In most cases, retrieving the photos, videos, and other files you have stored on your Picture Keeper is as simple as using the Restore feature on iOS or Android to copy the files back to your phone or tablet. However, in some rare cases this may not be possible, and if Picture Keeper is the only place you have these files stored, you may be wondering what your next steps are.
Before we look over what options may be available, please note that we always recommend saving two copies of your photos and videos in separate locations so you don't have to worry about data loss. We intend Picture Keeper to be a backup solution, and it's not a backup if it's your only copy!
Below, we'll cover what steps you can attempt to retrieve the files you have stored on your Picture Keeper. Please keep in mind that there is no guarantee of success with any of these steps, though at your discretion, it can certainly be worth exhausting any available options in this type of scenario, especially if it's the last hope of recovering your important photos.
- Try connecting your Picture Keeper to a Mac or Windows computer to see if the drive is detected. It's not uncommon for a Picture Keeper that doesn't work with a phone or tablet to still connect and work as expected with a computer (as it may use a different connector on the drive, or it may be able to provide more power to the drive).
- Follow the steps below if the Picture Keeper is detected, or click here to skip these steps if it is not detected:
- Try opening the Mac or Windows app. If you're able to open the app, use this guide for Mac, or this guide for Windows to attempt a restore, which is the process of copying the files from your Picture Keeper to the computer.
- If you're not having success with the app, instead try opening File Explorer (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac), and clicking "PKBACKUP" on the left side of the window. You should find a folder titled "Backups" here:
- Try copying the entire "Backups" folder onto your Mac or Windows computer. Under normal circumstances, all of the files you've backed up to your Picture Keeper should be contained within this folder.
- Try opening the Mac or Windows app. If you're able to open the app, use this guide for Mac, or this guide for Windows to attempt a restore, which is the process of copying the files from your Picture Keeper to the computer.
- Follow the steps below if the Picture Keeper is not detected by your computer, or if you are unable to complete the steps above:
- Consider data recovery options. Data recovery tends to be a rather expensive endeavor, but there are companies that specialize in this. Unfortunately, we are not one of those companies, though a quick Google search will likely yield plenty of results. It's also worth exploring several options to compare pricing before committing to any one company. If professional data recovery is too expensive, there are cheaper, do-it-yourself tools (such as DiskGenius) you could look into as well.
- Invest in a new Picture Keeper so you can proceed with backing up your photos while you consider your options. You don't have to commit to any immediate next steps, though if you decide to hold off on data recovery, there are a couple things to keep in mind:
a. It's still just as important as ever to make sure your files are backed up!
b. The longer you delay data recovery, the lower the chances are of successfully retrieving lost data.
- Contact our support team for any additional questions. As stated previously, we do not specialize in data recovery, though we're happy to answer questions, help with your next purchase, and provide recommendations on next steps.
- Consider data recovery options. Data recovery tends to be a rather expensive endeavor, but there are companies that specialize in this. Unfortunately, we are not one of those companies, though a quick Google search will likely yield plenty of results. It's also worth exploring several options to compare pricing before committing to any one company. If professional data recovery is too expensive, there are cheaper, do-it-yourself tools (such as DiskGenius) you could look into as well.