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How do I get photos off an Android phone with a broken screen?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 6 minutes · Storage & cleanup

Steps written for Android 16 and 17, including Samsung One UI 8 and 9, Google Pixel, and Motorola. Menu names can vary a little by model and carrier.

Illustration of a phone with a small crack, showing a photo of mountains and a sun, with a cable plug on one side and a cloud with a down arrow on the other

Start on a computer at photos.google.com. If Google Photos backup was on, your photos are already there and you can download them. If not, check for a memory card, then try a USB cable that carries data, a USB mouse with an adapter, or a TV. If none of that works, a screen repair is the safest way.

Steps to check

Show steps for:

  1. Check whether your photos are already backed up

    This often solves it, so do it first. On a computer, tablet, or another phone, go to photos.google.com and sign in with the Google Account from the broken phone. If you can see your recent photos there, they were backed up and are safe. To save a copy, select a photo, then choose More (three dots) and Download. If you are getting a new phone, signing in to Google Photos on it with the same account brings the backed-up photos along with no copying at all.

    • Samsung If you used the Samsung Gallery app, your photos may not be in Google Photos. Check photos.google.com anyway, then try the Samsung steps further down.
    • Pixel Pixel phones come with Google Photos as the photo app, so photos.google.com is the most likely place to find them if backup was on.

  2. Check for a memory card

    Some phones hold a small microSD memory card in the same tray as the SIM card. If yours has one and you saved photos to it, take the card out, put it in a card reader or a computer's card slot, and copy the photos off. This does not need the screen at all.

  3. Try a USB cable to a computer

    Plug the phone into a computer with a USB cable. The phone must be unlocked, and on the phone you need to tap the USB notification and choose File Transfer. After that, the phone shows up on the computer like a drive (on Windows, look under This PC), and you can drag your photos across. If the phone only charges, try a different cable. Google notes that not all USB cables can transfer files. If you cannot see or tap the screen to unlock it or choose File Transfer, use one of the next two steps first.

  4. Screen shows but touch does not work: use a USB mouse

    If you can still see the picture but tapping does nothing, plug in a USB mouse with an adapter (USB-C to USB, or micro USB to USB on older phones). A pointer appears on the screen. Click to unlock with your PIN, pattern, or password, then connect to a computer as in the step above, or open Google Photos and turn on backup, which is in Photos settings, then Back up. A USB keyboard can help with typing a PIN or password.

  5. Touch works but you cannot see: connect to a TV

    If the screen is black or shattered but the phone still responds to touch, a phone-to-HDMI adapter can show the phone's screen on a TV or computer monitor. Plug the adapter into the phone's charging port, connect an HDMI cable to the TV, and switch the TV to that HDMI input. Then use the phone while watching the TV. There can be a short delay. This does not work on every phone, so check your model before buying an adapter.

  6. Samsung: back up from a computer, even with no screen

    Samsung's support pages describe two more choices on Galaxy phones. With Find My Mobile (SmartThings Find in some countries), you can sign in to your Samsung account on a computer and choose Back up to save data to Samsung Cloud. The phone has to be on, connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, signed in to your Samsung account, with remote controls turned on. You can also install Smart Switch on a PC or Mac, connect the phone with a data cable, and choose Backup. The phone may ask you to tap Allow, which is where a USB mouse helps. Options can differ by country and model.

  7. If nothing works, get the screen repaired first

    When the phone will not unlock or show anything, a screen repair is usually the safest way to reach the photos, and it often saves the data. Before you hand it over, ask the repair shop whether the repair will keep your data. Google says that even with Pixel Repair Mode turned on, a repair that replaces parts affecting storage must erase the phone, so back up anything you can reach first. Avoid apps or services that promise to pull data off a locked phone, and never share your Google password.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

A phone that charges but will not show your files on a computer. A locked phone keeps its files private until you unlock it and choose File Transfer, and many cables are made only for charging.

Worth a closer look

A phone that gets hot, swells, or will not turn on at all. Stop charging it and take it to a repair shop or the maker's service center rather than trying more fixes at home.

What people are saying

Common questions

How do I know if my photos were backed up to Google Photos?
Go to photos.google.com on any computer or phone and sign in with the same Google Account. Anything you see there is backed up. If your newest photos are missing, the backup may have been off or paused.
Why does my computer only charge the phone instead of showing my photos?
Two common reasons: the cable only carries power, or the phone is locked and has not been told to use File Transfer. Try a cable you know carries data, and unlock the phone first, with a USB mouse if the touch screen is broken.
How do I avoid this next time?
Turn on Google Photos backup. Open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Photos settings, then Back up, and turn it on. Make sure it is backing up to the right Google Account.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.