How to Create a Nandroid Backup of the Galaxy Note 9 in TWRP

I recently showed you a couple of ways to create a backup of your data on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Those backups are very basic and only include the “safe” data. However, once you have TWRP installed then you can create a full Nandroid backup that includes all the partitions available on your smartphone.

There are all types of backups that we have stored on our smartphones. When I previously talked about this I listed three different ways to back up the data of the Galaxy Note 9. Each has their own benefits and they each have their own disadvantages as well.

Some of them are easy but don’t back up as much as data as you would like. Other methods take a bit more work and because they will let you backup more data. In that previous tutorial, I recommend using Samsung Smart Switch as it is a good middle ground.

TWRP Takes it to the Next Level

However, once we install TWRP on the Galaxy Note 9 and begin to tinker with the smartphone, those backup methods simply won’t do what we need. If you install a Magisk Module, an Xposed Module, or use a root app that makes the wrong changes then none of those backup methods will help you.

That’s because you have likely put our smartphone into a bootloop and soft bricked it in the process. Now, a previous tutorial I covered showed you how to restore your smartphone from a bootloop. These bricked cases are generally considered worst-case scenarios because there isn’t any other option. However, if you can access TWRP then you can restore from a Nandroid backup.

Before you can restore from a backup that was created in TWRP though, you first need to create one. That is where this tutorial comes into play and I will walk you through the entire process from start to finish. I tend to prefer to create full and complete backups when using TWRP. However, if you know what you’re doing then you can choose to only backup select partitions.

Once you have completed a full Nandroid backup of the Galaxy Note 9 in TWRP then you will always be able to restore to the exact point it was created. I try to emphasize that point because the other backup and restore options are different. A good example of what I’m talking about is what happens when you do a restore from one of these backups.

So, if you created a backup with Samsung Smart Switch and then made a bunch of changes. Let’s say you installed some games, changed some system settings, and applied a new theme or something. When you restore that backup using Samsung Smart Switch, all of the stuff you did after creating that backup will still be there.

Your new games will still be installed, the changes to the system settings will still be in place, and the new theme you applied will still be there. This type of backup and restore process is very specific and it’s only going to touch various aspects of your Galaxy Note 9. However, a Nandroid backup created with TWRP is a complete snapshot style backup.

How is a Galaxy Note 9 Nandroid Backup Different?

Snapshot is another word here that I am specifically using to describe the type of backup you are creating. We’re going to use the same example as I explained earlier except we’ll be replacing the Samsung Smart Switch backup with a Nandroid backup from within TWRP. The backup made in TWRP is a complete snapshot where everything is stored as an exact copy.

Meaning, if you were to install some games, apply a new different Samsung theme, and then changed some settings like enabling or disabling the Always On Display feature on the Galaxy Note 9. Then you went and did a restore from the TWRP backup you had made. Since all of those changes were made after the backup had been created, everything will be reverted back.

So your newly installed games would be gone, you would be back to the same Samsung theme as before, and any other changes that were made would be changed back. And it’s not as if the Galaxy Note 9 goes and uninstalls those games and manually switches back to the old theme you were using. All of the data is just completely overwritten when you do that restore.

Yup, This Fixes Bootloops Too

Knowing how to create a Nandroid backup of the Galaxy Note 9, and doing it frequently, is important if you like to experiment with various community mods. I mean, keeping frequent backups of any important data is something that we should all get into the habit of doing. It’s a good idea to make frequent updates of your data even if you don’t install extra mods on your phone.

The simple process of updating your Galaxy Note 9 can cause some strange issues through no fault of your own. Samsung’s own coding staff could have let a bug slip through. A bug that may only affect 1% of the entire user base, but if you’re in that 1% then it could cause your smartphone to not boot, it could prevent you from making phone calls, or it could do all sorts of random things.

This isn’t isolated to people who install TWRP either. Plenty of Android and iOS users have installed a new (stable) update that has ruined their phone to the point where they had to take it back to the retailer and/or ship it back to the manufacturer. At least with TWRP installed, and a recent backup on hand, we can do a restore and wait for an update that fixes the issue you were experiencing.