Backup Android before rooting

[3019.andrew]

This seems stupid. Probably is stupid

I want to backup my Samsung s9 before I root it.

Can I plug the phone into a pc, then copy all the files and folders that appear in file explorer, and when the phone is rooted, drag and drop/replace the files

 

[canadianvice]

So just some questions before I make a recommendation, would you be looking to use a custom recovery such as TWRP, or do you want to do this only from the phone pre-modification? Also, what Android version are you using?

I personally like using ADB to do the phone backup, provided you have it installed. You can install it using "Minimal ADB and Fastboot" (google it) from XDA-Developers. Run the following commands, with your phone connected and once developer mode has been turned on (click about phone -> build number 7 times, there should be a countdown) and USB debugging enabled:

mkdir %userprofile%/Desktop/PhoneBackup
adb pull /sdcard "%userprofile/Desktop/PhoneBackup"

It'll copy everything from your phone's main storage such as photos and user files. It's not a software image however.

If you want something that can act as a good and full restore of your phone, that's where you get to stuff like the custom recovery.

The files that are exposed to your system in MTP (read: the normal mode when you plug your phone in) are only user-level stuff. Good for replacing things like photos and such, but it won't fix your system if somehow the root goes horribly wrong. Which, it basically doesn't, but you should be aware it exists within the realm of possibility.