Nandroid backup is a full backup of your Android device’s current state, including all installed applications, settings, and data.
How to Take a Nandroid Backup for Your Android Device
This backup can be used to restore your device to the exact same state if something goes wrong with your device.
Taking a Nandroid backup is an essential step for anyone who wants to experiment with custom ROMs, kernels, and other modifications without fear of losing their data.
Step 1: Install a Custom Recovery
To take a Nandroid backup, you will need to have a custom recovery installed on your Android device. A custom recovery is a replacement for the stock recovery that comes with your device.
The most popular custom recovery is TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project). TWRP is an open-source software project that allows you to install custom ROMs, kernels, and other modifications on your Android device.
Before you can install TWRP, you need to unlock the bootloader of your Android device. The bootloader is a program that loads the operating system (OS) when you turn on your device. Unlocking the bootloader allows you to install custom software on your device.
To unlock the bootloader of your Android device, you can follow the official instructions provided by the device manufacturer. Once you have unlocked the bootloader, you can follow the official TWRP installation guide for your device to install TWRP.
Step 2: Boot into Recovery Mode
To take a Nandroid backup, you need to boot into recovery mode on your Android device.
Recovery mode is a special boot mode that allows you to perform maintenance tasks on your device.
You can boot into recovery mode by turning off your Android device and then holding down the volume up button and power button simultaneously. Once you see the manufacturer logo, release both buttons and wait until you see the TWRP home screen.
Step 3: Select Backup Option
On the TWRP home screen, select the Backup option. This will take you to a screen where you can choose which partitions to include in the backup. By default, TWRP will select all partitions, but you can uncheck any that you don’t want to include.
A partition is a portion of your device’s storage that is used for a specific purpose. For example, the system partition contains the OS and system files, the data partition contains user data such as apps, contacts, and messages, and the cache partition contains temporary files used by the system and apps.
It’s a good idea to include all partitions in your Nandroid backup to ensure that you can restore your device to the exact same state if something goes wrong.
Step 4: Choose Storage Location
Next, you need to choose where to save your Nandroid backup. You can either save it to your device’s internal storage or to an external SD card. If you have an external SD card inserted, TWRP will show it as an option. Select the location where you want to save the backup.
It’s a good idea to save the backup to an external SD card if you have one, as it provides additional storage space and can be easily removed and transferred to another device. However, if you don’t have an external SD card, you can save the backup to your device’s internal storage.
Step 5: Start the Backup Process
Once you have selected the partitions and storage location, you can start the backup process by swiping the white arrow button at the bottom of the screen. The backup process may take several minutes, depending on the size of your device’s storage and the number of partitions you selected.
It’s important not to interrupt the backup process once it has started, as this could result in a corrupted backup. Make sure your device is fully charged or plugged in during the backup process to prevent any interruptions.
Step 6: Verify the Backup
Once the backup process is complete, TWRP will show a message indicating that the backup was successful. You can verify that the backup was created by going to the location where you saved the backup and checking that the files are present.
Test the backup by restoring it on your device. This will ensure that the backup is complete and functional. To restore the backup, simply boot into recovery mode, select the Restore option, and choose the backup file you want to restore.
Conclusion
Taking a Nandroid backup is an essential step for anyone who wants to experiment with custom ROMs, kernels, and other modifications on their Android device.
By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can take a Nandroid backup using TWRP custom recovery. Remember to always make a backup before making any major changes to your device to ensure that you can easily restore it to the exact same state if something goes wrong.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.
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