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i got a backup.ab file with password. I'am looking for how to open it for 1 month but i still couldnt open it. I really need help can anyone tell me how can i open it please explain it with step-step

Kaan Ayhanoğulları
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  • Why have you tagged your question twrp? backup.ab files are created by the command adb backup which works in regular OS, not in TWRP. – Robert Jun 01 '23 at 12:19
  • actually, TWRP can create backup.ab files. but the format is completely different. twab.sh can convert into .win – alecxs Jun 01 '23 at 20:19
  • @alecxs A bad choice to use the same file extension as adb backup but using a different format. But are those backups also password encrypted? – Robert Jun 02 '23 at 06:34
  • @KaanAyhanoğulları Please edit your question and add more details how the backup had been created. It would also be helpful if you could open the backup.ab file in an edit and post the first may be 10 bytes of the file so that we can determine what type of backup it is. – Robert Jun 02 '23 at 06:38
  • @Robert whatever TWRP creates is wrapped into backup.ab, so I assume depending on TWRP settings encrypted backup might possible (untested) – alecxs Jun 02 '23 at 07:23
  • I got this backup file with adb backup command – Kaan Ayhanoğulları Jun 02 '23 at 15:34
  • But at that time you executed adb backupTWRP was running right? That means it is not an Android backup but something else that only exists within TWRP. Check out this topic, it contains a lo of details what you can do with such a backup (unfortunately mostly manual modifications or scripts that only work under certain circumstances): https://github.com/TeamWin/Team-Win-Recovery-Project/issues/898 Next time just do not use adb backup with TWRP. – Robert Jun 02 '23 at 15:41
  • I didnt know twrp was running. My phone is not rooted so maybe i wasnt using twrp but can you explain what is twrp i dont know what twrp exactly is – Kaan Ayhanoğulları Jun 02 '23 at 15:52

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backup.ab files are usually created by the command adb backup. This answer is only for backup files that has been created by adb backup. It will not work for other backup types.

Extracting an Android adb Backup file is pretty simple. You just need Android Backup Extractor, a Java program that does everything for you.

Just download the latest abe.jar release. As it is Java based you also need a Java Runtime. Oracle Java is no longer free in all usage scenarios, therefore I recommend OpenJDK from Eclipse foundation. But any other Java 11 or 17 JRE or JDK is also fine (abe requires Java 11+).

To convert your Android Backup file backup.ab to a tar execute

java -jar abe.jar unpack backup.ab

It will create a file backup.tar which you can open using an ZIP tool of your choice (e.g. 7-Zip).

Robert
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    Hi i tried but i got this message : ''Unable to access jarfile abe.jar'' Is it because i put a password when i was backing up? – Kaan Ayhanoğulları Jun 01 '23 at 20:49
  • @KaanAyhanoğulları abe.jar is the program for reading the backup not the backup itself. Have you downloaded abe.jar as described in my answer? And then open up a command prompt or terminal how it is called in your os in the directory where you have downloaded abe.jar into and execute the command to run abe.jar with Java. – Robert Jun 01 '23 at 21:16
  • Yes i have downloaded abe.jar but when i try to open i get that error message : ''a java exception has occurred'' – Kaan Ayhanoğulları Jun 01 '23 at 21:42
  • @KaanAyhanoğulları The downloaded abe.jar works fine. If it doesn't work on your system then something is wrong with your installed Java version or the backup file is defect or in a wrong format. BTW: You still have not answered by comment on TWRP tag. – Robert Jun 02 '23 at 06:32
  • @KaanAyhanoğulları Is the error similar to the one shown in this post? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-extract-data-from-adb-twrp-ab-backup.3725347/ (the one with java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Invalid Magic TWRPtwstreamheader) – Robert Jun 02 '23 at 08:59
  • No not the same error. Probably it is because my java is broken but i deleted it then download install last version . After i tried to open abe.jar but it give same error that says a java exception has occured – Kaan Ayhanoğulları Jun 02 '23 at 15:36