Completely erasing data on iOS and Android devices requires encrypting first. Doing so makes it difficult to recover your deleted data. Support for encryption is available in iOS and Android, but not in Windows Phone.
This does not mean that your data on Windows Phone is not completely protected. But some people can be successful in recovering your personal data. Before securely deleting personal data, let’s go over how to back up Windows Phone.
How to save data on cloud
1. Windows Phone allows you to create online backups if you have an Internet connection. For this you will need a Microsoft account. If you’re already using a Windows Phone device, you may have created a Microsoft account during phone setup or to download apps.
2. You’ll also need a OneDrive account to save photos and videos. You can go to onedrive.com or download the app to create an account.
3. To back up Settings, Internet Explorer Favorites, and installed apps, first go to Settings. Then go to Backup, then select App list+Settings. After that keep the backup on. Start creating a backup right away by tapping on Back Up Now.
4. To back up text messages, go to Settings. Select Backup, then Text messages. Then put text message backup in on mode.
5. You can also keep a backup of your videos and photos online. First go to Settings, then choose Backup, and then in the Photos and Videos sub-heads, choose between Good Quality and Best Quality. Photos will be backed up in good quality over cellular internet, a WiFi connection will be required to make the best quality backup.
How to save data on your computer
1. If you prefer to back up on your computer, you can copy-paste all the data manually. However, this way you will not be able to save text messages or app data or settings.
2. Plug the phone into your computer. Go to the My Computer option and there your device will appear as a removable drive. You will see it under the name of Windows Phone. Open it and double-click on the phone. Then copy photos, music, ringtones and videos from their folders and keep them safe on the computer.
Follow these steps to securely delete data
If you have locked your phone with a passcode, then it will not be possible for anyone who does not know the passcode to unblock the phone. If someone wants to access your data, they will have to reset the phone to factory settings, due to which your personal content will be deleted.
You can also manually delete your data by resetting the phone. By doing this all the data will be deleted from your phone. However, some people still can restore deleted files. However, by taking some precautions, you can prevent this from happening.
1. Select Settings followed by About, then choose the option to Reset your phone. Start the process by tapping on Yes twice.
2. When the process is complete, connect your phone to the computer. Access it through My Computer. When you double-click on Windows Phone, you will be able to see the free space on your device through an empty drive named Phone.
3. Fill up your phone’s internal storage by copying large files of HD movies. It’s like copying over a file on your pen drive.
4. Once your phone’s internal storage is full, delete the copied files. Repeat this process two to three times. By doing this, you get protection from recovering deleted data from your phone.
5. If your phone has a microSD card, repeat steps 3 and 4. When you double-click on Windows Phone, another drive named SD Card will appear.
recover your data like this
To recover photos, app settings, and other files backed up to the cloud, you’ll need to do so.
1. Boot your new Windows Phone device or wiped device. Sign in to it with a Microsoft account.
2. Wait until the Microsoft account data is synchronized with your device.
3. During this you will be asked to restore your phone. A list of available backups will also appear. Choose the backup you want and tap Next.
4. Enter the security code then tap Next.
5. Wait for the restoration to complete, then tap Next.
6. You will be asked for passwords for email and social accounts. Tap Skip (you can do this later), then tap Done.
7. To view your photos and videos, open the OneDrive app and sign in.
Transferring media files from your computer to your phone is also very easy:
1. Connect your phone to the computer via USB cable.
2. On your computer, go to My Computer, open the Windows Phone drive. After this, copy the media files saved on the computer and transfer them to the phone.
In this way, you can safely delete data from Windows Phone. Do let us know if you were successful in deleting data from your Windows Phone by following these instructions.