Backups & Recovery
How to Restore a Phone From a Backup
Restore an iPhone from iCloud or a computer, or an Android from Google's backup, and know what comes back, what doesn't and what to do when it stalls.
How to Empty the ‘Recently Deleted’ Folder Safely
Clear Recently Deleted, Trash and Recycle bins on iPhone, Google and Samsung without losing things you meant to keep, and know what space you actually get back.
How to See Cleared Call History
Where cleared calls can still be found on iPhone, Pixel and Samsung, what restoring a backup really costs, and why your carrier's record is the safest bet.
How to Back Up Your Signal Chats
Signal skips your phone's normal backup. Here is how Secure Backups, on-device backups and phone-to-phone transfer work, and why the recovery key matters.
How to Transfer Photos From Phone to Computer
Move photos from iPhone or Android to a Windows PC or Mac in full quality, by cable, wirelessly or from the cloud, and fix a phone that won't show up.
How to Recover Deleted Downloads
Re-download from your browser's list, restore from the right bin, or find another copy: how to get a deleted download back on phone and computer.
How to Recover Deleted Instagram Stories
Where deleted and expired Instagram stories go, how long Recently deleted keeps them, and the backups that still work when Instagram can't help.
How to Recover Deleted Snapchat Memories
Snapchat can't undelete a Memory, but copies often survive elsewhere. Where to look, what the new 5GB storage limit means, and how to never lose them again.
How to Recover Deleted Photos From the Cloud
Where deleted photos go in iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive, Dropbox and Amazon Photos, how long each keeps them, and what to try once the bin is empty.
How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on iPhone
Where deleted texts go, how long iOS keeps them, when a backup can help, and why carriers and most recovery apps can't bring them back.