If you’ve accidentally deleted photos from your phone or computer, don’t panic! In many cases, it’s possible to recover deleted photos, even if you emptied the trash or recycle bin. Here are some tips for recovering recently deleted photos from various devices and storage media.
Quick Answers
Here are quick answers to common questions about recovering recently deleted photos:
Can you recover permanently deleted photos?
Yes, it’s often possible to recover permanently deleted photos using data recovery software, as long as the storage space hasn’t been overwritten by new data.
How do I recover deleted photos from my Android phone?
Use Android data recovery software to scan your phone’s internal storage and SD card for recoverable photo files. Some apps to try are DiskDigger Photo Recovery and EaseUS MobiSaver for Android.
Is there a way to recover deleted photos from iPhone without backup?
Yes, you can use iPhone data recovery software like Tenorshare UltData, iMyFone D-Back, or EaseUS MobiSaver for iOS to recover deleted photos from an iPhone even without a backup.
Can you recover deleted photos from iCloud?
If you have iCloud Photos enabled, you can recover deleted photos from iCloud for up to 30 days after deletion through the Recently Deleted folder. You can also restore photos from iCloud Backup if you have backups enabled.
How do I recover permanently deleted photos from my computer?
Use data recovery software for your computer’s operating system, such as Recuva for Windows or PhotoRec for Mac, to scan your hard drive and restore deleted photo files that haven’t been overwritten.
What to Do Immediately After Accidental Deletion
When you first realize photos have been deleted, there are some steps you should take right away to increase the chances of recovery:
- Avoid taking new photos or downloading files, as this could overwrite the deleted data.
- Don’t restore your device from a backup yet, as this can also overwrite deleted files.
- Stop using the storage device with the deleted photos.
Following these tips will prevent the deleted photos from being permanently overwritten by new data, making recovery more likely to succeed.
Recovering Deleted Photos from Windows Computer
If you deleted photos from your Windows PC accidentally, recovery software should be able to retrieve them as long as they haven’t already been overwritten. Here are some options:
Recuva
Recuva is free photo recovery software from Piriform that works well for retrieving deleted files on Windows. To use it:
- Download and install Recuva.
- Scan the drive where your photos were stored.
- Recuva will display recoverable files. Select the photos you want to restore.
- Choose a folder to save the recovered photos.
Recuva can recover photos from hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other media.
Disk Drill
Disk Drill is a premium recovery app for Windows and Mac. To recover deleted photos:
- Download, install and launch Disk Drill.
- Select the drive to scan for deleted photos.
- Preview found photos and select those you want to recover.
- Choose a safe location to save the restored photos.
Disk Drill has advanced features like deleted partition recovery, but a free trial is available.
Other Options
Some other good options for deleted photo recovery on Windows include:
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
- Stellar Photo Recovery
- TestDisk
Most photo recovery apps follow a similar process of scanning and restoring deleted files. Look for one that has positive reviews and works with your specific storage device.
Recovering Deleted Photos from Mac
Mac users have a few highly rated options for undeleting photos, including:
EaseUS Mac Data Recovery
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard has a Mac version with similar functionality. To use it:
- Install EaseUS on your Mac.
- Select the drive and scan for deleted photos.
- Filter results to only show recoverable image files.
- Preview found photos and choose those to restore.
- Select a safe location to save recovered photos.
Disk Drill
As mentioned above, Disk Drill has Mac and Windows versions. To recover photos on Mac:
- Get and install Disk Drill.
- Pick the disk or device to scan for deleted photos.
- Wait for the scan to complete.
- Preview and select the photos to recover.
- Choose where to store the restored photos.
Disk Drill works on internal and external drives, memory cards, and other media.
PhotoRec
PhotoRec is free, open source photo recovery software for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s more barebones than some commercial tools, but can still undelete photos if they haven’t been overwritten.
To use PhotoRec on Mac:
- Download and install PhotoRec.
- Run PhotoRec and select the drive to scan.
- Choose what file types to search for (pick image file formats).
- PhotoRec will restore recovered photos to a separate folder.
Recovering Deleted Photos from External Storage
External storage devices like USB drives, SD cards, and external hard drives can also have deleted photos retrieved using data recovery tools. Here are some options:
For SD Cards
SD card recovery software like Disk Drill, Recuva, and EaseUS can all recover deleted photos from SD cards. Just connect the SD card to your computer via a card reader.
On Mac, you can also use PhotoRec to recover deleted photos from SD cards by selecting the mounted external drive as the target to scan.
For USB Flash Drives
USB flash drives use flash memory similar to SD cards, so the same tools like Recuva, EaseUS, and Disk Drill can recover deleted photos from them. Just plug in the USB drive and select it as the target location to scan.
For External Hard Drives
External hard drives provide additional storage space for photos, but recovery is still possible if you delete photos stored on them. Use data recovery apps like those mentioned above to scan the external drive and restore deleted photo files.
Make sure to connect the external drive to your computer before starting the photo recovery process.
Recovering Deleted Photos from Mobile Devices
Accidentally deleting photos on your phone, tablet, or other mobile device can be disheartening. Thankfully, there are several ways to recover recently deleted photos on mobile devices.
For Android
There are many highly-rated data recovery apps available for Android. Three top options are:
- DiskDigger Photo Recovery – Scans internal storage and SD card for deleted photos. Free version available.
- EaseUS MobiSaver for Android – Retrieves deleted photos and videos from Android internal memory and SD card.
- Remo Recover for Android – Claims to recover deleted, lost or corrupted photos from Android phones and tablets.
Make sure your Android device is rooted to maximize chances of complete photo recovery.
For iPhone and iPad
There are also data recovery apps designed specifically for iOS devices like iPhones and iPads. Top choices include:
- EaseUS MobiSaver for iOS – Recovers deleted iPhone photos and videos within 3 simple steps.
- Tenorshare UltData – Claims to recover deleted photos from iPhone/iPad without backup.
- iMyFone D-Back – Easy-to-use iPhone photo recovery software with high recovery rate.
These tools work even without an iTunes or iCloud backup available.
Recovering Deleted Photos from Cloud Storage
If you store photos on a cloud hosting service, there are ways to recover deleted files depending on the provider:
iCloud Photo Recovery
For photos stored on iCloud, Apple provides a limited window for recovery:
- Go to photos.app.icloud.com and log in.
- Navigate to the Recently Deleted folder.
- Deleted photos stay there for 30 days before permanent removal.
- Select photos to restore from Recently Deleted.
You can also restore photos from iCloud backups if you have them enabled.
Google Photos
In Google Photos:
- Go to photos.google.com and log in.
- Click on Trash to view deleted photos.
- Deleted items stay in the Trash for 60 days.
- Select photos in Trash to restore.
Other Cloud Services
Other hosted photo services like Dropbox, Flickr, and OneDrive also offer a limited window to recover deleted photos from the Trash or Recycle Bin. Act quickly while deleted photos are still available for restore.
Third-party tools may also help recover deleted files from cloud storage, depending on the service.
When Deleted Photo Recovery is Impossible
While it’s often possible to recover deleted photos, unfortunately, permanent photo loss does happen in certain circumstances:
- Overwritten photo files can’t be recovered. New data written to storage spaces occupied by deleted photos makes recovery impossible.
- Severely damaged storage media like an SSD or hard drive failure also prevents photo recovery.
- Devices reset to factory settings wipe all user data.
- Photos in online cloud accounts past the recovery window get permanently erased.
To avoid permanent deletion, regularly backup photos to physical media and cloud storage. Also enable deleted file recovery options where available.
Professional Photo Recovery Services
For difficult cases of mass photo deletion or catastrophic data loss, you may need to turn to a professional photo recovery service. Experts use specialized tools and techniques that can salvage photos even from drives that won’t boot or have mechanical damage. This type of data recovery can be expensive but may be your last resort.
Some reputable photo recovery companies include:
- Kroll Ontrack
- DriveSavers
- Gillware
- Secure Data Recovery
- Stellar Data Recovery
Research companies carefully, read reviews, and compare prices before selecting a provider. Ask what techniques they use, if your photos can be recovered, associated costs, and length of the process.
Preventing Photo Loss
Recovering deleted photos can be a hassle. The best strategy is preventing accidental deletion and loss in the first place. Here are some tips to keep your photos safe:
- Enable the “Recycle Bin” on your computer to recover deleted files.
- Back up photos regularly to an external drive and cloud storage.
- Turn on deleted file recovery options in cloud services when available.
- Use file versioning and restore features in cloud storage.
- Enable photo backup tools like Google Photos or iCloud Photos.
- Use a photo management tool that syncs across devices.
- Store photos on more than one device or memory card.
- Add photos to albums rather than scattered folders.
- Organize photos into well-named folders for easier searching.
Building strong photo backup and organization habits is crucial to avoiding loss. With redundancy across storage devices and services, you can minimize accidentally deleted photos.
Key Takeaways
- Stop using the device with deleted photos immediately to avoid overwriting files. Don’t restore from backups yet either.
- Desktop recovery apps like Recuva and Disk Drill can restore deleted photos from hard drives and external media.
- Mobile data recovery apps can retrieve deleted photos from Android and iOS devices.
- Cloud storage like iCloud and Google Photos offer limited windows to recover deleted photos.
- Ultimately, prevention through backups and organization is better than recovery.