How to retrieve deleted text messages from Android

A lot of times it can be just one unfortunate tap and all those text messages that you've been keeping for one reason or another are suddenly gone. It may be possible to recover those important text messages, this depends on how quickly you react and what type of software you choose to manage and retrieve deleted text messages on Android. With a really good one, like Disk Drill, you may even recover deleted text messages on Android after a factory reset!
Free Download
Upgrade to PRO
How to retrieve deleted text messages from Android
One of the good things about Android phones is that they do not truly erase data until it is overwritten. The deleted data can still be accessed with an efficient recovery app like Disk Drill. The hard part is to find a reliable app that does what it promises: retrieve deleted text messages on Android phones.

With Disk Drill you can access your rooted Android device's storage and restore data from its internal memory or an SD card.

#1 Get ready to retrieve deleted text messages on Android

As soon as the unfortunate tap happens, download Disk Drill to your Mac and connect your Android device to your computer. It will most probably show up as an MTP device. Enable USB Debugging mode on your device at this moment and follow the on-screen instructions that may differ depending on your device brand and model. Disk Drill is very versatile, it can recover many different file types including but not limited to WhatsApp chats, Hangouts, lost photos, etc!
  • 1
    Connect your Android to a Mac
    Most probably it will show up as an MTP device. Turn on USB Debugging on your Android at this moment. Follow on-screen instructions, they are usually device-specific.
  • 2
    Let Disk Drill access your device
    Now Disk Drill can connect to your Android. However, we need your approval on the device as well. Monitor your notifications there, and grant the connection when asked.
  • 3
    Time to root
    Now you will see all available disks and partitions of your Android device. Time to root it. If you don't know how to do this, we recommend running a quick online search for your "specific Android device model + root".

#2 Give Disk Drill access to your device

Now that your Android device is connected to the computer you'll need to give permission to Disk Drill to connect to your device. Look at your Android screen and allow the connection when prompted.

#3 Time to root

Now you should be able to see available partitions and disks on your phone, your Android device will need to be rooted to proceed. Time to root
Recover lost data from FAT, NTFS, HFS+, etc.
In case you haven't rooted your device before, there are online tutorials that you can search for; just enter your "specific Android device model + root" in any popular search engine.

Protect your important files - recover for free!

It is not just Android that Disk Drill can help you recover data on. Any external or internal storage and iOS devices are also supported. Disk Drill can recover from many system types such as FAT32, NTFS, or HFS+ systems, Recovery Vault works seamlessly on any system. Recovery Vault features a powerful algorithm which keeps track of your file deletion, marks removed items and stores their metadata for fast minute-long restoration, maybe even faster?
Take Care of Your Files – Protect Them

#4 Recover Android SMS

Now you are ready to proceed with the actual Android text messages recovery. Depending on the app you are using to manage the text messages on your smartphone, your Android device brand and Android OS version (Marshmallow, Nougat, or other) they might be stored in different locations and formats.
How to recover unsaved Word & Excel documents on Mac
Disk Drill scans your Android storage regardless of specific file types and will list everything it can find. Your deleted Android text messages will be recovered as CSV or HTML files, make sure you look for those when reviewing data scan results. Choose the text messages you wish to retrieve and hit "Recover".

The best method to recover deleted text messages on Android

Disk Drill is great at recovering files on many devices. You can use Disk Drill to recover deleted text messages on Android, iPhone and many other devices. In addition to text messages, Disk Drill can also recover images, contacts, videos and much more. See a full list of files that Disk Drill can recover on your Mac, Windows, Android and iOS devices:
Which Types of Files can Disk Drill Recover?

How to recover deleted text messages on Android

Disk Drill 3
Works with your Android devices and iPhones
Free Download
Upgrade to PRO
Wondering how to recover deleted text messages on iPhone? Disk Drill will help.

More how-to articles for you

How do I recover lost data?
  • 10+ Million
    TOTAL DOWNLOADS
  • 500,000+
    PRO CLIENTS
  • BUSINESS & HOME USERS
    in 150+ countries

See what Disk Drill fans say

  • Twitter user @kgustafson
    Many thanks to @Cleverfiles and Disk Drill for helping me recover my photos from 2 corrupt SD cards. I filed my photos late, but I filed 'em!‌
  • Iulia Ivan
    softpedia.com
    Easy to use Mac OS X utility that provides support for recovering lost data, enables you to backup failing disks, can monitor S.M.A.R.T. attributes, and more.