How to Back Up Data From a Phone With a Broken or Black Screen

Posted on:

November 25, 2025

It usually happens in slow motion. The phone slips from your hand, tumbles through the air, and lands face-down on the concrete. You pick it up, heart pounding, hoping for a miracle. But when you press the power button, nothing happens. The phone vibrates, notifications ding, but the screen is pitch black.

The immediate panic isn’t usually about the cost of the phone; it’s about what’s inside it. The photos of your newborn, the videos from your last vacation, the unsaved work notes, and the contacts you never wrote down.

“Is my data gone forever?”

As technicians at Mobile Fix Experts, we hear this question almost every day. The short answer is: No, your data is likely still there. The phone is “alive,” but it has lost its ability to communicate with you visually.

Recovering data from a “blind” phone is tricky. It requires patience, the right tools, and sometimes a bit of luck. In this guide, we will walk you through the DIY methods to bypass a broken screen and pull your data off safely. If these methods fail, don’t worry—there is always a professional backup plan.

Note: This guide covers both Android and iPhone devices, as the recovery methods differ significantly.

Section 1: The “Silent” Backup Check (Do This First)

Before we start buying cables or downloading software, let’s make sure you aren’t panicking for no reason. Modern smartphones are smarter than we give them credit for.

Check Your Cloud Accounts

You might have backups you didn’t even know about.

For iPhone Users: Log into iCloud.com on a computer. Check “Photos” and “Contacts.” If you had “iCloud Backup” turned on (which is default), your phone might have backed up last night while it was charging.
For Android Users: Log into photos.google.com for your pictures and contacts.google.com for your numbers. Also, check Google Drive.

If your data is there, congratulations! You can breathe easy. You can simply restore this data to a new device or your repaired one. If not, proceed to Section 2.

Section 2: Android Data Recovery (The OTG Method)

Android phones are generally more flexible than iPhones when it comes to hardware workarounds. If your screen is black but the touch sensors still work (you can feel haptic feedback when you tap where the unlock button should be), you can simply plug it into a PC.

However, if the screen is black and the touch is unresponsive, you need to simulate a human hand.

The Tool: USB OTG (On-The-Go)

You need a USB OTG adapter. This is a cheap dongle that plugs into your phone’s charging port (USB-C or Micro-USB) and gives you a full-sized USB-A port (like on a computer).

Method A: The Mouse Trick (If you can see the screen but can’t touch)

If your screen is cracked and the display works, but it won’t respond to your finger:

Plug the OTG adapter into your phone.
Plug a standard USB computer mouse into the adapter.
A cursor will appear on your phone screen.
Use the mouse to draw your unlock pattern or type your PIN.
Navigate to Settings > Backup, or install Google Photos to upload your data.

Method B: The HDMI Workaround (If the screen is totally black)

If the screen is completely dead, you can’t see the cursor. You need to see and touch.

You will need a USB-C Hub with an HDMI port and USB ports (commonly used for laptops).
Plug the hub into your phone.
Connect an HDMI cable from the hub to your TV or Monitor.
Connect a USB mouse to the hub.
If your phone supports video-out (Samsung S-series, newer Pixels, etc.), your phone screen will appear on the TV.
Use the mouse to unlock the phone and transfer data to Google Drive or a USB thumb drive plugged into the hub.

Section 3: iPhone Data Recovery (The “Trust” Hurdle)

iPhones are notoriously secure. To connect an iPhone to a computer to pull photos off, you almost always have to tap “Trust This Computer” on the iPhone screen. If your screen is broken, you can’t tap “Trust.”

Method A: The VoiceOver Trick (Siri to the Rescue)

If you have Siri enabled, you might be able to navigate the screen without seeing it.

Plug a USB Keyboard into your iPhone using a generic “Lightning to USB Camera Adapter.”
Activate Siri (hold the side button or Home button) and say “Turn on VoiceOver.”
If successful, the iPhone will speak whatever is on the screen.
Use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate. Listen for Siri to say “Trust This Computer.”
Press the Spacebar or Enter key to select it.
Once trusted, iTunes or Finder on your Mac should recognize the phone and allow a backup.

Method B: Previously Trusted Computers

If you have a computer that you have synced with before (and you previously clicked “Trust” and didn’t reset settings), you are in luck.

Connect the iPhone to that specific computer.
Open iTunes/Finder.
If it doesn’t ask for a passcode, hit “Back Up Now” immediately.

Section 4: The Samsung Specific Solution (Find My Mobile)

If you own a Samsung device, you have a secret weapon. Samsung has a feature called “Find My Mobile” that is separate from Google.

Go to the Samsung Find My Mobile website on a PC.
Log in with your Samsung Account.
On the right-side menu, look for an option called “Unlock.”
Clicking this will remotely unlock your phone, removing the PIN/Pattern.
Crucially, this often sets the phone into a mode where, if you plug it into a PC, it allows file transfer without needing to touch the screen permissions.

Section 5: When All Else Fails – The Screen Swap

If the methods above sound too technical, or if you tried them and they didn’t work (perhaps the USB port is damaged too), there is one surefire way to get your data back.

Fix the screen temporarily.

Data recovery services can charge hundreds or thousands of dollars to chip-off memory from a motherboard. In 99% of cases, it is actually cheaper to just have a technician install a new screen.

You don’t even necessarily need a new screen. At Mobile Fix Experts, we can often perform a “soft install” of a test screen just to access the device, perform a backup to a USB drive, and then remove the screen if you don’t want to pay for the full repair. Or, we can fully repair the device so you have your phone back as good as new.

If you are unsure if your phone is worth fixing, check our Repair Services page to get an idea of what’s involved.

Is the phone totally dead?

If the phone won’t vibrate or make sound, the issue might be the motherboard, not just the screen. In this case, standard recovery won’t work. You need board-level diagnostics. We handle this at our Locations.

Conclusion

Losing access to your data feels like losing a part of your memory. The panic is real. But remember: a black screen does not mean an empty memory chip. Whether you use an OTG mouse, an HDMI adapter, or the “Trust” computer trick, you have options.

If you are struggling with cables and adapters and just want your photos back without the headache, let us handle it. We can plug in a temporary screen, extract your data, and place it on a thumb drive for you.

Don’t let a drop destroy your digital memories.

Ready to get your data back?

Need a repair? https://mobilefixexperts.com/repair-a-device/
Want to upgrade instead? https://mobilefixexperts.com/buy-a-device/
Have an old broken phone to sell? https://mobilefixexperts.com/sell-a-device/

FAQs

Q1: Can I get data off my phone if USB debugging is off?

A1: Yes, but it is harder. If you have an Android, USB debugging allows for advanced recovery tools. If it is off, you must use the “hardware simulation” methods (Mouse/Keyboard/HDMI) mentioned in this guide to manually navigate the phone interface and backup your data to the cloud or an SD card.

Q2: Will replacing the screen delete my data?

A2: No. Replacing a screen is a hardware repair. It does not touch the memory chip or the storage of the phone. Once the new screen is on, your phone will look exactly the way it did before you dropped it—same wallpaper, same photos, same apps.

Q3: My computer recognizes the phone, but the folder is empty. Why?

A3: This happens because the phone is locked. For security reasons, phones do not mount their file systems to a computer until the user enters their PIN/Passcode on the screen. You must use the OTG mouse method or VoiceOver method to unlock the device first.

Q4: Can I use software like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare?

A4: These software tools can work, but they often require USB Debugging to be enabled beforehand. If your screen is already broken and you hadn’t enabled that setting previously, these expensive software tools often cannot bypass the security lock.

Disclaimer

The methods described in this article are for educational purposes. Attempting DIY data recovery involves risks. Mobile Fix Experts is not responsible for data loss that may occur during these attempts. For the safest results, professional diagnosis is recommended.