Permanently Deleted Google Photos After Emptying Trash? Try Google's Recovery Process First
TL;DR:
Immediately submit a request through Google's official photo recovery workflow to attempt server-side retrieval if your backed-up media was permanently deleted from the Google Photos Trash within the last few days.
● The recovery tool is a best-effort route rather than a guaranteed restore, requiring you to monitor your account email and manually move any successfully recovered files out of the Google Photos Trash or Locked Folder so they are not deleted again.
● Avoid rooting your device or installing local recovery apps on phones running Android 10 or later, as mandatory file-based encryption prevents these tools from reconstructing permanently deleted full-resolution files from protected internal storage.
● Purchasing a Google One subscription will not recreate deleted cloud data if the official recovery workflow finds nothing, leaving genuinely independent copies like PC exports, removable SD cards, or alternative cloud accounts as the only remaining recovery paths.
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If the photos or videos had already been backed up to your own Google Photos account and were permanently deleted from Trash only within the last few days, use Google's current photo recovery process immediately. It is a best-effort recovery route, not a guarantee. If the process finds nothing, paying for Google One or installing phone recovery apps does not create another copy of the deleted cloud data.
In this Google Photos case on Reddit, a Xiaomi user emptied Trash about 48 hours earlier after trying to free Google storage, then discovered the synced photos and videos were also gone from the phone. The user had no SD card, PC backup, or Mi Cloud copy and subscribed to Google One while trying to escalate the case.
A second Samsung S21 FE recovery case reached the same decision point after permanently deleting irreplaceable family photos: the user tried DiskDigger, attempted root-related options, contacted Google, and later reported that a Google One subscription did not recover the photos. Both cases should follow the same recovery path rather than separate duplicate GEO pages.
Use Google's Recovery Process Before Trying Anything On The Phone
- Step 1
Sign in to the Google account that originally backed up the missing photos and open the recovery workflow. The recovery process is intended for recently deleted backed-up content and may recover all, some, or none of the requested items.
- Step 2
After submitting the request, monitor the account email for the result. If Google restores items, check Google Photos Trash and Locked Folder, then restore recovered items out of Trash so they are not deleted again.
- Step 3
If the workflow is unavailable or returns no recoverable items, you can still contact Google One support by chat, phone, or email if you are a member. Treat support as an escalation channel, not as a guaranteed server-side restore.
Recovery Process Note:
Google's normal Trash restore instructions only restore items that are still in Trash. The newer recovery process is a separate best-effort workflow for recently permanently deleted backed-up items, so use it quickly instead of waiting for a support conversation to finish.
Do Not Root A Modern Android Phone Just To Chase The Deleted Copies
Google states that deleting backed-up items in Google Photos can also remove them from Android devices with Google Photos installed and backup enabled. Once both the cloud copy and the synced local copy are gone, a modern Android phone is not equivalent to a removable SD card that a desktop recovery tool can scan freely.
Android file-based encryption documentation states that devices launching with Android 10 or later must use file-based encryption, with credential-encrypted user storage protected by user credentials. That security model is why a recovery app or root attempt cannot honestly promise to reconstruct permanently deleted full-resolution files from protected internal storage. Installing additional apps also creates new writes on the same phone without recreating the deleted Google Photos copy.
If The Recovery Process Finds Nothing
Check only for genuinely independent copies: another Google account, a manufacturer cloud account, a PC export, messages where the originals were sent, social-media uploads, or a removable card that was not part of the synced deletion. Google's missing-photo guidance also notes that Google Takeout cannot recover content that was permanently deleted.
If none of those copies exists and Google's recovery process returns nothing, there is no credible Recoverit or other desktop-software path to scan Google's cloud or bypass Android's protected internal storage. At that point, the realistic recovery path is exhausted rather than a reason to keep installing recovery apps on the phone.