Losing photos stored on your Android device can be devastating. Those precious memories captured in photos are often impossible to replace. When you delete photos from the default Gallery app on your Android phone or tablet, you may think they are gone forever. But you actually have several options for trying to recover recently deleted photos from the Gallery app.
Can You Recover Deleted Photos from Gallery App?
The short answer is yes, it is often possible to recover deleted photos from the Android Gallery app, as long as you act quickly and do not overwrite the data. When you delete photos from the Gallery app, the files are not immediately erased from your device’s storage. Instead, they are marked as deleted and the space they occupied becomes available to be overwritten by new data.
As long as the deleted photos have not been overwritten, recovery software can scan your device’s storage and restore the deleted files. However, the longer you wait, the greater the chance that the files will be overwritten by new data from apps, photos, etc. So it is important to act fast if you want the best chance of getting your photos back.
How Android Gallery Deletion Works
When you delete a photo or video from the Gallery app, Android does not immediately remove the file from your device’s storage. Instead, it performs a “logical delete,” where it marks the space occupied by the file as available to be overwritten. The file remains intact in storage until new data overwrites it.
This is done for performance reasons – it avoids the slow process of completely erasing files each time you hit delete. It also provides an opportunity to recover deleted files, as long as they have not been overwritten.
Android uses this same logical delete process when deleting files from your internal storage, SD card, or cloud storage connected to your device. The files remain recoverable until overwritten.
What Are the Chances of Recovery?
If you act quickly, the chances of successfully recovering recently deleted photos and videos from the Gallery app are good. However, your chances decrease over time.
Here are some key factors that influence chances of recovery:
- Time since deletion – The less time that has passed, the better.
- Overwrite activity – If your device is actively saving new data, overwritten increases.
- Device storage – Photos on an SD card have the best chances.
- Device conditions – Issues like corruption can cause permanent data loss.
Ideally, you’ll want to use recovery software very soon after deletion, before your device has a chance to overwrite your photos’ data. The faster you can scan your device storage, the better.
How to Recover Deleted Photos from Gallery
If you need to recover deleted photos from your Android device’s Gallery app, follow these general steps:
- Don’t save new data – Avoid taking new photos or downloading files, to reduce the risk of overwriting your deleted photos.
- Download recovery software – Install a trusted undelete app on your Android device or PC.
- Scan your device – Select your phone/tablet storage and SD card to scan for recoverable photos.
- Preview and restore – Preview found photos, select those you want to recover, and restore them.
The best recovery apps allow you to efficiently scan Android internal storage and external SD cards to find recoverable Gallery photos. Look for apps that provide filtering and search tools to help you quickly locate your lost photos.
Using Android Recovery Software
One option is to download and install an Android data recovery app directly onto your device. These apps can access your phone or tablet’s storage and SD card directly to scan for lost and deleted files.
Some of the top-rated Android recovery apps include:
- DiskDigger Photo Recovery
- GT Recovery
- Photo Recovery & Restore App
Look for apps that provide features like:
- Scan internal storage and external SD cards
- Support for Android 6.0 and above
- Filter results by file types and folders
- Preview found photos before recovery
The process involves installing the app, granting it permissions, selecting storage locations to scan, then filtering and restoring the photos you want to recover.
Using Computer Recovery Software
You can also use data recovery software for Windows or Mac to find deleted photos from your Android device. The process involves:
- Download and install the recovery software on your computer.
- Connect your Android device to your computer via USB.
- Select your phone/tablet storage to scan.
- Preview and restore the deleted photos.
Some top computer recovery apps include:
- Wondershare Recoverit
- Stellar Data Recovery
- EaseUS MobiSaver
Computer apps provide similar features to mobile apps, along with the advantage of a bigger screen to preview and select photos for recovery.
Tips to Improve Chances of Recovery
To maximize your chances of successfully restoring deleted photos from your Android Gallery app, follow these tips:
- Act immediately as soon as you realize photos were deleted.
- Avoid using your device and adding any new data until recovered.
- Use a recovery app as soon as possible to scan for deleted files.
- Scan both internal phone/tablet storage and external SD cards.
- Preview found photos carefully before recovery.
The bottom line is that time is critical. The sooner you can perform a scan for deleted files, the better your chances of full recovery.
What If I Overwrote My Deleted Photos?
If you have continued using your Android device after deleting photos from the Gallery app, there is a chance your photos have been partially or fully overwritten by new data.
In this case, recovery software may still be able to restore portions of the deleted photo files. But full recovery becomes less likely the more a file is overwritten.
Some things you can try if overwrite has occurred:
- Use the deepest scan option in recovery software.
- Try alternative data recovery software.
- Attempt recovery from a backup if available.
- Consult a data recovery service for help.
While full recovery is unlikely due to overwrite, recovery apps can sometimes still find fragments of deleted photos that provide partial images.
Can Deleted Photos be Recovered from the Cloud?
If your Android device was backing up photos to Google Photos or another cloud storage service, you may be able to recover deleted photos from the cloud.
With Google Photos, you can visit the Trash folder to view deleted photos for up to 60 days. You can restore photos from here if available.
Other cloud services like Dropbox or OneDrive keep deleted files in the trash for 30 days typically. You can browse the trash folder and restore deleted photos if found.
After the retention period, the cloud trash is emptied and recovery becomes impossible through the service provider. But you might be able to restore from a backup.
Can You Recover Photos Without Software?
While data recovery software provides the best chance of restoring deleted photos, there are a couple manual methods you could try as well.
Android Device File Manager
Your device likely has a built-in file manager app you could use to browse internal and external storage for deleted photos. The app may have a “Recently Deleted” folder with recoverable files. This capability varies across devices though.
SD Card Reader
If you used an SD card to store photos, remove it from your device and plug it into your computer using an SD card reader. You may then be able to find deleted photo files to restore using your computer’s file manager.
However, specialized data recovery software is still the best approach for finding recoverable deleted files and restoring them.
Preventing Photo Loss
While recovery is possible in many cases, it is still best to take steps to avoid permanent deletion and loss of photos from your Android device in the first place. Some tips include:
- Back up your photos regularly to cloud storage and external drives.
- Use the rubbish bin feature in your Gallery app.
- Enable the “Delete Confirmation” popup in your Gallery settings.
- Be very careful when selecting photos to delete.
- Don’t rely on phone storage only – use the SD card.
Conclusion
It is often possible to recover deleted photos using Android data recovery software, if you act before the files are overwritten. Specialized mobile apps and computer programs can help you restore deleted photos from internal phone storage, external SD cards, and even the cloud in some cases.
The sooner you scan your device storage, the better your chances. Avoid using your device and be prepared to try multiple recovery tools for best results. While prevention is ideal, data recovery provides a good second chance if you’ve lost valuable photos or videos from your Android phone or tablet.