My Samsung phone has a badly cracked screen and shows no display, although it still powers on and alarms work. I need to copy photos, messages, and other data to a laptop. Is there a way to connect it directly, or unlock and control it without being able to see the screen? The phone is a Galaxy S23.
3 Answers
A regular USB cable may work, but the phone normally has to be unlocked and set to File Transfer before a computer can access its storage. If the screen is completely unusable and USB debugging or file access was not enabled beforehand, the laptop usually cannot bypass the lock by itself.
If the external-display method does not work, having the screen temporarily replaced is the most reliable option. Once the phone can be unlocked, connect it to the laptop, choose File Transfer on the phone, and copy the gallery and other accessible files. Cloud backups may also contain some photos or messages if synchronization was enabled.
For a Galaxy S23, try connecting it to a monitor or TV with a USB-C to HDMI adapter that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode. You may be able to use Samsung DeX or mirror the phone, then connect a USB mouse and keyboard to enter the passcode and approve the connection. You generally do not need special software beyond the phone's built-in DeX support, though the adapter or hub must be compatible.
Since mine is an S23, I'll try a USB-C display adapter and a hub with a mouse so I can unlock it and copy the files.
So there isn't normally a way to unlock it from the laptop if I can't see the screen?