Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

For this method, you will need your device and access to a PC. It is the most powerful method to unlock
a broken Android device. It will however only work if you have enabled USB debugging on your android
phone. If you haven’t, skip this method and see if method 2 or 3 might be of help.

ADB creates a bridge between the PC and your device which can then be used to unlock the device.
Here’s how to use this bridge.

Step 1: Download Android SDK package on your PC. You can download it
here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html. Extract the ZIP file on your PC.

Step 2: Download the necessary drivers for your device. The USB drivers for your device can be found on
the manufacturer’s website.

Step 3: Launch Command Prompt on your PC and change the location of the ADB file. Type in the
following into Command Prompt; cd C:/android/platform-tools

Step 4: Connect the device to your PC using USB cables. Enter the command “ ADB  device” (without the
quotation marks). If your phone is recognized, you will see numbers in the Command Prompt message.

Step 5: Type in the following two commands. You will need to type in the second one immediately after
the first. Replace 1234 with your password.

ADB shell input text 1234

Shell input key event 66

Step 6: Your phone will now be unlocked and you can proceed to back-up its contents.