If you find that photos are suddenly missing from your phone’s gallery, don’t panic. There are several ways you can try to recover deleted photos on your Android device.
Check the Trash Folder
When you delete photos on your Android phone, they are usually just moved to a trash or recycle bin folder rather than being permanently erased. Open up your Files or Gallery app and look for a folder called Trash, Deleted Photos, Recycle Bin, etc. Oftentimes your photos get moved here when deleted.
Use a File Recovery App
If your photos aren’t in the trash, try using a file recovery app from the Google Play Store. Apps like DiskDigger Photo Recovery and Dumpster Photo Recovery can scan your phone’s memory for deleted photos and let you restore them. These apps can recover photos even if you emptied the trash folder.
Restore from Google Photos Backup
If you had Google Photos backup enabled, you may be able to restore your photos from the cloud. Open the Google Photos app and check if the missing photos still exist in your cloud backup. If so, you can download the photos back onto your device.
Retrieve from Local Backup
Check if you have any local backups stored on your phone, SD card or external storage. Apps like Google Drive or OneDrive may have done automated backups of your device. You can browse the backup files and see if your deleted photos exist there.
Use Android Device Manager
If you previously had remote location/locking enabled on your phone through your Google account, you can use Android Device Manager to remotely restore photos. Log into the Find My Device page and you can choose to remotely restore photos from a backup.
Extract from App Data
Certain apps like WhatsApp store photos you received in their own app data folders. You can use extraction software to pull your photos out of an app’s data folder if they no longer appear in your gallery. This method requires root access on Android.
Retrieve from SD Card
If you had your photos stored on an external SD card, it’s possible they were not actually deleted. Remove your SD card and plug it into a computer to browse the files directly. You may find your missing photos still exist on the SD card.
Use Data Recovery Software
As a last resort, you can use Android data recovery software like EaseUS MobiSaver to scan your phone’s internal memory and attempt to recover deleted photos. Make sure to avoid overwriting the storage before recovery.
Prevent Future Photo Loss
To avoid dealing with this issue again in the future, here are some tips:
- Enable Google Photos backup so your photos are always saved in the cloud
- Set up a recurring local backup to your computer or external storage
- Use an app like Dropbox or OneDrive to automatically back up your camera folder
- Be careful before emptying the trash folder, always check for accidentally deleted photos
- Use a file manager that has a robust recycle bin, like Google Files
Conclusion
Recovering disappeared photos on your Android phone is often possible as long as you act quickly and don’t overwrite the data. Make sure to regularly back up your photos to prevent this situation in the first place. With the right tools and techniques, you can rescue your precious photos even if they seem to be gone from your gallery forever.
