg g2 and both worked so quickly just not my phone. Please help or tell me why?
my tablet screen is broken from half and its half touch system is not working and i have a important data in it so i cannot apply the password because from the lower side it is not working to get my files and data please tell me the solution please
Hello, I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to remotely unlock my screen of my samsung note4 as the screen is completely black and I cannot see anything. I know it is powered on and I am trying to back up my data on Kies but the program states I must unlock my phone first, which I cannot do. Please help, I can’t tell you how appreciative I would be. Thank you so much in advance.
Do you know how to get data off a phone if you aren’t able to use this method due to phone not having debug enabled and your phone doesn’t support OTG?
Hi Deon,
When you say get data off a phone, are you referring to creating a backup?
i forgot my passlock for s5…and i don’t want to reset it because i didn’t backup my photos, is there any way for me to get into my phone or save my photos and then reset my phone.. i cant lose my photos.
Hi Mariam,
Please try the tips in the following article and please let me know if they worked for you.
https://techsamaritan.com/how-to-unlock-android-phone/#comment-252494
Hi Team,
My Nexus 4 mobile screen got broken and i’m not able to use the touch screen.
Since Nexus 4 do not support OTG cable, please advise any other alternatives
Please note i have not enabled the USB debugging as well
Thanks
Hi Yasir,
Your Method 2 is a life saver man for my cracked screen phone. So simple to work out on the phone to take a backup now. Amazing.
Shalabh,
Glad to hear that Method 2 worked for you.
I am trying to use Method 1 on a Mac. Can you give me the terminal command prompts that I need to use? The command prompts above only refer to a PC.
so i’m on Method 1, step 4. I’ve entered adb devices and all it says is “list of devices attached” and thats it. so what happens if it isnt recognizing my phone?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and it has a cracked screen. I bought an HDMI connection kit and can see my phone on the screen of my TV but the USB won’t work. I don’t know if the adapter is just defective or if there’s another issue. I get everything hooked up but can’t see the mouse pointer on the screen. I guess I’m going to order another adapter and see if it works. If that doesn’t work I don’t know what to do. I have several things I nee to move from my old phone. I had a case on it and had a glass screen protector and the screen still cracked inside when I dropped the phone.
Hi Rocki,
Did you get the new adapter? Please let me know what happened.
Hello I have LG optimus G with no Pattern lock or password on screen. It is accessible with a swipe.I m unable to do that with broken screen. I’ve tried OTG USB mouse but it doesn’t work . any solutions for that??
Hello and thanks alot for that great tutorial!
my mobile screen has been off since yesterday and I downloaded the program you listed (android studio) and did the instructions and connected my device.. Then I wrote my password but when I entered the last command it says that shell is not recognized as an internal or external
command, operable program or batch file
🙁 what should I do?? I really need to backup my stuff I hope you can reply me ASAP!
Thanks! <3
I have a Samsung note 3 and I accidentally left the phone outside whilst it was raining. The handset switches on to a black screen. I have password and not sure how to retrieve the data before taking the phone in to samsung for water damage. Your advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Shaheed,
Before you take it in for repair you can always create a backup for all your essentials following the tips in the following post. Thanks for commenting.
https://techsamaritan.com/top-10-android-backup-apps-to-save-your-essentials/
Does this work on Mac laptops ?? and what would the command in step 3 be changed to?
Hi Yousif,
I wouldn´t know if it would worked on a Mac since an Android device was used in this case. Thanks for commenting.
Your article was extremely helpful. I used method 2. OTG cable to navigate my phone despite a frozen screen. Managed to backup my stuff. Thanks.
Hi Suzzane,
I am glad to see that you found the information helpful and you are most welcome. Please don´t forget to share your positive experience in your social media accounts. =-) We are here to help and please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.
my keyboard is not appearing on my phone on lockscreen page to sign in.
So I cant login to my phone , I cant do factory reset also becoz I cant lose my data.
I dont have ADB installed ….plx help
Hi Emo,
What phone do you have?
Hi Emo,
What smartphone are we talking about? =-)
hii what if the device does not support otg. i have a lenovo a319. I accidently dropped it in water. Now its touch is not working. I want to backup my contacts, i downloaded lenovo smart assistant, but it says i have to enable the usb debugging mode. how will i enable it if my handset doesnt support otg.
Hi Arjun,
How unfortunate to hear about what happened to your phone. If what you are trying to do is recover your contacts, Google can help you with that if you sync with Google Contacts on the web, then any new or current phone that you have should allow you to pull your contacts from the web. You can check by going to google.com/contacts and sign in with your information. Please let me know how this works out for you.=-)
Hi, I have nexus 4 and using method 2 with OTG as USB debugging is not enabled or at least don’t know. But the second method doesn’t work with nexus 4. So any other suggestion? thanks prashant
Hi Prashant,
The first problem with getting OTG working on the Nexus 4 is that the kernel does not support it. This has been solved using a modified version of Franco’s kernel. The second problem is that the Nexus 4 cannot physically supply the necessary 5 volts.
The way around this is to use a Y-cable, and supply the needed voltage from an outside power source such as a wall outlet or external battery pack. Some users have also reported success using a powered USB hub.
The Nexus 4 didn´t come prepared for OTG, but the good news is that it is possible if your phone is rooted, is yours?
I’m attempting to do the “Method 1: Android Debug Bridge” but have run into a snag. I do not see platform-tools under my install directory. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lj Lee,
It may not be that you are doing anything wrong, just that it is not where you would expect it too. If you’ve got the Android SDK installed, then the platform-tools folder will be in the first level of the folder where the SDK was installed/extracted to. Hope this helps. Thanks for commenting! =-)
I was given this link by OnePlus support since I broke the screen on my phone and neither worked for me (I don’t have USB Debug enabled so solution one fell flat for me).
I’ve tried the mouse and that also did not work.
BUT instead of plugging in a mouse, I tried plugging in a USB-Keyboard and that helped me unlock the phone.
I had mine locked with a pin code.
Just wanted to share these as it might help others.
Hi Floth,
That was very smart of you to try it with a keyboard and thanks for the tip. I am sure that other users are going to find it useful. Thanks for commenting. =-)
I have LG Optimus G. It seems that debug mode is not enabled. I also tried to connect mouse using OTG, however without success – the phone didn’t recognize it. Is there anything I can do?
Hi Dmitriy,
That´s too bad about the debug mode not being enabled, but with the following app you can check if your phone supports OTG. If it does, then it could be a faulty cable and that is why your phone can´t recognize it. But first, try the app and tell me what happens after. I hope this helps. =-)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.usbotgchecker&hl=_419
The cable is fine. I checked it wit another phone (LG G3) and it worked.
P.S.: Is it a link to a phone app? If yes, it isn’t really helpful, because the touchscreen doesn’t respond.
Hi Dmitriy,
Have you tried using a different mouse or OTG adapter? Just to make sure faulty cables are not causing the issue. =-)
My Phone’s display has been off since I banged it in the wall .. But the screen is absolutely fine + The Touch is also working .. The only thing is I cannot see anything .. I had put a Voice Lock.. so I can unlock the phone easily .. The only trouble is I cannot see anything …
Can you suggest how can I access my phone .. I need a temp fix may be ..
I have remotely downloaded Utter from the play store .. But I am not sure if it has got installed, at least I will be able to give commands to my phone if that works ..
Hi Pooja,
None of the above methods helped? If they didn´t then there is a high chance that you have hardware damage and need to have it fixed. Thanks for reading. =-)
not sure if this site is a scam. I bought the smays 5n1 from amazon.com (as per the link provided) shipped from a Chinese “retailer” [?] received in what i assume is perfect condition. i plugged into my tv and got nothing on screen. nothing. tried my keyboard and mouse… nothing. followed the scant instructions provided to see if it would work with anything…. nope. tried a tablet…. nope…. so figure you got my $30 bucks with shipping…. nice job. (pls note the black version was a lot cheaper BUT out of stock… so i got the white version) anyone with my same experience? pipe up -if- they let you post an unsuccessful outcome….
Hi There,
Have you tried contacting Amazon for a replacement? I am sure you just received a faulty model. Thanks for commenting. =-)
This has probably already been mentioned in the comments somewhere, but if the screen AND digitizer are broken and you can’t see anything on the screen, you can also plug a USB keyboard and type your pass key in that way and you can use Smart Switch or Kies 3 to back up your info from there. Worked great on my broken S III.
I’ll miss my S3, but I upgraded to a Note 5 and I LOVE it so far. 😉
Hi Sean,
Thanks for your suggestion, it is greatly appreciated. What is about your S5 that makes you love it so much?
Thanks for commenting. =-)
Hey These ideas look really helpful. I broke screen of my Nexus 4 yesterday. USB debugging was turned off on my phone. So I was behind the second option. Got a OTG cable. But the sad thing is Google has removed reference to USB gadget support in Nexus 4. 🙁
So it looks there is nothing I can do with my broken screen other than crying loud at it.
Hi Somitha,
Did you try the third method? =-)
How do i complete method 1 using a macbook? what are the commands?
Hi Corey,
For Mac you will need to enter ./ on any command, that is also a utility/executable file in and of itself, If you type in the help command you can see all of the built-in commands for Linux or Mac shell your using. Hope this helps. Thanks for commenting. =-)
bit of a problem here. bought the new nexus 6p. and broke it. display and touch on the display is dead. only thing working is the power button. Also had set up a finger print. However whenever the phone restarts, it first asks for a pattern (which i had set), and only then does it get started.
the problem now is since my display is dead, n the phone went off, i now have no idea what is the command being asked for. Also, inspite of following your above suggestions, i have not been able to connect the mobile to my pc (it used to get detected earlier). So on command prompt, i dont see anything when i enter adb device. I am assuming, if the phone had moved past the pattern prompt (which appears on restarting the device), there wuld have been no problem.
Hi Kapil,
How unfortunate to hear about what happened to your phone. When you enter ADB devices, do you at least get an error message or you don´t get anything at all? Did you have USB Debuggin enabled on your phone? If you don´t that will explain why you don´t get anything and please make sure you installed the right drivers since they too are very important. =-)
How can I use an OTG cable on my nexus 4…The screen is broken and when I connect the otg cable, my nexus doesn’t recognize it.Thanks
Hi Steve,
I´m afraid that Nexus 4 doesn’t t support OTG. It is possible to add it, but root access is required. Thanks for commenting. =-)
I’m a little confused here……how does adding an OTG Mouse, help if my screen is cracked? I have a Galaxy S3 that the screen is completely shattered, the red charging indicator does light up on the upper left corner when it’s charging, when I power on, I’ve gotten it to “vibrate” but the screen is shattered….so no access what so ever to the display. I was hoping there was a way to access the device settings to backup my data (or clear my device of what data may be on it….) before sending it out for repair. Any other options? 🙂 Apparently this device wasn’t registered through the samsung site…..lol.
Hi Adam,
Have you tried going to http://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
The last option to the right gives you the option to erase what´s on your phone. Hope this helps. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Thnx alot dear it worked the second method
so grateful to u
Hi Bilal,
You are most welcome. It´s good to see that the second method worked for you. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Hello, I am having trouble with method 1 step 5. After I input adb shell input text (my passwo
rd), it seems fine, however, after I enter the next line, I get the error that “‘shell’ is not a command…” Is there anything I can do to fix that?
Hi Audrey,
Did you type in the first command immediately after the first one? Did you replace replace 1234 in the first command with your actual password? =-)
Sir i have harman tablet with android 4.0.1 it’s tuch is brocken and initially when it got cracked display was lighting approximately 2 day but know even does not starts what should i do?
Hi There,
Have you considered replacing the screen? =-)
I have the Samsung Galaxy S5 the screen went all black today and I couldnt use it. I realised then there was a tiny crack on the screen. Since having to buy a new phone I am unable to access my old phone. I used to have a secret pattern to get onto my phone and as the screen is black I do not know if I am doing the pattern correctly so therefore cannot access my phone.
I had a look at the 3 options above and none of them are suitable for me. Any other suggestions?
How do I get all my phone numbers from this old phone?
Hi Mike,
Have you tried using the Android Data Recovery software? Hopefully, this is an option you can use. Thanks for commenting. =-)
http://www.recovery-android.com/android-data-recovery.html
Method 1 adb commands you provided are full of typos. Not sure how you expect anyone to follow that.
It’s adb list devices
shell by itself is not a command
HELLO JOA TEAM
I have pattern lock and the screen is totally black after falling i cannot see any thing, the how i apply these password command if i use 1st method of unlocking
Hi Mahmood,
Did you have USB Debugging on? =-)
I don’t really get how to do the Method 1 can you explain it more detailed?
Hi There,
What details would you like to know? =-)
Just as a helper to people who couldn’t find the platform tools path while using method 2, not could they locate the folder manually:
After searching around I discovered you need to:
– Open the Android Studio program.
– Once open, click on Configure.
– After that, you should (if you downloaded the most recent version) at the top of the list of things to use the program for see an option called something SDK Manager. It has a little icon of an android face. Click that.
– Upon opening this, you will see a list of android devices on the first tab labelled, “SDK Platforms.” I selected them all because I have no idea what version my phone is. If you know yours, just click that one. Then you will get an option to download the ones you want.
– Once downloaded you should NOW have an SDK folder. If you don’t, there is an option to manually open the SDK manager. From there, you can type in exactly the name of the path at the top of the screen. It should allow you access, then.
Since none of the experts here seemed to understand that the biggest issue for those of us who aren’t computer geniuses was something as simple as, “I don’t have this file/don’t know where this file should be.”
Hope it helps someone else out!
Hi Marci,
Thanks for the information. I´m sure that it is going to help other users. Thanks for commenting. =-)
I got xperia z5 , it broke the screen also the toch dead the fingerprint Ipress it and didn’t notice that till it got me to open by pin password but the toch not working , what should I do??
Hi There,
Have you figured out how much you would be charged for a new screen? That way you can continue using your current phone. =-)
yeah iwill change it , but ineed my pic for now .any way, can Method 2 work
and what thing should ihave for this Method
Hi There,
The guide tells you what you are going to need and what you have to do. =-)
ok great hope it work iwill let you know
Hi There,
Great. Will be waiting for the details. =-)
The samsung account method worked great for me. I unlocked my device succesfully and got access to the internal storage. Thank you.
Hi There,
Good to hear that you were able to unlock your phone and you are most welcome. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Sweet. Samsung unlock saved the day. My screen was completely dark and I wanted to get some pictures off the phone before replacing it. I did not remember it, but I had registered with Samsung at some point. So I was able to connect my phone to my pc and have the website unlock the phone. Thank you for the excellent and accurate advice.
Hi There,
You are most welcome for the information and I am glad that everything worked out for you. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Hi,
I have just cracked my galaxy s4 screen this morning and the lcd screen is not working. I have been having a major meltdown as my device was locked so I could not retrieve my precious data that was on the phone. after coming across your page I was able to unlock it remotely through the find my mobile samsung site and I am now in the process of backing up all my data.
Thankyou so very much; I was just about in tears when I realised I couldn’t access all of my data.
Hi Amy,
That is such good news that you were able to get your data back and you are most welcome. Thanks for reading. =-)
Hello. I have tried method 3 by using Samsung Kies, got account on Samsung as well, but screen unlock won’t work for me for reason of not connected device according to web page. I have connected my phone by usb cable to PC, run Kies which prompt message to unlock screen. In google chrome I log on in samsung account and tried to unlock screen by toll on web page but as mentioned it is off even if it is on and connected to PC. Could anyone help? Thanks.
Hi Stano,
You can´t unlock your device because it´s not connected according to which website? Do you come across any error messages? =-)
I have a cracked Nexus 4 with PIN Lock and USB debugging is turned off and I can’t unlock the phone, any help?
I have an LG G2 with a completely cracked screen, and the screen is black underneath. But my phone still works – it rings and I hear the texts coming through. I need to get my contacts and text messages from that phone, but I can’t even access the screen to enable the debugging. How can I get my data off my phone?
Thank you.
The LG2 is kind of easy to find a used unit with a working screen or a replacement LCD for… Tried eBay? Beware: Tablet and (especially) phone glass removal involves a lot of heat and patience (or broken glass!).
I busted my Samsung Glaxy A3… Method number 3 would work and I think it would be the easiest one if I could somehow turn my wifi on? Then I would just unlock screen and backup my pictures… But I cant access my phone since the screen is dead. Yes, power is still working. So how do I turn WiFi on?
I would really appreciate your help!
thank you sooo muchhh…u r a saviour..
mouse method worked well for me.. thanks again!
Happy to help you Nishah 🙂
thank you very very much
It is the best solution .thanks
Glad it helped you.
None of these methods worked cause my phone is locked and ADB is disabled, I don’t have a Samsung phone and it seems like my phone(Alcatel One Touch Idol 2) doesn’t support OTG because i tried it with the mouse and keyboard but maybe it just doesn’t work because I have a gaming mouse and keyboard with flashy lights and aditional buttons.
I think it is more about the fact it doesn’t support OTG. If it did support OTG, at a minimum, the basic mouse functions should have still worked.
I have a Samsung Galaxy s6 edge, and my touch screen is broken. Will the OTG method work for it?
Hi Michelle,
I don´t see why not. =–)
No! If your touch screen is broken, the OTG method will not work with S6, unless you can figure out a way to work out some imaginary mouse movements in your mind without any visual help.. cuz S6 does not support HDMI output to let you see your screen on TV.
Bottom line: If you have an S6, and your screen is black and the touch sensor is gone, and if you have not enabled USB Debugging before the screen went kaput, and if you haven’t registered your phone on the Samsung accounts website, there’s not much you can accomplish with ANY of the methods listed on this page.
The above should be a BIG disclaimer in bold at the start of this page so people don’t waste time and money buying OTG kitss that are useless with S6. I jut wasted the whole day trying out all these options in futility!!! Glad at least I figured out that the OTG and HDMO option won’t work with the S6 before I dumped some cash on that yoo
Now, the only other possibility is, if you were connected to a PC and had ‘File Transfer’ mode enabled before the phone broke and the phone stays in that mode even now), OR if you had earlier connected to Samung SideSync, and if you currently have wifi turned on the phone, you can use Sidesync from a PC on the same wifi network as the phone to basically control eveyrthing related to the phone including unlocking etc, just like the phone’s screen were active.
hi sir will you please help me?
i am a sony xperia p user . today my touch screen is not working.
I am moving to buy a new phone rather than replacing my touch screen.
my request is
any method to restore the data secured in locker like VAULT????????
Hi Sam,
The mehods mentioned above should help get your information back, have you tried any of them? =-)
Hello. I have a Sky device and decided to go with the OTG route. Nothing is working. Help!!!!! The screen is cracked and I need my data.
Hi Natalie,
Have you checked the list of compatible devices? =-)
Hi! I cracked my phone screen and now, whenever I try and open my phone, the lock screen times out within 5 seconds, leaving me no time to punch in my pin. What should I do?
Hi There,
You can try unlocking your phone with the above methods and once you´re in your phone, extend the lock screen for more than 5 second, the longer the better. Have you tried any of the above methods? =-)
Hello, what’s the best method that you’d recommend for a samsung s7 edge user, whose phone has not been synced with a computer yet?
Hi There,
Did you have USB Debugging on by chance? =-)
Hi,
I dropped my Samsung Note 3 Neo and there was a crack on the screen. I couldn’t unlock it using the pattern lock which I had set. The screen, though it showed the lock dots, my lock screen wallpaper and all, just wasn’t responding. I tried the Android Device Manager, but it didn’t work. I just couldn’t unlock the screen.
Then I tried the S Pen. And that worked. I can make calls, check messages, mail or whatever with the S Pen. Wherever we used the finger on the phone, the S Pen did the same function. Now I have to take the phone to a service centre and get the cracked screen repaired. Since the S Pen is working on it, I hope it’s just the top glass that has to be replaced and not the entire display.
Just posting this, in case, there is someone who is yet to try this.
Cheers!
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sure it’s going to help other readers that are going through the same issue.
I don’t want to buy an OTG why can’t I just use my laptop as a hub?
You can try it since certain laptops (for sure some HP laptops) supports OTG. Sounds like it could work, don´t forget to share your experience on how it turned out.
trying option 1 on a macbook air but wont accept command in terminal, whats the command for mac its defo not cd C:/android/platform-tools.
cheers
After extracting the .zip and place the Android folder on your Desktop. Open Terminal and type: cd Desktop/Android. Now install ADB and Fastboot: ./ADB-Install-Mac.sh
Allow the script to run and you’ll be all set. Now the ADB and Fastboot files will be placed in /usr/bin/ on your Mac. Don’t forget to change Desktop/Android above to the location of the extracted .zip if you didn’t place it on your Desktop.
Method 2: USB On the Go Mouse Method, was very useful and solved my broken screen issue. Thank you very much for giving the solution.
Hi There,
You are very welcome and I’m glad that you were able to fix your problem.
How do I link a bluetooth mouse if my screen is not working on my GalaxyS6? I saw the lady do it at Best buy,
Maybe the device the lady had already had Bluetooth enabled?
Super helpful info!!
I was able to save my data using an OTG adapter and a USB mouse as detailed from your site. Many thanks for the effort to post these suggestions.
Here I sum up 3 ways to backup your Android with broken screen:
1. The easiest and the convenient way to recover data from your Android phone is first to connect it to your PC and check whether it is getting detected. If yes, read this article(https://drfone.wondershare.com/android/backup-android-phone-with-broken-screen.html) to get on how to backup android with broken scree.
2. If you are using a Samsung Android phone, you can retrieve the data from the broken screen by using a highly useful application called – ‘Find my Phone.’ If you have a Samsung account, simply visit the website, and enter your login credentials. With this, you will be able to access your phone data, and hence, can unlock your screen and recover all crucial data, by connecting your device and PC.
3. There is yet another way to get your data backup from your broken Android device. If any of your friends using the same Android device what you are using and if it is in working condition, you can place your phone’s motherboard on that device and can backup all your crucial data.
Thank you so much!
Yesterday My GS4 fell down and it lost its display…I did not know how to save my phone data… now I can recover it
Method 3 worked for me… It literally took a minute.
Many thanks again
My note 4 is broken but the LEd light and buttons works and vibrate. Im trying to back it up on smart switch but smart switch requires “allow permissions” fromy the phone which has no working screen to allow. What do i Do?
if the screen is broken and you cannot swipe to activate, and you have not turned on debugging, there is not much you can do.
I am having difficulty with dr fone. It doesn’t recognize my model SM-G900A for my Galaxy S5. I also try to use command promts and get ‘adb’ is not a recognized as an internal or external command. oporable or batch file. I am trying to download contact info from my phone, screen is broken/black, and phone is locked.
do you have debugging turned on?
Are your contacts in your Google Account? Log into gmail on a computer or other device and see, you might be going through a lot of work for nothing.
Hello, I have a galaxy s6 active that has a blacked/broken screen. I have used a swipe lock on it and the phone is currently locked. I know the pattern however I can not unlock it because the screen is unresponsive. I can use the device to make calls via car bluetooth and all. I really just want to get my pictures off of the device before getting a new one. Normaly, I would just plug it into my computer however because the phone is locked the computer will not let me transfer data. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
can we use usb keyboard instead of mouse to unlock. as my phone screen turns black i can see mouse pointer.
It depends on how you have your lock screen set up. Do you have a pin, a passcode, or a pattern? Also, you might have better luck with a usb mouse, as your phone may not always recognize the keyboard.
I am using S7. Dropped the phone and the screen went black. I tried to download the Android device manager and also used google to search for my phone and tried to ‘Lock’ it as mentioned in your website. The message i got was no pictures and videos to download. : ( That is definitely not true)
What can i do?
You can try accessing the data using the strategies found here. If you still find that there’s no evidence of data stored on your phone, then it’s most likely that there was hardware damage that made your files inaccessible. In this case, taking the phone to a repair shop to fix the damage may allow you to access your files, but it is also possible that the damage is too severe for the files to be retrievable. Good luck!
Hi. I am stuck at step 4. I connected my phone and typed the command but it says “‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.” what should I do?
Hi, Najeeba. You can simply try one of the other methods listed.
I realized the mouse trick just before I looked at this website. It would have saved me an hour of messing with adb and other work arounds that didn’t work because of new security android put in place. At least now I was able to enable developer and usb debug so I can begin the process of collecting my data from phone. For anyone else that needs to use a phone with broken touchscreen get yourself an adaptor so you can hook your mouse to phone if time ever comes up you need it. New Samsung phones like the S8 come with the adaptor, lucky me.
Glad you got everything sorted out, Steve! Please let me know if you need any additional assistance.
thought I might have a crack at trying to recover data from a newish Samsung tablet with a blank screen… the problem being that I can’t put in the passcode ..
wifi attempt returns…
unable to connect to 192.168.0.12:5555: cannot connect to 192.168.0.12:5555: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it. (10061)
looks like the device is not OTG compatible and not registered to Samsung account
Help… what are my options now
Hi, James! Method 1 doesn’t require an OTG compatible device or a Samsung account.
Thank you.
Method 2 worked for my cracked screen, non responsive Samsung Galaxy S8
You’re a saver!
So glad you found the post helpful, Subi!
I have have an old Galaxy S3. The screen is blank and the charge/data port does NOT work. I have an external battery charger and extra batteries that I use to power the phone. Believe it or not someone wants to buy the phone. I want to reset it or remove all of my info first. As I said, the screen is blank. Connecting to the PC is not available thru wifi, wire or Bluetooth is not available.
I know how to get to the Recovery mode. But once I’m there I am stuck. I know I use the volume buttons to go up or down the menu and power to select. How many times do I press down to get to Wipe Data. Then after I make that selection, how many times do I press down to get to the “Yes, wipe data selection”.
My phone is:
Samsung Galaxy S3
Model: SPH-L710
Greatly appreciate any help
Hey JOA team,
I dropped my Sumsung A7 and the screen had an almost invisble crtable. However, the screen is non responsive. Please help
Hi Richard, have you tried connecting a computer mouse to your phone to control and navigate through?