How do I get to recently deleted?

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How do I get to recently deleted

Getting to your recently deleted items is easy on most major platforms and devices. In this article, we’ll walk through how to access your recently deleted photos, messages, emails, files, and more on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and popular apps like Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Google Photos, and more.

iOS Recently Deleted

iOS has a few different places where you can access your recently deleted items. Here’s how to find them:

Photos App

The Photos app has an Albums tab that contains a Recently Deleted album. Any photos or videos you delete on your iPhone or iPad get moved to this album where they stay for 30 days before being permanently deleted. To access it:

  1. Open the Photos app
  2. Tap the Albums tab at the bottom
  3. Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted

You’ll then see all your recently deleted photos and videos. Tap and hold on any item to bring up options to Recover it or Delete it permanently.

Messages App

The Messages app also contains a section for recently deleted messages and attachments. To access it:

  1. Open the Messages app
  2. Tap the name of the conversation you want to check at the top
  3. Scroll down and look for the Recently Deleted section

This section will show any messages or attachments you’ve recently deleted from that conversation thread. Tap and hold on any bubble to Recover or Delete it permanently.

Notes App

The Notes app keeps deleted notes for 30 days in the Recently Deleted folder:

  1. Open the Notes app
  2. Swipe from left to right to access the folders/accounts list
  3. Tap Recently Deleted

You’ll then see any notes that have been recently deleted. Tap any note to view it, then tap Recover to restore it or swipe left and tap Delete to remove it permanently.

Android Recently Deleted

Android also has a few native options for accessing recently deleted items. Here’s how to find them:

Google Photos

The Google Photos app has a trash feature that keeps deleted photos and videos for 60 days. To access it:

  1. Open the Google Photos app
  2. Tap on your profile icon in the top right
  3. Tap on Trash

From here you can tap and hold to restore photos/videos or tap to delete them forever.

Gmail App

The Gmail app for Android stores deleted emails in the Trash folder:

  1. Open the Gmail app
  2. Swipe from left to right to show the folder list
  3. Tap Trash

You’ll then see emails that have been recently deleted. Tap and hold on any email to move it back to your inbox or tap to delete forever.

Mac OS Recently Deleted

On Mac OS, you can access deleted files and folders in a few places. Here’s how:

Photos App

The Photos app on Mac has a Recently Deleted album that stores deleted photos/videos for 40 days. To access:

  1. Open the Photos app
  2. Click Albums in the sidebar
  3. Click Recently Deleted

You’ll then see your recently deleted photos and videos. Right click on any item and select Recover to restore or Delete to remove permanently.

Finder Trash

Any files you delete on your Mac get moved to the Trash folder. To access:

  1. Open the Finder app
  2. Click Trash in the sidebar

You’ll then see all your recently deleted files. Right click on any file and select Put Back to restore or double-click the Trash icon in the top right and select Empty Trash to delete items permanently.

Windows Recently Deleted

Windows also keeps deleted files in an easy-to-access place. Here’s where to find them:

Recycle Bin

Any files deleted on Windows get moved to the Recycle Bin. To access it:

  1. Open File Explorer
  2. Double click on the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop or sidebar

You’ll then see all recently deleted files. Right click on any file and select Restore to put it back where it was. To permanently delete files, right click the Recycle Bin icon and select Empty Recycle Bin.

Gmail Web Recently Deleted

If you use Gmail on the web, deleted emails get moved to the Trash folder which keeps them for 30 days. To access it:

  1. Go to www.gmail.com in your web browser
  2. Click on the Trash folder in the left sidebar

You’ll then see emails that have been recently deleted. Check the box next to any email and click Move to Inbox to restore it. Or click Empty Trash Now to permanently delete all items.

Outlook Web Recently Deleted

Outlook on the web also saves deleted emails in the Deleted Items folder for 30 days. To access:

  1. Go to www.outlook.com in your web browser
  2. Open the Deleted Items folder in the folders pane

This folder contains any recently deleted emails. Right click on any email and select Move to restore it. Or click on Empty Folder to permanently delete all deleted items.

iCloud Recently Deleted

iCloud stores recently deleted iOS backups, photos and files in the Recently Deleted folder. Here’s how to access it:

  1. Go to www.icloud.com in your web browser
  2. Click on the Settings gear icon
  3. Select Account Settings
  4. Scroll down and click Restore Files
  5. Open the Recently Deleted folder

This folder contains iOS backups, photos, files, notes and other data deleted in the last 30 days. Click Recover to restore any item.

OneDrive Recently Deleted

OneDrive has a Recycle Bin that stores deleted files for 90 days. To access it:

  1. Go to www.onedrive.com in your web browser
  2. Click Recycle Bin in the left sidebar

This will open the Recycle Bin containing your recently deleted OneDrive files. Right click on any file and select Restore to put it back or click Empty Recycle Bin to permanently delete all items.

Dropbox Recently Deleted

Dropbox saves deleted files in the Deleted Files folder for 30 days. To access it:

  1. Go to www.dropbox.com
  2. Click the Show Deleted files link

Your deleted Dropbox files will then appear. Right click and select Restore to recover files or click Erase All in the top right to permanently delete.

Google Drive Trash

Google Drive keeps deleted files in the Trash for 30 days. To access:

  1. Go to drive.google.com
  2. Click Trash in the left sidebar

You’ll then see your recently deleted Google Drive files. Right click on any file and select Restore to put it back. Or click Empty Trash in the top right to delete files forever.

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s easy to access and recover recently deleted items across most major platforms and apps. Whether you use iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, or popular services like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox, your deleted files get stored in a special folder for at least 30 days. Just remember where to look so you can easily find and restore anything that was mistakenly deleted.