How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on Samsung

It can be nervous if you accidentally deleted some text messages on your Samsung phone. Those texts you exchanged with your loved ones in the past months or years are now disappeared.

Samsung Galaxy S8

Fortunately, it is still possible to retrieve deleted texts on Samsung and today we are going to share with you several different recovery methods to do so.

Note: some methods may not apply to your situation. If so, just skip it and go to the next one.

Method 1: Retrieve Deleted Texts from Samsung Cloud

Samsung Cloud

Samsung Cloud is an online backup service built into every Samsung phone or tablet. It simplifies file management so you can back up and restore your files in case of data loss. The app allows you to keep all your settings, layouts, and apps and their associated files.

When you delete text messages on your Samsung phone, do not panic. The first step is to check whether you’ve backed up your phone to Samsung Cloud.

If yes, you can easily retrieve those deleted texts by following these steps:

  1. On your phone, find Settings, tap Accounts and backup.
  2. Tap Backup and restore.
  3. Tap Restore data, select your Samsung phone, then select the content (i.e. text messages) you want to restore.
  4. Tap Restore.

Note: If needed, just download your backup data following the on-screen instructions.

Method 2: Restore Text Messages via Samsung Smart Switch

samsung smart switch

Similar to Samsung Cloud, Samsung Smart Switch is a backup app that was originally designed to back up your old Samsung device and restore the data to a new one. But you can also use the app to create a backup of all your text messages, contacts, media files, and more and save it to your computer.

If you’ve made a backup, congratulations! It’s super easy to restore your texts and other files via Smart Switch.

Check out this video tutorial or this Samsung support article for how to do it.

No backup? No worry! Read on to find other methods below.

Method 3: Retrieve Text Messages from Your Service Provider

Many of you don’t know that your cell phone carriers or service providers (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) actually keep copies of your personal data, including text messages you receive and send out.

First off, log into the website of your service provider online, and navigate to the message section to look up historical data. Some providers may list your text messages sent and received in the previous billing period.

If you couldn’t find them, contact customer support to see if they can pull it up for you.

Note that if you’re located in the United States and your phone carrier is AT&T, you’re in luck because you can easily restore your messages via this portal – AT&T Messages.​

photo from AT&T website

Note: Depending on the terms of use, you may need to pay an extra fee to restore those text messages.

Method 4: Use Third-party Android Data Recovery Software

If the above methods didn’t work or do not apply to you, your last option is to try a third-party Android data recovery software. Read our detailed roundup review here for more.

Here’s a quick tutorial using a third-party recovery program to recover your deleted or lost Samsung text messages:

  1. Install the software on your computer (PC or Mac).
  2. Connect your Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet to the computer.
  3. Launch the program, follow the instructions to enable USB debugging, and select the file type to scan.
  4. Now the software will scan your device for any recoverable text messages. Be patient as it may take extra minutes.
  5. Preview and recover your messages after the scan is complete.

Final Words

These days text messages are often more valuable than other types of data, and we can’t afford to lose them. But accidental deletion can happen now and then and when that happens, it can be really nerve-racking. However, those deleted texts may still be recoverable and I hope the above Samsung SMS recovery guide has helped.

Don’t forget to back up them on a regular basis! Samsung Cloud and Smart Switch are great options, you may also use other third-party backup tools.

If you’ve managed to retrieve your texts, that’s great! If not, leave a comment below and let us know your situation, we’ll try our best to help.

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  • Miguel

    Before all those steps, check the trash. Deleted msgs stay there for 30 days. Open trash and restore conversation (s).

    Reply
  • Katie lee ollerton

    Find out her deleted messages

    Reply
  • Karen

    Can you help restore texts i accidentally deleted ?
    The person who wrote article on how to get deleted texts back.
    Can u send contact number to get help?. Tnx.

    Reply
  • Carol Burklow

    Samsung will not accept my ID
    Need to retrieve messages.

    Reply
  • Sandra Holt

    I need messages from Nov. 15-16th 2020 those 2 days got deleted really need those days of messages back or at least the 16th of Nov Help Please

    Reply
  • Laurie

    This did not work for galaxy s9 plus

    Reply
  • Catherine Stoner

    I need help retrieving my deleted text messages

    Reply
  • William Burchill

    Had Samung galaxy J7 I think, from straight talk for 4 yrs. I recieved a text from my love, march 23rd 2017 with pictures non sexual pictures, i saved them. at some point I sent one to a ZTE flip phone, to give to her. Both phones are gone, it was under [email protected] which I cant get into or [email protected]. numbers may have been from 701 318 8933 to 7012122212 not sure tho, but when I saved pics, did it go back into google photos or somewhere else, need it, or them

    Reply
  • David

    I accidentally deleted the last few months of my journal on Samsung notes on a galaxy a20. My cheek touched a keyboard and it entered a bunch of garbage, replacing my journal contents. Is there a way to recover it? Preferably free.

    Reply
  • Grann

    Pls help me retrieve deleted messages from a basic phone samsung. I accidentally deleted important information

    Reply
  • Jennifer Natalus

    I went with the first option and when I clicked ‘restore data’ it said “couldn’t authenticate Samsung Account” So I don’t know how to fix that. I made sure that I was signed into my account but thatt didnt work.

    Reply
  • Mahlet

    I tried to follow the steps but I cant get me deleted SMS it says couldn’t authenticate your Samsung phone what does it mean

    Reply
  • Bee

    As customer support for a phone carrier I just want to say we do not keep or have a record of text conversations only time stamps and what number you contacted or received contact from so we cannot get your conversations back.

    Reply
  • Dan Grove

    I have a court case divorce and I thought I was saving all of my text messages from my ex-wife and I was worried about violating a order to not contact until we appeared in court which is now gone but instead somehow I deleted them I had Samsung walk me through it and they could not recover them but told me that I whatever reason have Google and had hit backup all data so they said they could not do that legally but they were in the phone I do not trust myself to mess with this I guess are they there on Google + what can I do it’s to questions now it’s come down enough lies have been said to invest money is worth it if they’re there so on my S7 Galaxy they say Google backup data and it’s it is on but I do not know much more than that can you give me any kind of help as far as yeah they’re probably in the phone would help me a lot

    Reply
  • Janet Hamilton

    I want to retrieve txt with a particular family member on New Year’s Eve 2019/2020

    Reply
  • Pat

    there is no restore data on my screen so where do I go to restore old text messages.
    My old phone had an archive spot but I do not find it on this one.
    I have a Samsung 10

    Reply
  • Bernadette Keaney

    Please can I get some advice I have had a s7 edge from November 2018 before I had just a plain s7 between January to April 18 I blocked a no and somewhere within those months I deleted the no I would like to retrieve that number is there any possible software I can put on my phone which help me to achieve that objective ?? Would appreciate some intelligent help thank you

    Reply
  • Judy Morris

    Convo accidently deleted no msgr contact only games…
    Does not say friend is active and nobody is blocked

    I need msg contact back

    Reply
  • Judy Morris

    Person has contact with me with a game and poke thru fb bt msg was accidently deleted
    Can this b fixed

    Reply
  • Jin

    I accidently deleted the txt message and i really need to restore that message. I did not have any backups for this incident and tried Dr. fone app to see if the txt message was recoverable. it is keep on showing me that they failed to root my phone and i cant recover the txt message that i deleted.

    can you please help?

    Reply
    • Judy Biggs

      I deleted my daughter texts messages i had for years by mistake I have tried what I googled to do on my Samsung 8 plus it’s not working what can I do please

      Reply
  • Faye

    I have tried several apps and cannot restore..verizon cannot either..anyway to help

    Reply
  • Kari

    I checked with VERIZON and they don’t keep backups of text messages

    Reply
  • Brian Lima

    Verizon told me to fix my phone I had to do a factory reset. I sent everything up to the Verizon cloud to save before doing this period all my text messages are gone. All the ones from before the factory reset are gone. I had years of text between me and my son, who died last September! Now I’ve lost years of reading texts between him and I, and I will never get them back because he is dead! Don’t believe Verizon techs when they tell you you have to do something. It’ll ruin your life!

    Reply
  • travis hodges

    I deleted a conversation I washaving last night with a friend. I am trying to get them back. They were deleted immediately after we were done talking so there was no back up or anything. Are they still recoverable?

    Reply
  • Lenita

    This does not work. The messages I was looking for never came back. The only messages that I saw were one’s still in my inbox

    Reply
  • Kyle

    FYI. Verizon will only provide you deleted texts via a court order

    Reply
  • Ross

    Isn’t there another way without having to pay for it.

    Reply
  • Lucy Hudson

    I want only to retrieve a paragraph that I wrote in an email, which seemed to have disappeared when I returned to it. Is there no way of simply undoing a delete action on Samsung tablet?

    Reply
  • Tracy Jaggers

    Am an idiot with anything technical. I have a Galaxy Express 3. I do hope that you will forgive me, but I still don’t understand how to retrieve the old text messages on my phone. This, to me anyway, is urgent. I am being accused of something I simply didn’t do and require some of the old text messages. THANK YOU for your time. TRACY JAGGERS

    Reply