Free Windows Tool

Samsung .sbu Extractor

Recover photos and videos from old Samsung phone backup files (.sbu). No installation, no sign-up, no cost.

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Windows 10 / 11  ·  64-bit  ·  ~11 MB  ·  MIT License

What it extracts

TypeFormatNotes
Photos.jpgCamera roll images, thumbnails filtered out automatically
Videos.mp4 / .3gpShort video clips

How to use

  1. Download SamsungSBUExtractor.exe using the button above
  2. Double-click to open — if Windows shows a SmartScreen warning, click More info → Run anyway
  3. Click Browse… and select your .sbu backup file
  4. Choose an output folder (one is suggested automatically)
  5. Click Extract — a progress bar shows how far through the file it is

Photos are saved in output/photos/ and videos in output/videos/.

About Samsung .sbu files

Samsung PC Studio created .sbu backup files when you connected your Samsung phone to a Windows PC in the late 2000s and early 2010s. These files are proprietary binary containers that store your phone's media.

Large files are handled efficiently. Samsung .sbu backups can be 1–2 GB. This tool uses memory-mapped I/O to scan through large files without loading them entirely into RAM.

Frequently asked questions

Is this really free?

Yes. No cost, no sign-up, no ads. Source code is on GitHub under the MIT licence.

Does it send my data anywhere?

No. Everything runs locally on your machine. No internet connection needed after download.

Why does Windows warn me about the file?

Because the .exe is not signed with a paid code-signing certificate. This is a false positive — click More info → Run anyway. You can also run directly from the Python source if you prefer.

Which Samsung phones does this work for?

Any Samsung phone backed up using Samsung PC Studio — typically mid-2000s to early 2010s Samsung handsets before the Galaxy era (SGH, GT series, etc.).

Can I open a .sbu file on Mac or Linux?

The .exe is Windows-only. On Mac or Linux, you can run the Python source directly: python sbu_extractor_gui.py (requires Python 3.10+, no other dependencies).

Found a bug or have a question?
Open an issue on GitHub — I respond quickly.

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