BlackBerry FAQ: How to Backup and Restore Contacts, Messages, and other Critical Information.

I cannot stress the  importance of backing up your BlackBerry device. Everyday I hear horror stories of someone either losing their beloved BlackBerry, their USB port going bad, or the device just won’t boot up. A friend of mine just today called me to say that they lost their BlackBerry, but thank goodness they had just backed-up their device just a couple of days ago. The great team over at BlackBerryRocks originally did this post to help keep all BlackBerry users from facing that moment of dread when you realize all your info is gone.

Today we will discuss how to back up and restore the information on your BlackBerry, and how to use the advance features options.  You will need a few things to get started. First,  you will need the latest version of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager. You can either use the CD that came in the box with your BlackBerry, or you can download the most current which is Desktop Manager V5.0 by clicking the link here : BlackBerry Desktop Download Page .  Use the most current version if possible.

BlackBerry USB Cable

Next you will need your BlackBerry USB cable that came with your device. If you have lost or misplaced your USB cable, you can pick one up by clicking the link to our sister site BlackBerryDreamShop.com .

Ok, now that we are properly prepared, let get started…

BACKUP YOUR BLACKBERRY

STEP 1

• Run the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
• Connect your BlackBerry to your computer.
• Wait for it to recognize your BlackBerry and then click on “Backup and Restore”.

STEP 2

• In this window you have three options, Backup, Restore and Advanced. For this section we will work with the Backup option.

STEP 3

• Underneath the Backup option you will see “Options” and “Backup”.
• First click on Options and make sure everything is how you want it.
• I would recommend the settings seen in the above screenshot, but it’s up to you how you want to handle your backups.
• The “Encryption” option allows you to make your backups more secure.
• Once you are done selecting your options click OK and then click Backup.

STEP 4

• In this screen you will be able to specify a file name for your Backup. By default the file name is Backup-(date).
• Once you have selected your file name (or left it as default) click on Save.

STEP 5

• Your backup will now be created.
• You can keep an eye on the transfer progress to make sure what you want to have backed up is actually being backed up.

Now that you have a backup, you can use it to restore your BlackBerry whenever something goes wrong. Here’s how…

RESTORE YOUR BLACKBERRY

STEP 1

• With Desktop Manager running and your BlackBerry connected, click on Backup and Restore.

STEP 2

• In this screen click on Restore

STEP 3

• Now you can select the Backup file you would like to restore on your BlackBerry.
• Once you select a file click Open.
• You may be asked if you want to replace the databases currently on your BlackBerry with the one’s in the backup. Make sure this is what you want, and then continue.
• The backup file you selected will now be restored on your BlackBerry. This process usually takes longer than making a backup.
• When restoring a file you can follow the progress just like the backup progress to make sure the restoration includes what you want.

Note: It is recommended that you backup/restore databases to similar BlackBerry models. For example, from one 8100 to another 8100. To properly transfer data from one BlackBerry to another, like from an 8100 to an 8900, you should use the “Device Switch Wizard”.

Sometimes you may run into problems when backing up your BlackBerry, like a corrupt database. Or maybe you want to only backup and restore your address book. For example, I regularly wipe my BlackBerry. I use the advanced backup/restore option to only backup certain things. Afterwords I wipe it, and then restore those specific databases to my BlackBerry instead of a whole restoration. Here’s how…

ADVANCED BACKUP AND RESTORE

STEP 1

• With Desktop Manager running and your BlackBerry connected, click on Backup and Restore.

STEP 2

• Now click on Advanced

STEP 3

• In this screen you will be able to backup/restore specific databases, in addition to clearing databases.
• Let’s say you want to clear multiple databases that aren’t consecutively listed. To do this hold down the “Control” button and click on the databases you want to backup. This will allow you to select more than one. You can also backup databases in the same way or one-by-one.
• Clearing databases through Desktop Manager is a faster way of clearing up memory on your BlackBerry. For example, instead of having to delete all messages, clear browser history, or clear your call log one at a time, you can clear all of them at once by selecting those databases and then clicking on Clear.
• Clearing a database removes all the data within that database from your BlackBerry, so make sure this is what you want if you choose to do it.
• Once you have selected the databases you want backed up click on the “<<” button in the middle to move it/them over to the left box. By moving them over, you are backing them up.

STEP 4

• As you can see in the screenshot above, I have chosen to backup my address book, messages and SMS messages.
• As long as the Desktop Manager is kept open the databases will remain in the left box, even if you disconnect your BlackBerry.
• This is useful if you want to wipe your BlackBerry and then restore certain databases, or if you want to backup/restore certain databases to another BlackBerry.
• This is also useful if you are having trouble doing a regular backup and are getting a corrupt database error. If you do not know which database is corrupt, chances are it is the one where the transfer progress fails.
  • Once you have identified which database is corrupt, select every other database in the Advanced Backup/Restore screen and move them over by clicking the “<<” button in the middle. After that you should wipe your BlackBerry to get rid of the corrupt database. Keep in mind that you have already backed up the databases that aren’t corrupt. Continue with the guide below…
• After you have wiped your BlackBerry, re-connect it. If you are restoring a database on another BlackBerry connect that one.
• To begin restoring the database to the BlackBerry select the database(s) from the left and then click the “>>” button.

That’s it! Hope you found this guide useful. Always make backups, you never know when something will go wrong.

Related posts:

• BlackBerry Tip: How To Quickly Lock Your BlackBerry Keypad or Touch Screen.
• How to update your BlackBerry OS (Software) without using BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
• BlackBerry FAQ: How to quickly find your BlackBerry Pin and Barcode in BlackBerry Messenger.