How to Restore a Nandroid Backup on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+

Once you have created a Nandroid backup on the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+, you can follow these steps to do a full restore from that previously made backup.

Yesterday, I showed you the process in which you need to follow to create a Nandroid backup of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. This is the first thing I recommend doing once you have unlocked the bootloader of the Galaxy S8, and it should be done even before you gain root access to it.

This Nandroid backup is a full snapshot of the partitions which are available in TWRP, and restore from that backup will bring you back to how your phone was when you created it.

If you watch the embedded video below, you’ll see that I show how much data is being backed up here. Not only does it backup/restore application data (which is shown with the moving of the widget), but it also restores the Android system/settings data as well. This makes Nandroid backups my favorite feature available with TWRP and it is also why I recommend creating a new backup every week/month so that you always have a recent one to restore from.

This guide requires that you have unlocked the bootloader and that you install TWRP on the Galaxy S8. And naturally, you will also need to have a previously created Nandroid backup so that you have something to restore from.

Galaxy S8 Restore Nandroid Backup

1. Power down the device
2. Then boot the Galaxy S8 into Recovery Mode
3. Tap on the Restore button on the right side
4. Locate and tap on the backup you want to restore from
5. Make sure all partitions are selected (if you want to do a full restore)
6. Swipe the white arrows to the right to begin the restore process
7. Wait for the backup to be restored
8. Press the Reboot System button to boot back into Android

Explanation

There are a lot of requirements here before you can restore from a backup. This process might seem logical for those who are familiar with all of this, but new people jumping into the process will not have a clue where to start. So again, you will need to have the bootloader unlocked, you will need to have TWRP installed, and you will need to have previously created a backup. Be sure to check the links provided earlier in this guide if you are not sure how to do any of that.

Once all of that is done, and you are ready to restore from a Galaxy S8 Nandroid backup, boot the device into Recovery Mode (which should be TWRP). Tap on the Restore button when you get to the TWRP main menu and then you should get a list of all the Nandroid backups you have stored on your phone. Tap on the one you want to restore from and then select the partitions you want to restore (make sure they are all selected if you want to do a full restore).

Now you can swipe the white arrows to the right to begin the restore process. The amount of time it takes to complete this restore will depend entirely on how big the Nandroid backup is. As you can see from the video, my simple backup restore in a minute or two. Once the restore process has been completed, you should see two buttons appear at the bottom of the screen. The Back button will take you back to the TWRP main menu, and the Reboot System button will boot you back into Android.

So just tap on the Reboot System button (unless you need to do something else in TWRP), and wait for the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ to reboot back into Android. If everything went well, it shouldn’t take long and you will be greeted with the Android Lock Screen. Now you can unlock the device like normal and all of your data will be restored.