Galaxy Note 4: How to Create a Nandroid Backup

Backups are incredibly important and today I’m going to show you how to create your first Galaxy Note 4 Nandroid Backup. It is always recommended to create a backup after you gain root access and install a custom recovery.

Rooting an Android device gives you a lot of power and it can also allow 3rd party applications to do a lot of things to your Galaxy Note 4. This is why it is always recommended to create a Nandroid Backup as soon as possible. To do this, you need to have root access to your Galaxy Note 4 and you need to have a custom recovery installed.

I have already written up a tutorial on how to root the Galaxy Note 4 and I have also written one on how to install a custom recovery on the Galaxy Note 4. After you have done those steps, then we can create a Nandroid Backup.

Since my tutorials for installing a custom recovery on the Galaxy Note 4 involve TWRP, that is what will be discussed below.

Galaxy Note 4 Nandroid Backup

1. Boot the Galaxy Note 4 into Recovery Mode
2. Tap on Backup
3. Make Sure All Partitions Are Checked
4. Change the Name if You Want
5. Change the Storage Location if You Want
6. When Ready, Swipe the Arrow at the Bottom to Initiate the Backup
7. Wait Until it Completes
8. Tap on the Home Button
9. Tap on Reboot
10. Tap on System

Explanation

Once you have root access and you have installed a custom recovery, then you will need to boot up into Recovery Mode. Since you have replaced the stock recovery, which in this case is TWRP, when you boot up into Recovery Mode you will be taken directly into TWRP. Once you are here, you will see a lot of big buttons with various actions on them. To create our first Nandroid Backup, you will need to tap on the Backup button.

Here you will see all of the settings that you can change when creating this backup. The first thing you want to do is to make sure all of the partitions have a check mark next to them. Then, you can change the name of the backup if you would like. It is wise to give it a name that you will remember. For example, my first Nandroid Backup is always called ‘original-stock-DATE’ where DATE is the current date. Afterwards, say I am doing a backup of CM12 before installing a new build, I will call it ‘CM12-DATE’. From here, you can also change where you want the backup to be stored if you would like.

When you have set/changed the options that you are happy with, go ahead and swipe on the big blue arrow that you see at the bottom of the page. This will start the backup process and it can take a few minutes to complete. When it is done, you can press on the home button that you see at the bottom. This will take you back to the main menu of TWRP. Pressing on Reboot and then System will reboot your device and boot back up into the regular Android firmware that you currently have installed.

If you have any questions about this tutorial or run into an issue, then please leave a comment below. I might not be able to answer every question but I will always do my best to.