Secure folder backup not showing up from USB storage backup

[Supr]

I backed up my secure folder onto an external USB drive. It asked me to encrypt it before I made the backup. When I got a new phone, I wanted to restore my secure folder from that USB backup, but whenever I clicked on the USB storage backup I made in Smart Switch, nothing appeared for me to select. It's completely blank. I'm stuck at this point and don't know what to do. 

[SolveForce]

You're not alone — restoring a Secure Folder backup from an encrypted USB drive using Smart Switch can be tricky, especially on a new device like the Galaxy S25. Here's what’s likely happening and what you can do:


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Why Nothing Shows Up When Selecting the Backup

1. Secure Folder Backups Are Encrypted and Locked to the Original Device/Account

When you back up your Secure Folder, the data is encrypted with keys tied to your old device and/or Samsung account.

On a new phone, even with the same account, Smart Switch may not recognize the Secure Folder backup unless everything matches exactly (device ID, firmware, etc.).



2. Smart Switch on Your New Phone Might Not See the Backup as Valid

If you're using Smart Switch Mobile on the new Galaxy S25, it might not show Secure Folder backup files — especially if they were created on an older model or different Android version.



3. File System or Format Incompatibility

The USB drive might be formatted in a file system (like exFAT) that your new device reads differently, or the file path Smart Switch is looking for isn't lining up.





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What You Can Try

1. Use a Computer to Help

Plug your USB into a computer.

Look for a folder called something like:
SmartSwitch/backup/[your device model]/SecureFolder

Copy that entire backup folder to your computer.

Then, install Smart Switch for PC or Mac:

Link: https://www.samsung.com/smart-switch



From there, try restoring the backup from the computer, which often works better for encrypted content than trying it directly on the phone.

2. Make Sure You’re Logged Into the Same Samsung Account

Go to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Samsung Cloud

Ensure you're signed in with the same Samsung account used on the original phone.

Open Secure Folder, log in, and then try importing from backup inside the folder’s Settings > Backup and restore menu.


3. Move the USB Backup to Internal Storage

Use My Files to copy the backup folder from USB into your phone’s internal storage under:
SmartSwitch/backup/

Then open Smart Switch > Restore > Internal Storage


Sometimes Smart Switch doesn’t show anything because it’s only looking in one place — putting the files in the expected directory can help.


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If It Still Doesn’t Work

Unfortunately, Secure Folder backups are highly locked down, and Samsung doesn’t provide full manual restoration tools for them. If Smart Switch fails to decrypt or detect it, you may not be able to restore that backup without the original device or recovery keys.

Your final option would be to:

Contact Samsung Support directly

They may be able to verify the encryption credentials and walk you through manually loading the backup if it’s recoverable.




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Let me know what shows up when you plug the USB drive into a PC — we might be able to locate the backup file and inspect it further.