Samsung Cloud is built into most Samsung phones and tablets, and you reach it through your phone's Settings menu

Samsung Cloud stores photos, videos, contacts, calendar events, and app data on Samsung's servers so you can recover them if your phone is lost, stolen, or replaced. You do not need to read a separate app — the service is already part of your device's operating system. To start, open Settings, scroll to Accounts and backup (or Cloud and accounts on older models), tap Samsung Cloud, and sign in with your Samsung account. If you do not have a Samsung account, you can create one during this step using your email address.

The service comes with 5 GB of free storage. Photos and videos count toward this limit, but Samsung Cloud also offers paid plans if you need more space. You can see how much you are using by opening Samsung Cloud in Settings and looking at the storage meter at the top of the screen.

Key Takeaways

  • Samsung Cloud is accessed through your phone's Settings menu under Accounts and backup, not through a separate app read.
  • You need a Samsung account to use the service; you can create one for free using any email address.
  • The free plan includes 5 GB of storage for photos, videos, contacts, and app data combined.
  • Backups happen automatically once you turn on the feature, but you can also back up manually by opening Samsung Cloud and tapping the backup button.
  • You can restore your backed-up data to a new Samsung phone during setup or later through the same Settings menu.

Setting up automatic backups on your Samsung device

Once you have signed into Samsung Cloud, you will see a list of data types you can back up: Photos and videos, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Apps, and Device settings. Toggle on the ones you want to save. Most people turn on Photos and videos and Contacts at minimum.

After you enable each category, Samsung Cloud will back up that data automatically whenever your phone is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in to charge. You do not have to do anything else — the backups run in the background. If you want to back up right away without waiting, open Samsung Cloud, tap the three-dot menu, and select Back up now.

Check your backup status regularly by opening Samsung Cloud and looking at the timestamp next to each data type. If a backup has not run in several days, make sure your phone has been on Wi-Fi and charging long enough for the process to complete.

Restoring data from Samsung Cloud to a new phone

When you set up a new Samsung phone, the setup wizard will ask whether you want to restore from a backup. Select Restore from Samsung Cloud, sign in with the same Samsung account you used on your old phone, and choose which data to restore. The phone will read your photos, videos, contacts, calendar, and other backed-up information.

If you skip this step during setup, you can restore later by opening Settings, going to Accounts and backup, tapping Restore, and signing in to your Samsung account. Select the data types you want and tap Restore. The process can take several minutes depending on how much data you have and how fast your internet connection is.

Restoring does not delete anything already on your new phone — it adds the backed-up data alongside what is there. If you have a contact with the same name on both your old phone and your new phone, Samsung Cloud will create a duplicate rather than overwrite it.

Understanding Samsung Cloud storage limits and paid plans

Your free 5 GB of storage is shared across all data types. A typical smartphone photo takes about 3 to 5 MB, so 5 GB holds roughly 1,000 to 1,500 photos depending on their resolution. Videos use much more space — a one-minute video can be 50 MB or more. If you take many photos or videos, you may fill your free storage within a few months.

Samsung offers paid plans to add more storage. You can see the available options and pricing by opening Samsung Cloud in Settings and tapping Storage. Plans typically start at 50 GB and go up to 2 TB. Pricing varies by region and changes over time, so check your phone for current rates. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel a paid plan at any time through the same menu.

If your free storage is full, Samsung Cloud will stop backing up new photos and videos, but it will continue to back up contacts, calendar, and messages. You will see a notification when you are running low on space.

Signing in with a Samsung account on multiple devices

You can use the same Samsung account on multiple phones and tablets. Each device will back up its own data to the same account, so you will have backups from all of them. When you restore to a new phone, you can choose which device's backup to restore from if you have more than one.

If you sign out of your Samsung account on a phone, that device will stop backing up automatically. Your old backups will remain on Samsung's servers and can be restored later if you sign back in with the same account. Signing out does not delete your backed-up data.

Troubleshooting Samsung Cloud backup problems

If your backups are not running, check that your phone is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged into power. Samsung Cloud only backs up automatically under these conditions. You can also check whether Samsung Cloud has permission to access your photos and contacts. Open Settings, go to Apps, find Samsung Cloud, tap Permissions, and make sure Photos, Contacts, and Calendar are turned on.

If you see an error message when you try to back up, try signing out of your Samsung account and signing back in. Open Samsung Cloud, tap the three-dot menu, select Settings, and tap Sign out. Then sign back in with your email and password. This often fixes temporary connection problems.

If you forget your Samsung account password, go to the Samsung account website on a computer, click Forgot password, and follow the steps to reset it using your email address. You will then be able to sign back into Samsung Cloud on your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my Samsung Cloud backup if I do not use it for a long time?

Samsung keeps your backup for at least six months of inactivity. If you do not sign into your Samsung account for longer than that, the company may delete your backed-up data. If you plan to be away from Samsung devices for a while, sign in occasionally to keep your backup active, or read your data before you stop using the service.

Can I back up my Samsung phone to Google Drive or another cloud service instead?

Yes. Samsung Cloud is one option, but you can also use Google Photos, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox to back up your photos and other files. Many people use both Samsung Cloud and Google Photos for extra protection. The steps to set up other services vary, but most work similarly to Samsung Cloud — you sign in, choose what to back up, and let it run automatically.

Does Samsung Cloud back up my text messages?

Samsung Cloud can back up messages if you enable the Messages category in the backup settings. However, the backup only works if you are using Samsung's default Messages app. If you use WhatsApp, Telegram, or another third-party messaging app, you will need to back those up separately through the app itself or through Google Drive.

Can I see what data is backed up before I restore it to a new phone?

Not directly from your phone. You can see a list of backup categories (Photos, Contacts, Calendar, and so on) and when each was last backed up, but you cannot preview individual photos or contacts before restoring. If you want to check your backed-up data before restoring, you can sign into your Samsung account on the Samsung Cloud website from a computer.

What if I want to delete my Samsung Cloud backup?

Open Samsung Cloud in Settings, tap the three-dot menu, select Settings, and look for Delete backup data or Clear data. Tap it and confirm. This will remove all your backed-up data from Samsung's servers. You cannot undo this action, so make sure you have downloaded or saved anything you need before you delete.