Deleted Your Photos? Take a Deep Breath! Not Everything Is Lost

If you’ve ever experienced the panic of accidentally deleting an important photo, you know how distressing it can be.

It could be a rare image of a special moment, a cherished travel memory, or even a crucial professional file.

But don’t worry! In most cases, deleted photos can still be recovered—if you act quickly.

Digital files don’t disappear immediately after being deleted. Often, they remain stored temporarily before being overwritten by new data.

This means that the sooner you attempt to recover your photos, the higher your chances of success.

In this complete guide, we’ll explore the best ways to recover deleted or lost photos from phones, computers, and even memory cards.

Plus, we’ll teach you how to prevent future losses. Let’s get started!

📱 How to Recover Deleted Photos on Your Phone (Android and iPhone)

Most people take photos directly on their phones, which makes losing images even more frustrating.

But luckily, both Android and iOS systems offer various ways to retrieve deleted photos.

🔄 1. Check the Photos App Trash

Before panicking and downloading recovery programs, the first step is to check the trash in your photos app.

On both Android and iPhone, deleted photos are not immediately erased—they are temporarily stored in a trash folder before being permanently removed.

📌 How to restore photos on Android

If you use Google Photos or the default Android Gallery app, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Photos or the “Gallery” app.
2. Go to the “Trash” or “Deleted Items” section.
3. Find the photo you want to recover.
4. Tap “Restore” to bring it back to the main gallery.

🍏 How to restore photos on iPhone

On iOS, the process is similar. Deleted photos stay stored for up to 40 days before being permanently deleted.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Go to Albums > Recently Deleted.
3. Select the photo or video you want to recover.
4. Tap “Recover.”

📢 Attention: If the photos have been deleted from the trash, you will need to try more advanced methods, such as recovery via backup or specialized apps.

☁️ 2. Recover Photos Through Cloud Backup

If you regularly back up your data, your photos may still be saved in the cloud—even if they are no longer on your phone.

Here are some options to check:

📌 Google Photos (Android and iPhone)

Access Google Photos on your phone or computer.
Check if your photos are still there.
If you find the image you want, simply download it again.

📌 iCloud (iPhone)

Go to iCloud.com.
Log in to your account and look for the deleted photos.
If they are available, download them and sync with your iPhone.

📌 OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive

If you were using services like OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, it’s worth checking if the photos were automatically saved before being deleted.

If the photo is in the backup, you can restore it without needing advanced programs.

🛠 3. Use Photo Recovery Apps

If the photo was deleted from the trash and wasn’t in the backup, the next step is to use a recovery app.

These apps scan the phone’s memory for fragments of deleted files and try to restore them.

Here are some of the most efficient options:

DiskDigger (Android) – Recovers deleted photos directly from internal storage.
Dr.Fone – Data Recovery (Android/iPhone) – Advanced tool that can recover photos, videos, and other files.
EaseUS MobiSaver (Android/iPhone) – One of the best options for deep data recovery.

📌 Tip: Install the app as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the higher the chances the system will overwrite old data, making recovery impossible.

💻 How to Recover Deleted Photos on PC or Memory Card

If your photos were deleted from your computer, external hard drive, or memory card, there is still hope!

Let’s explore some techniques to bring them back.

🗑 1. Check the Recycle Bin on Windows or Mac

The first place you should check is the system’s Recycle Bin.

🖥 How to restore photos on Windows

1. Open the Recycle Bin.
2. Locate the deleted photo.
3. Right-click and select “Restore.”

🍏 How to restore photos on Mac

1. Go to Trash.
2. Find the deleted file.
3. Drag the photo back to the desired folder.

If the trash has been emptied, it’s time to try file recovery software.

🔧 2. Use File Recovery Software

If the photos were permanently deleted from your computer or an SD card, specialized programs can help. Here are some of the best options:

🔍 Best Photo Recovery Software

Recuva (Windows) – Free and easy to use.
EaseUS Data Recovery (Windows/Mac) – Scans hard drives, SSDs, and memory cards.
PhotoRec (Windows/Mac/Linux) – Deep recovery for corrupted files.
Disk Drill (Windows/Mac) – Powerful tool for recovering photos and videos.

📢 Tip: Install the program on a different drive than the one where the photos were deleted, to avoid overwriting data.

🏥 3. Professional Recovery Services

If the photos were extremely important and none of the previous techniques worked, it may be time to resort to a specialized company.

Data recovery technicians can recover files even from damaged devices, such as burned hard drives or corrupted SD cards.

However, this service can be expensive, so carefully evaluate the importance of the photos before choosing this solution.

🔎 4. What to Do If the Phone Was Factory Reset?

If you restored the phone to its factory settings and lost all your photos, recovery may be more difficult, but not impossible.

In this case, the first step is to check if automatic backup was enabled in Google Photos (Android) or iCloud (iPhone).

If not, programs like Dr.Fone, Tenorshare UltData, or iMobie PhoneRescue can help scan the phone’s memory and attempt to recover deleted files, even after a factory reset.

📌 Tip: To increase your chances, avoid installing new apps or saving new files on the phone, as this may overwrite old data and prevent recovery.

📂 5. How to Recover Photos from a Corrupted SD Card?

If your SD card stopped working or is asking for formatting, there is still hope!

Programs like PhotoRec, EaseUS Data Recovery, and Recuva can scan the card and recover photos that haven’t been overwritten yet.

📌 Steps to try to recover files from a damaged SD card:

• Don’t format the card! This could permanently erase the files.
• Connect the SD card to the computer with an adapter.
• Use recovery software to scan the card.
• Save the recovered files to another location, such as the computer’s hard drive.
• If the SD card isn’t recognized, try using a different card reader or connecting it to another device to test.

🛑 6. What Not to Do When Losing Important Photos

Many people, in the panic of recovering deleted photos, end up taking actions that reduce the chances of recovery. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid:

• Don’t take new photos or record new videos on your phone – this can overwrite the old data.
• Don’t format the SD card or hard drive before attempting recovery.
• Don’t install apps in the same location where the photos were stored, as this may hinder recovery.
• Avoid using the phone or computer unnecessarily – the less activity on the device, the higher the chances of success.

If you follow these tips, your chances of recovering the photos will be much higher!

🕵️‍♂️ 7. How to Recover Deleted Photos from Messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram?

If the photos were deleted from WhatsApp or Telegram, there may still be a copy of them elsewhere. Here are some ways to try to recover them:

📌 Recovering photos from WhatsApp

• Check the phone’s gallery: On Android, WhatsApp photos are usually stored in /WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images. On iPhone, they may be in the WhatsApp album within the Photos app.
• Check the original conversation: If the photo was sent or received by someone, the other person may still have the file and can resend it.
• Restore WhatsApp backup: If the backup was enabled, you can uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to restore messages and media.

📌 Recovering photos from Telegram

• Check the Telegram folder: On Android, the photos might be in /Telegram/Telegram Images.
• Access Telegram Web or Desktop: Sometimes, the photo may have been deleted from the phone but could still be available on another device where Telegram is logged in.

If the photos can’t be found in these folders, file recovery software may be necessary to attempt to restore them.

⚙️ 8. How to Recover Deleted Photos from an External Hard Drive or USB Drive?

If your photos were on an external hard drive, SSD, or USB drive and were accidentally deleted, there is still a chance of recovery. Follow these steps:

🖥 How to recover photos from an external hard drive or USB drive

• Don’t save new files to the device: This can overwrite the deleted data.
• Use Windows File History or Time Machine (Mac): If you activated these features, you can restore a previous version of the folder where the photos were stored.
• Try recovery software: Programs like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery, and Disk Drill are effective at recovering deleted files from external storage devices.
• Take it to a specialist: If the external hard drive or USB drive is physically damaged, a specialized technician may be the only solution.

📌 Extra Tip: To avoid losing important photos, make regular backups in more than one location, such as an external hard drive and a cloud storage service.

🔒 How to Prevent Losing Photos in the Future

Now that you know how to recover deleted images, it’s crucial to prevent this from happening again. Here are some essential tips:

• Activate automatic backup on Google Fotos or iCloud.
• Make periodic copies of your photos to an external hard drive.
• Use high-quality memory cards to prevent file corruption.
• Be careful when deleting photos and always check the trash before emptying it.

🎯 Your Photos Can Still Be Saved!

Losing photos can be distressing, but in most cases, it’s possible to recover them with the right tools and techniques. Whether you’re checking the trash, restoring backups, or using specialized software, you have several options to bring your memories back.
Now tell me: Have you ever managed to recover a deleted photo? If so, which method worked best for you? 😊