It is often possible to recover deleted photos, even if they have been “permanently” deleted. While deleted photos are removed from the user-accessible folders on a device, the actual photo data often still exists on the storage medium until it gets overwritten by new data. With the right recovery software and techniques, this retained photo data can be recovered.
Can you recover permanently deleted photos from your computer?
Yes, it is often possible to recover deleted photos from a computer hard drive, even if you have emptied the Recycle Bin. When you delete photos on a computer, the operating system simply marks the space those files were occupying as available for new data. The actual photo data remains on the hard drive until it gets overwritten. As long as the deleted photos have not been overwritten, recovery software can scan the hard drive and retrieve the photo files.
Some key tips for recovering deleted photos from a computer hard drive:
- Use recovery software as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more likely the deleted photos will get overwritten.
- Stop using the computer immediately to prevent overwriting deleted files. Even opening files or browsing the internet can overwrite deleted data.
- Try recovery software like Recuva, Photorec, or Stellar Phoenix to scan and recover deleted files.
- You may be able to recover deleted photos from system backups or snapshots if you had them enabled.
- If the recovery software cannot locate the specific folder structure, recovered photos may be saved in random folders.
Can you recover permanently deleted photos from a mobile device?
It is possible to recover deleted photos from phones or tablets in some cases. Mobile devices store data similarly to computers, so even when you delete photos, the files may remain until overwritten. However, recovering mobile photos can be more difficult.
Tips for recovering deleted mobile photos:
- Immediately stop using the device to prevent overwriting photos.
- Use mobile data recovery software designed for that operating system, like Fonelab, EaseUS, or Stellar.
- The software will scan the phone memory for recoverable photo files.
- You may need to root/jailbreak the device to allow the software full access for scanning and recovery.
- Recovered photos may be disorganized since mobile folder structures are often lost.
Can you recover deleted photos from the cloud/Google Photos?
If you stored photos in the cloud, like Google Photos or iCloud, you have a good chance of recovering any photos you deleted from the cloud storage. That’s because cloud services keep multiple backups and allow you to restore photos from the cloud trash or snapshot history.
To recover deleted cloud photos:
- Log into Google Photos and check the trash folder – deleted items sit here for 60 days.
- On Google Photos you can also look in Album Archive to restore deleted albums.
- Check iCloud Recently Deleted folder on iOS devices.
- Use the Recover Deleted Photos feature in OneDrive.
- Contact cloud customer support if you cannot locate or restore deleted photos.
Can you recover deleted Snapchat or Instagram photos?
It is very difficult to recover deleted photos from apps like Snapchat and Instagram. Because these apps automatically delete photos from their servers after the images are viewed, there is usually no way to retrieve deleted snaps or Instagram photos from the apps themselves.
A few tips for Snapchat/Instagram photo recovery:
- On iOS, use a third party app like iMazing to extract and recover Snapchats that were saved to your device before being deleted.
- On Android, root the device then use data recovery apps that search for deleted media files.
- If you backed up your device before the photos were deleted, you may find them in the backup.
- If another user screenshotted or screen-recorded your deleted Snapchat, they may be able to share it with you.
Can you recover deleted photos after a factory reset?
When you factory reset a phone, tablet or computer, it deliberately erases all user data, making it much harder to recover deleted photos. However, some recovery is still possible in certain cases.
Tips for recovering photos after a factory reset:
- Do not reuse the device after factory resetting, as this will overwrite more data.
- For mobile devices, use phone data recovery apps soon after the reset to pull any recoverable data before it’s gone.
- For hard drives, you may be able to recover some data using recovery software if the partitions were quick formatted.
- If you backed up the device before resetting, your photos may be retrievable from the backups.
- Recovery success depends heavily on the reset method – a full reformat makes recovery nearly impossible.
Can files be recovered after reformatting or repartitioning a hard drive?
Reformatting or repartitioning a hard drive also makes photo recovery difficult, but not always impossible. This is because it erases the file system while writing new partition structures to the disk.
Some tips on recovering photos after reformatting/repartitioning:
- A quick format is better than full format for recovery – it erases file system vs completely overwriting.
- Immediately stop adding data to newly formatted partitions.
- Use recovery software like TestDisk or EaseUS to scan disk and rebuild partitions.
- This may recover old partition structures with photos intact.
- Deep scanning will be required to find deleted photo files without file system data.
- Photo recovery depends heavily on how thoroughly the drive was reformatted.
Can you recover deleted photos without software?
It is very difficult and unlikely to recover deleted photos manually without using data recovery software. The software tools are specifically designed to thoroughly scan hard drives and devices for traces of deleted files.
Some manual photo recovery techniques include:
- Searching carefully through the Recycle Bin/Trash for deleted files.
- Looking in likely folders like User/Pictures for copies of the photos.
- Checking if the photos were recently emailed or backed up to external locations.
- Viewing logs that record deleted activity, like CCleaner’s free space wipe log.
- Using command line tools like TestDisk, Scalpel or Foremost to target lost image formats.
- Manually scanning and reconstructing partition and file systems – very difficult.
For most users, using dedicated recovery software with advanced scanning algorithms offers the best chance of getting photos back. But manual methods may work in some specific situations.
Can you recover photos after a system crash/hard drive failure?
System crashes and hard drive failures can cause photos to be lost or deleted. However, even in these situations, photo recovery is often possible.
Some tips for photo recovery after a crash/failure:
- First attempt to repair the system/drive issues to regain access normally.
- Remove and connect the drive to another system as an external drive, then run scan/recovery.
- For crashes, recover files from your most recent backups.
- With drive failures, attempting recovery depends on the exact failure type and severity.
- If the drive powers on, recovery software can read supported failed drives and recover photos.
- If hardware damage prevents access, specialized data recovery services may be able to repair and recover data.
What are the chances of recovering permanently deleted photos?
The chances of successfully recovering deleted photos depends on several factors:
| Factor | Chances of Recovery |
| Time since deletion | Highest if recovered immediately, gets worse over time |
| Device usage after deletion | Low if device heavily used, higher if left unused |
| Drive format/partition | Better from quick formats than full formats, bad if drive repartitioned |
| Photo file system data | Highest if file system is intact, lower in raw recovery |
| Method of deletion | Better if simply deleted vs. drive reformatting |
| Storage device condition | Best from healthy drives, lower from damaged/failed drives |
In general, the sooner recovery is attempted after deletion and the less the associated storage device is used, the better the chances.
How can you prevent needing to recover deleted photos in the future?
Some tips to avoid needing deleted photo recovery in the future include:
- Enable cloud backups like Google Photos or iCloud to keep copies of all photos.
- Regularly backup photos to an external device or server to keep copies.
- Use duplicate/redundant storage by saving photos in multiple locations.
- Enable Recycle Bin and trash protection and extra backups on storage devices.
- Use filesystems with snapshots like ZFS or Btrfs to preserve deleted file copies.
- Practice safe deletion methods – use “Send To” Recycle Bin instead of permanent delete.
- Be very cautious before reformatting drives or performing factory resets.
Following these tips will minimize the need to resort to deleted photo recovery in the future by keeping redundant copies and intelligently managing photos.
Conclusion
While permanently deleted photos are removed from easy access, the data usually still exists until overwritten. With the right recovery techniques, software, backups and cloud copies, it is very possible to recover deleted photos in many cases. The key is acting quickly before the photos are truly gone forever. Following best practices for photo storage and deletion can also prevent the need for recovery down the road.