How do I view backed up messages on my PC? (.smem file)

[Android Central Question]

I used Smart Switch to backup my S8 to my PC and need to be able to look at the files, especially the messages without using a phone. I can't find a way to open the Messages.smem file.

 

[SpookDroid]

That's because there isn't one. The back up is not done as a 'user accessible' file and can only be restored to another phone. You can try to open it in Notepad or Excel and see if, by any chance, the data shows up (unlikely, I believe the back up file is even encrypted), but yeah, there's no 'viewer' for that.

You can use SMS back up apps that do back up to user-accessible files, though, just not SmartSwitch.