Something not working?
Most of it comes down to four things. Work through these first, and if none of them is it, send us the details and a person will pick it up.
The computer cannot see the phone
This is the most common failure and it is almost never the software. In order:
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01
Use a cable that carries data
Many cables charge only. Try the one that came with the phone, or another you know has moved files before.
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02
Go straight into the computer
Not a hub, not a monitor, not a dock. Those drop devices halfway through a job as well as at the start.
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03
Unlock the phone and trust the computer
If the screen still works, unlock it and accept the "Trust this computer" or "Allow access to data" prompt. It can appear more than once.
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04
Let the drivers install, then restart
On Windows the first run installs the drivers that let it talk to phones, and that needs an administrator account and sometimes a restart.
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05
Try another port and another cable
Two changes, one at a time. If a different computer sees the phone and yours does not, it is the port or the cable.
The other things people ask
Leave the PhoneToolbox window open on the computer you paid from — it collects the licence itself within a minute or so of the payment clearing. If it has not, close the application and open it again, which forces a fresh check. The licence is also emailed to the address you paid with, so you can enter it by hand. If neither works, send us the email address you used and we will look it up.
It was emailed to the address used at checkout, so search that mailbox for the receipt first, including the spam folder. If it is not there, contact us from that same address and we will resend it. We will not send a licence to a different address than the one that paid for it, which is the protection that stops somebody else claiming yours.
A licence covers 5 phones and 2 computers. The exact allowance is shown against every plan on the pricing page before you buy, because it differs between the bundles and the single tools.
Yes. Remove the application from the old machine, install it on the new one and sign in with the same licence. If the old computer is gone or broken and the licence still thinks it is in use, tell us and we will release it.
Yes, within 7 days. That is also why the scan is free and honest before you pay — the application is meant to tell you it cannot help your device rather than take your money and find out. Our refund policy has the full detail.
Windows: Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps. macOS: drag it from Applications to the Bin. Anything you exported — recovered photos, a backup, a transfer — is a normal file on your computer and stays exactly where you saved it.
On your own computer, in the folder you choose when you export them. The application is doing the work locally with the phone plugged in; what it talks to us for is checking that your licence is valid.
Yes, but not through the website checkout. Tell us how many machines you need it on and what for, and we will price it.
Still stuck
Send us the phone you are working on, what you were trying to do and what happened instead. The more precise that is, the fewer rounds it takes. If you have paid, use the email address you paid with so we can find the licence.
More about PhoneToolbox
Not bought it yet?
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PhoneToolbox
Free download · scan and see what it can do before you pay · 7-day money back