How to Recover Photos from a Broken Laptop Screen [Complete Guide]

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Imagine that your laptop has fallen, been knocked against a wall, or simply malfunctioned, leaving you with a non-functional screen, but you need access to the files on it. Worse, you may fear that they are inaccessible or corrupted.

If the screen is broken but the files are intact, you may be wondering how to access your photos from a laptop with a broken screen. The most obvious choice is to take your laptop to a repair shop. However, fixing a laptop screen can take time and usually a few days.

Can photos be retrieved from a broken laptop screen?

The answer is yes!

If your laptop's screen is broken but the hard drive is undamaged, you can still retrieve your photos. You can also recover other data, programs, and settings from a broken laptop's hard drive.

In this article, we will discuss 3 effective ways to recover photos from a laptop with a broken screen.

#1. Transfer Photos Using Todo PCTrans Tool

The most effective way to retrieve deleted photos from a laptop with a damaged screen is by using professional data transfer software like Todo PCTrans. Todo PCTrans can recover your photos completely, along with other files and programs from the laptop with the damaged screen.

To use the Todo PCTrans tool successfully, you would need to remove the hard drive from the laptop with the broken screen and connect it to another computer with a functional screen.

That's when you can run the Todo PCTrans tool to find your photos.

Step 1: Remove the hard drive from your old computer.

• Turn off the computer and unplug it. If it's a laptop, remove the battery as well.
• Open up the case of the old computer to access the hard drive.
• You will need to unscrew the outer casing to get to the hard drive.
• Disconnect the drive and its cables, then remove the hard drive.

Step 2: Connect the hard drive to the new computer.

Various connectivity options:

1. USB hard drive enclosure: This special case lets you connect your old hard drive and its casing together, then connect it to your new computer via USB.
2. USB hard drive adapter: This is a “cable” that connects one end to the hard drive and the other to a USB port on your new computer.
3. Desktop computer: If your new computer is a desktop, you can connect the old hard drive directly as a secondary drive.

Step 3: Restore/migrate apps, files, and accounts from the old disk.

1. Download and run the Todo PCTrans tool. Choose “Data Transfer” mode, and then click “Start.”

2. Review the steps, then click “Scan.”

3. Make sure the hard drive is connected to your computer. Select the old drive you want to recover, then click “Continue.”

4. Choose the apps, files, and accounts you want to save.

5. Wait a few seconds for the data to transfer.

You can also use it to recover data from a computer that won't start by transferring the data from an old Windows hard drive to a new computer's hard drive or an external one.

With Todo PCTrans, you can save time and the cost of reinstalling programs or purchasing new licenses. It's user-friendly and requires no technical expertise. With just a few clicks, you can recover photos from your laptop.

The Todo PCTrans tool can help you do the following:

• Transfer photos (and other files or programs) from one computer to another.
• Move your user folder to another drive.
• Migrate programs between local disks.
• Scan and export program keys.
• Get free technical support.

If you'd like assistance from a technician, you can also purchase Tech Support and get help for multiple computers.

#2. Recover Photos by Removing the Hard Drive

If you want to recover photos from a laptop with a broken screen, your best bet is to remove the hard drive from the damaged computer and connect it to another one.

This requires some technical knowledge, because you have to open up the laptop, so be careful.

First, you'll need to learn how to disassemble your specific laptop model. If you're not comfortable with this, don't worry – there are many resources online that can guide you through the process. You might also consider enlisting the help of a friend or professional.

You'll also need the right tools, like a screwdriver. Since you're just taking apart a laptop, you can pick up a generic screwdriver set at your local store.

When ready, follow these steps to remove the hard drive:

Step 1: Remove the power adapter from your laptop and take out the battery.

Step 2: Depending on your laptop model, you may have a dedicated panel for accessing the hard drive.

Step 3: Remove a few screws and take off this panel.

Step 4: Carefully disconnect the hard drive from its cable. Be very careful.

Step 5: With all the cables disconnected, you can remove the hard drive.

Disconnect the cables from the hard drive

Once it's out, you can connect it to your new computer to begin transferring data.

There are several ways to connect it to the new computer:

1. 1. Use a USB hard drive enclosure. This is a special "case" that you can insert the hard drive into and connect to your new computer with a USB cable.
2. 2. Use a USB hard drive adapter. This is a cable-like device that connects on one end to your computer and on the other end to the hard drive.

Once you know how to connect the hard drive to the new computer, you can retrieve the photos from the damaged laptop. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Connect the old hard drive to the new computer.

Step 2: Browse to the hard drive where your photos are stored.

Step 3: Recovery – Transfer the recovered photos from the damaged computer hard drive to your preferred location. This can be a new computer, an external drive, or an online storage location.

The process is all manual, including the transfer of photographs from damaged computer hard drives to new ones.

#3. Find Photos by Connecting an External Display

If your laptop is running fine, but the screen is the issue, you can retrieve photos from a broken laptop screen by connecting an external monitor.

How you connect it to a monitor will depend on the available connections or input/output ports. Many laptops have VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort input/output ports.

Here are the steps to connect your laptop to an external display: 1. **准备好设备**： - 确保你的笔记本电脑和外部显示器都已开启。 - 准备好合适的视频线缆，这可能包括HDMI、VGA、DVI或DisplayPort线，具体取决于你的设备接口。 2. **选择连接端口**： - 查找你的笔记本电脑上的视频输出端口。大多数现代笔记本电脑都有HDMI或USB-C端口。 - 在外部显示器上找到相应的输入端口。同样，可能是HDMI、VGA、DVI或DisplayPort。 3. **连接线缆**： - 使用正确的线缆将你的笔记本电脑与显示器相连。确保线缆两端都已牢固插入。 4. **设置显示器**： - 如果显示器有物理控制按钮，使用它们来切换输入源至你刚刚连接的端口（例如，HDMI 1 或 DisplayPort）。 - 如果显示器没有物理按钮，它可能有自动检测新输入的功能。如果未自动切换，你可能需要在显示器的菜单中手动选择。 5. **调整笔记本设置**： - 在Windows系统中，按下`Win + P`快捷键，选择“扩展”模式以在两个屏幕上显示内容。 - 在MacOS系统中，点击屏幕右上角的"显示"图标，然后拖动显示器图标来排列它们，以匹配实际的物理布局。 6. **检查显示设置**： - 在Windows中，右击桌面并选择“显示设置”，在这里你可以调整分辨率和缩放比例。 - 在MacOS中，打开“系统偏好设置”>“显示”，可以调整分辨率和其他显示选项。 7. **测试连接**： - 确认内容已成功显示在外部显示器上，并根据需要调整窗口位置。 8. **声音设置**（如有必要）： - 如果你想通过外部显示器的扬声器播放声音，确保在电脑的音频设置中选择了正确的输出设备。 现在你应该已经成功将笔记本电脑连接到了外部显示器。如果你遇到任何问题，查阅设备的用户手册或联系制造商的支持服务获取帮助。

Step one: Identify the type of input/output ports on your laptop.

Step 2: Find out what type of input/output connection ports your display has.

Step 3: Get the right cable (HDMI, VGA, or DisplayPort) to connect your laptop to an external display.

If your laptop has a Mini HDMI port, remember to get a Mini HDMI to HDMI adapter. If your computer has a VGA port, get a VGA to HDMI adapter and a standard HDMI cable.

Step 4: Connect the two devices, and then use the cable to access your laptop from the external display.

You can transfer the photos from a damaged laptop screen to a USB drive or external hard drive by connecting an external monitor.

Conclusions

No problem, if your laptop screen is broken but the hard drive is undamaged, you can still retrieve your photos from the laptop. There are several methods to recover your photos, such as using a tool like Todo PCTrans, removing the hard drive and transferring the photos, or accessing them by connecting your laptop to an external display.

The tool we recommend, Todo PCTrans, is the best option among the three methods we described. It's user-friendly, requires no technical skills, saves time, and effortlessly recovers your photos. You can also use this software to move programs to another drive in Windows 11: How to Move Installed Programs to Another Drive in Windows 11.

Download Todo PCTrans now to restore your photos easily and quickly.