Getting all your photos back on your iPhone after losing them can seem daunting, but with the right steps, it’s possible to fully restore your photo library. There are a few quick solutions to try first before diving into more advanced options.
Quick Fixes
First, check if the photos are still on your iPhone and just not showing up in the Photos app. Open the Files app and go to On My iPhone > DCIM to view all the photos stored directly on your device. If they’re there, you may just need to restart your Photos app.
Next, your photos may have been offloaded to iCloud storage to save space on your phone. Open the Photos app, go to Albums and check the Recently Deleted and Recently Added albums – your photos may automatically be stored there. You can restore them to your main photo library.
Also try checking the ‘Hidden’ and ‘Screenshots’ albums, as photos sometimes get sorted there automatically without you realizing.
Finally, see if your photos are still being stored in iCloud. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Photos and make sure iCloud Photos is enabled. This will store all your photos and videos in iCloud rather than directly on your device.
Restore from iCloud Backup
If your photos are not appearing in any of those quick solution options, you most likely deleted them or experienced a system issue causing data loss. The good news is that as long as you had iCloud Backup enabled, you can fully restore your photo library from your most recent backup.
Here’s how to restore from iCloud backup on iPhone:
1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. Select the name of your iPhone.
2. Tap Restore Backup. Choose the most recent backup containing your photos.
3. Your iPhone will be restored to the state of the backup – including your photo library. All apps and data from the backup will be added to your iPhone.
4. Once the restore finishes, your Photos app should repopulate with all the photo data from that iCloud backup.
Restore from iTunes Backup
If you don’t back up to iCloud, iTunes can also store backups of your iPhone data including photos. Connect your phone to a computer with iTunes installed and follow these steps:
1. In iTunes, go to Preferences > Devices and select your iPhone.
2. In the Summary tab, tick ‘Sync Photos’ under Options. This copies your photo library from the backup.
3. Click Summary > Restore Backup and select the backup you want to restore.
Once the restore completes, open Photos – all your photos from the iTunes backup should now be in your library again.
Photo Recovery Apps
If you don’t have a backup to restore from, third party iOS data recovery apps provide one last option for retrieving deleted photos. These tools can scan your iPhone’s storage and restore photos that have been lost, even if you no longer have them in Recently Deleted.
Some top-rated photo recovery apps include:
– Dr.Fone – Data Recovery: Scans your iPhone and extracts recoverable photo data.
– Disk Drill: Recovers lost photos even without backup. Can preview found images.
– iMyFone iBypasser: Claims to recover photos in minutes with user-friendly interface.
Be sure to research any third party tool before installing, as safety and reliability vary. Also know that while photo recovery apps can help restore lost images, successful recovery is not guaranteed if your photos were deleted long ago.
Recover Deleted Photos from Recently Deleted Album
If you accidentally deleted photos from your iPhone’s camera roll, the fastest way to get them back is through the Recently Deleted album. Here’s how it works:
What is Recently Deleted?
– The Recently Deleted album holds photos and videos you’ve deleted from the Photos app within the last 30 days.
– Items are stored here temporarily before being permanently erased to free up space.
– Provides a safety net in case you accidentally delete an important photo.
Recover Deleted Photos
1. Open the Photos app and select Albums at the bottom.
2. Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted.
3. Select all photos you want to recover and hit Recover in the bottom left.
4. Photos will be restored to their original albums and locations in your library.
This provides a quick way to “undo” deleting photos from the camera roll. But remember, deleted items are permanently removed after 30 days in Recently Deleted.
Restore from iCloud Backup
If your photos were deleted more than a month ago, or you want to restore your entire library, iCloud backup provides a complete photo recovery solution:
Requirements
– You had iCloud Photos enabled in Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Photos.
– Your photos were backed up to iCloud before being deleted.
– You have enough iCloud storage space for the backup size.
Steps to Restore from iCloud
1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
2. Tap the backup containing the deleted photos.
3. Tap Restore Backup and confirm on the next screen.
4. Your iPhone will be restored to the state of your latest backup, including photos.
5. Wait for the restore to complete. Your photo library will be intact again.
iCloud backup ensures you always have extra copies of photos and can fully restore your library when needed. Just be sure iCloud Photos is keeping your device backed up.
Recover from iTunes Backup
For users who back up locally to their computer instead of iCloud, iTunes provides an option to restore photos from a previous iTunes backup:
Requirements
– You had ‘Sync Photos’ enabled in iTunes preferences > your iPhone.
– Your iPhone photos were backed up to your computer via iTunes.
– You have the backup stored on your computer.
Steps to Restore from iTunes
1. Connect your iPhone to the computer holding the backup.
2. Open iTunes and go to Preferences > Devices. Select your phone.
3. Check ‘Sync Photos’ under Options to enable photo syncing.
4. Click Summary and then Restore Backup. Select the backup with photos.
5. Allow the restore process to complete. iTunes will add your photos back to your iPhone.
Having regular local iTunes backups provides redundancy if you ever lose photos and iCloud backups aren’t available. Follow steps above to restore from iTunes.
Use a Photo Recovery App
If you’ve exhausted all backup options, a photo recovery app is one last resort to retrieve deleted iPhone photos before they’re gone for good.
How Photo Recovery Apps Work
– They scan your iPhone’s storage for photo data that hasn’t been completely overwritten.
– They reconstruct recoverable photo files based on found data patterns.
– An app may recover photos even if you no longer see them in Recently Deleted.
Top Photo Recovery Apps
– **Disk Drill**: Reconstructs photos from storage and has photo preview ability.
– **iMyFone iBypasser**: Claims quick photo recovery with easy-to-use interface.
– **FoneDog Toolkit**: Has positive reviews for ability to find lost iPhone photos.
– **Stellar**: Well-rated recovery app specializing in iOS devices.
Tips for Using a Photo Recovery App
– Research apps thoroughly, as reliability varies. Stick to well-reviewed ones.
– Recovery success depends on how long ago photos were deleted.
– You may be able to preview found photos before restoring them.
– Don’t save recovered photos back to the iPhone or they may be deleted again.
Photo recovery apps provide one last resort after all other options are exhausted. With effort, you can hopefully restore your lost iPhone photos.
Prevent Photo Loss by Backing Up
The best solution for restoring lost photos is preventing photo loss in the first place. Make sure you’re consistently backing up your iPhone’s camera roll.
Use iCloud Photo Library
– Enables automatic backing up of your photos to iCloud.
– Stores a copy of photos in the cloud, not just on your device.
– Lets you access photos on any device logged into your iCloud account.
– Provides insurance for lost, damaged or stolen devices.
Enable iCloud Backup
– Backs up entire iPhone contents including photos and settings.
– Allowed free 5GB storage, or pay for 50GB+ plans.
– Offers full device restore when needed.
Sync Photos to iTunes
– Wired backup option if not using iCloud.
– Syncs iPhone photos to computer via iTunes app.
– Requires manually connecting iPhone to computer.
– Enables photo restore from local iTunes backup.
External Storage
– Use external hard drives to manually back up iPhone photos.
– Provides physical backup copies that are kept safe if phone is lost/damaged.
– Requires manually copying photos from iPhone to drive.
Keeping redundant backups of your photos enables recovery when losses occur. Set up regular backups via iCloud, iTunes, external storage and more.
Conclusion
Losing your iPhone photos feels devastating but there are always options to restore them, as long as you act quickly. First try finding photos in storage on your device or in the cloud. Restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup if available. Consider a photo recovery app to rescue deleted photos before they’re gone forever. And most importantly, put consistent iPhone photo backups in place so this situation can be avoided in the future. With the right backup system, you should never have to panic over lost photos again.