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BlackBerry Connection > Business Edition > Tips & Tricks: How to Back Up Your BlackBerry Smartphone

Tips & Tricks: How to Back Up Your BlackBerry Smartphone

It's easy with the new BlackBerry Desktop Software 6 for PC

It is an unfortunate fact of mobile living that you may misplace your BlackBerry® smartphone. While the smartphone itself is easily replaced, your contacts, appointments, messages, and the like are not—unless you back them up to your PC. And with the new BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 for PC backing up and restoring the data on your BlackBerry smartphone is easier that ever.

Download BlackBerry Desktop Software 6 »

What is BlackBerry Desktop Software 6?

BlackBerry Desktop Software 6 links the content and applications on your BlackBerry smartphone with your computer. In addition to backing up your data, you can use the BlackBerry Desktop Software to:

• Synchronize your organizer data (calendar entries, contacts, tasks, and memos) and media files (music, pictures, and videos)
• Manage and update your device applications
• Transfer your device settings and data to a new BlackBerry smartphone
• Use your smartphone as a modem to connect to the Internet from your computer (depending upon your carrier)
• Manage multiple devices
• Charge your device

Steps to back up your BlackBerry smartphone data

Note: To back up data that is in your built-in media storage, mass storage mode must be turned on.

1. Connect your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer.
2. In the BlackBerry Desktop Software, click Device > Back up.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To back up all your device data, select Full (all device data and settings).
   • To back up all your device data except for email messages, select Quick (exclude email).
   • To select which types of device data to back up, select Custom (selected data only). Select the checkbox next to the data you want to back up.
4. If your device includes built-in media storage and you want to back up data that is stored there, select the Files saved on my built-in media storage checkbox.
5. Do any of the following:
   • To change the default name for the backup file, in the File name field, type a new name.
   • To encrypt your data, select the Encrypt backup file checkbox. Type a password.
   • To save your settings so that you are not prompted to set these options again when you back up your device, select the Don't ask for these settings again checkbox.
6. Click Back up.

How to restore data

If you do lose the data on your BlackBerry smartphone, restoring your data is easy. Follow these steps.

Note: To restore data that is in your built-in media storage, mass storage mode must be turned on.

1. Connect your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer.
2. In the BlackBerry Desktop Software, click Device > Restore.
3. Select a backup file that contains the data you want to restore.
4. Do one of the following:
   • To restore all your device data, click All device data and settings.
   • To select which data you want to restore, click Select device data and settings. Select the checkbox beside the data type that you want to restore.
   • If your device includes built-in media storage, and you want restore it, select the Files saved on my built-in media storage checkbox.
5. If the backup file is encrypted, type the password that you set to encrypt.
6. Click Restore.

A word of caution: When you restore data to your BlackBerry smartphone, all files that are stored on your device will be deleted before the backup file is restored.

View the BlackBerry Desktop Software v6.0 User Guide »

Ask backup/restore questions at the BlackBerry® Community Support Forums »