How to Recover Recently Deleted Photos?

Eleanor Reed

Feb 11, 2025 • Filed to: Photo/Video/Audio Solutions • Proven solutions

If you have trouble finding and recovering recently deleted photos from your device, you have come to the right place.

In this post, we will discuss everything about locating and getting back recently deleted photos from your smartphone or computer. Also, you will get to know how to recover recently deleted photos safely through a powerful photo recovery tool.

Part 1. What Can "Recently Deleted" Refer To?

When you accidentally or intentionally delete a picture or file on a smartphone or a computer by tapping, right-clicking, or pressing the "Delete" option, it refers to Recently Deleted. These files usually remain in the Recycle Bin, Trash, or Recently Deleted folder of your device for up to 30 days, and after that, they are permanently deleted.

Furthermore, When something is sent to the Trash, Recycle Bin, or Recently Deleted folder, you can quickly restore it from there (sometimes, within 30 days of file deletion). However, if the files are permanently deleted, they will no longer be readable by your smartphone or computer. But, these files will remain on the hard drive until other files overwrite them. As a result, you can easily recover these files ever after you think you have permanently deleted them.

Recently Deleted Photos

When accidentally or deliberately pictures are removed from your operating system due to human error or software crash and remain on your device, it refers to Recently Deleted Photos.

Recently Deleted Album

A "Recently Deleted Album" is usually found in the Photos app for iOS. It contains all the photos that were recently deleted from your device. A Recently Deleted Album store deleted photos for up to 30 days since the day of deletion. You can easily restore deleted files from the Recently Deleted Album by simply clicking on the "Restore" button.

Part 2. How to Recover Recently Deleted Photos from Mobile Devices?

It happens a lot of times when we accidentally delete our photos on our mobile devices or computers and regret it. If you have been through the same, do not panic as you get your precious pictures back within no time. But always remember, you must act fast to recover your photographs.

Here are some of the methods you can follow on how to find recently deleted photos and recover them from different devices.

Method 1: Recover Recently Deleted Photos Using Wondershare Dr.Fone

The most effective and efficient way to recover recently deleted photos from your mobile device is to use Wondershare Dr.Fone data recovery software. It offers the most reliable solution for photo recovery. Here’s a step-by-step guide to restore your lost images:

Step 1. Download Wondershare Dr.Fone. Right after, install it on your computer. Afterward, connect your Android mobile device using a data cable..

Step 2. Launch the program and go to the Toolbox section. Click Data Recovery and select the appropriate phone system (iOS or Android) to start the data recovery process.

Step 3: Click Recover Android Data.

Step 4: Check the tickbox next to Photos. You may select additional file categories if you wish. After that, click Start Scan.

Step 5: Wondershare Dr.Fone will then display the photos that have been successfully fetched from the scan. Check the specific files you want to restore. Right after, click Recover to proceed.

Step 6: Specify the location where you want to restore the photos. Then, click Recover. Transfer the recovered copy of the missing photos from your computer to your Android smartphone.

Method 2: Go to Recently Deleted and Get Photos Back on iPhone

After you have accidentally or intentionally deleted photos from your iPhone, you can still retrieve them by going to the "Recently Deleted" folder. Keep in mind that for iOS 8 or later versions, the deleted pictures will still be kept in the "Recently Deleted" folder for up to 30 days. Therefore, recover them as soon as you can.

Follow the steps below to look for your deleted photos on your iPhone's "Recently Deleted" folder:

1. In the Photos application of your iPhone, go to the "Recently Deleted" album and open it.

2. Once you have opened the folder, click on the "Select" button on the top right corner to choose the pictures you want to recover. You can also choose to recover all deleted pictures. After selecting the photos, tap the "Recover" button, placed at the bottom-right of your phone.
3. You will find your deleted pictures on your "Camera Roll" instantly.

Method 3: Access and Recover Recently Deleted Photos on Android

Accidentally losing or deleting photos from your Android device can be extremely devastating. Unlike a computer or an iPhone, there is no Trash or Recently Deleted folder on Android devices. However, you can recover your photos through several other methods, let's check them out:

1. Check Another Storage Device

There is a slight chance that you might have copied deleted Android photos on some other storage device. Therefore, check the storage device thoroughly and follow the steps below:

1. Connect the storage device to your computer properly and then open it.
2. Select the photos you have deleted.
3. Copy the deleted or lost photos and paste them back to the SD card or store them in a safe location.

2. Restore the Recently Deleted Photos from Dropbox

If you have downloaded "Dropbox" on your Android device and activated its automatic backup feature, you can easily recover your accidentally deleted or lost photos with just a few taps. Let us see how to restore recently deleted photos from Dropbox:

1. Tap the "Dropbox" application on your Android device.

2. Once the application is open, click the "Dropbox" icon on the extreme left corner and scroll down to the "Camera Uploads" option. If you think that you have backed up photos in some other folder, you can open that instead.

3. After opening the folder, select the deleted photos you want to restore. And then, tap on the menu option with the three dots and click on "Save to the device."

Note: You can also go to the "Deleted files" folder in Dropbox and look for the deleted photos, which will remain in the folder for 30 days.

Method 4: See and Retrieve Deleted Pictures on Cloud Servers

Similar to most Android or iPhone users, you must be using some form of cloud storage to backup your pictures. If that is the scenario, you are fortunate as cloud servers allow you to immediately restore the deleted photos. Let us have a look at how to see recently deleted photos and retrieve them through cloud servers.

1. Retrieve Photos from Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage service that provides an automatic photo backup feature. This lets you free up your internal space as your pictures get uploaded to the cloud, deleting them from your device. You can recover all photos uploaded to OneDrive from any device, including the device from which the images were shot. The steps below will show you how to retrieve recently deleted photos from Microsoft OneDrive:

1. Open the OneDrive application on your device.

2. Tap on the "Photos" option in the bottom menu and then select the photos you want to restore.
3. Now, you can save the photos to your device by tapping on the menu icon with three dots on the right side and click on "Save."

Note: You can also check OneDrive's Recycle Bin to restore recently deleted photos. The photos will remain in the "Recycle Bin" for up to 30 days.

2. Retrieve Deleted Photos from Google Photos

Google Photos is popular storage and photo-sharing application created by Google. This app backs up all your pictures on every device to the cloud safely, allowing you to restore them whenever you want. The following steps will help you to restore photos from the Google Photos app.

1. Open "Google Photos" on your device.

2. Locate the photos you want to restore and select them.
3. Now, tap on the menu icon with three dots and hit on the option "Save to device." You will find the deleted photos in the Gallery app or Photos app on your device.

Note: Check Google Photos "Trash" folder, located on the sidebar to restore deleted photos. The "Trash" folder keeps the deleted photos for up to 30 days.

3. Retrieve Deleted Pictures from iCloud

Another successful option to delete photos from any Apple device is iCloud. To restore recently deleted photos from iCloud, all you need to do is check whether your iCloud is synced to your device. If yes, then you can get back your deleted pictures within no time. Just follow the steps below:

1. In any web browser, go to icloud.com and log in. Once the server opens, select photos on "Album" that you want to retrieve.

2. Now, click on the "Recover" option to save them back to your device.

Note: iCloud also has the same "Recently Deleted" folder that your Apple device has, which you can use to get photos back within 40 days of deletion.

Part 3. How to Recover Recently Deleted Photos from A Computer?

For most people, photos are an integral part of their lives as it is a way to refresh old memories. So losing pictures can be devastating. Fortunately, even if you accidentally delete or lose your images and do not know where to find recently deleted photos, there are a few ways to get them back. Here we will discuss some methods to recover recently deleted photos from Windows Computer and Mac.

1. Ultimate Method of Recently Deleted Photos Recovery

Recoverit Data Recovery software is a robust and professional photo recovery software. It helps you to easily locate and recover recently deleted photo files from different devices, including Windows computers, Mac, computer hard drives, external SD memory cards, or other devices.

To recover recently deleted photos from Recoverit, all you need to do is download and install it on your computer and follow the steps below to perform the photo recovery process.

Step 1: Select a Location

Once you have installed Recoverit on your device, it is time to choose the location of the recently deleted photo files. After you have selected the location, click on the "Start" button to proceed further to the next step.

Step 2: Perform an All-Around Photo Location Scan

After choosing the location, Recoverit will begin an all-around scan that will help you to retrieve your recently deleted photos from any device. In between the scanning process, if you think you have found all your deleted images, you can pause or stop the process.

Step 3. Preview and Recover Recently Deleted Photos

As soon as the scanning process is complete, you are ready to check and preview the pictures you want back by clicking on the "Preview" button on the right panel. Once you decide which pictures you want back, click on the "Recover" option to restore recently deleted photos from your device.

Note: After the recovery process is complete, this time, make sure to save the recovered photos to a different location. Do not keep the pictures in the same location where you accidentally deleted them.

Case 1. How to Retrieve Recently Deleted Pictures on Windows PC

Pictures hold plenty of precious memories, so most people save them as a backup on their Windows computer. However, sometimes due to human errors or system crashes, the photos might get deleted.

If your valuable images get deleted from your computer, do not worry! You can easily retrieve recently deleted pics on your Windows PC by using the methods mentioned below:

Method 1: Retrieve Recently Deleted Photos from Recycle Bin

Usually, when you delete photos from your Windows PC, they are transferred to temporary storage named "Recycle Bin." The photos remain in the "Recycle Bin" for up to 30 days before they get deleted permanently.

So if the Recycle Bin is enabled on your computer, then there is a pretty good possibility that your recently deleted photos will be stored there. Follow the steps below to restore photos from Windows "Recycle Bin."

1. Click on the "Recycle Bin" icon to open it.

2. Look for the recently deleted photos that you want to restore and select them.
3. After selecting the photos, right-click, and select the "Restore." This will save the photos files in the original location.

Method 2: Retrieve Recently Deleted Photos Using File History Feature

Another way to get back recently deleted photos from your Windows computer is by using the File History backup feature. It is important to keep in mind that you can only retrieve the photos if the File History feature was enabled at the time when the pictures got deleted. Here's how to get back recently deleted photos from the File History backup feature:

1. The first step is to go to the folder or location where your photos were stored before deletion.
2. Now, right-click the folder and select the "Restore previous versions" option.

3. After that, go through the version of photos that you want to retrieve and then click on the "Restore" button to recover them.

Case 2. How to Recover Recently Deleted Photos on Mac

Mac users who run into a situation of accidentally deleting their photos can now easily get back their recently deleted pics using several measures. The methods below will help you to restore your photos on Mac instantly.

Method 1: Get Back Recently Deleted Photos from Trash

If you have not emptied your Trash, you can still restore your images from there. Simply follow the steps below to get back your recently deleted photos.

1. Open the "Trash" icon by clicking on it and then search for the deleted photo files.
2. Once you have located the photos on Trash, use the "Put Back" option, or simply drag the images to the desired location.

Method 2: Get Back Recently Deleted Photos Using Time Machine

If your Time Machine backup is enabled on your Mac, there is a slight chance that you can get back your recently deleted pictures within no time. Here are a few steps to recover your recently deleted photos from Time Machine:

1. Connect the Time Machine backup drive to your computer. After that, click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and then select the "Enter Time Machine" option.
2. Once opened, Time Machine will show you available backups. You can click on the date of your last backup of photos. After you find the desired backup, you can double-click on each picture and see if this is the photo you want back.

3. Now, select the deleted pictures you wish to retrieve and click on "Restore" to recover the photos.

Part 4. Fix "Can't Find Recently Deleted Album or Photos"

Most often, when you delete your photos from your Apple device, they go to the "Recently Deleted" album and remain there for up to 30 days. After that, they are permanently deleted. However, some users commonly report that they cannot find the "Recently Deleted" album in photos. Continue reading to find out how to fix this issue.

Why Can't I Find Recently Deleted Album?

In iOS 12 and above, you will no longer find the "Recently Deleted" album under "My Albums." So in your Photos app, if you scroll to the right, you will not be able to the "Recently Deleted" album. To find it, you need to scroll down to the bottom of the Albums list and see the section named "Other Albums," which includes Hidden, Imports, and Recently Deleted. Open the "Recently Deleted" option to locate and restore your deleted photos.

Why Are My Deleted Photos-Not in Recently Deleted?

The deleted photos on your Apple device remain in the "Recently Deleted" folder for up to 30 days. Therefore, if it's more than 30 days since you have deleted your pictures, they will be automatically deleted from the folder.

If your Apple device is synced with iCloud, your deleted images will also be moved to the "Recently Deleted" album in iCloud. So you can check that as well to restore recently deleted photos.

Note: If you delete photos from the iCloud library or Photo Stream, they will not move to the Recently Deleted album on your Apple device.

Can You Recover Photos You Deleted from Recently Deleted?

Yes, you can recover your precious photos, even if you delete it from the "Recently Deleted" folder. If you have backed up your pictures in cloud servers like Google Photos, Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive, you can easily recover them without any hassle.

You can try a professional and reliable photo recovery software like Recoverit that will help you scan and restore deleted or lost files from any device within a few minutes.

Can You Recover Photos You Recently Deleted from the Recycle Bin?

Going to the "Recycle Bin" of your Windows PC is one of the easiest ways to restore your recently deleted pics. You have to open the "Recycle Bin" on your computer and select photos that you want to retrieve. If there are too many files in the "Recycle Bin," you can sort the pictures as per the size, name, or date. Then right-click on the pictures and click on the "Restore." The images will be saved in the original location.

If you find out you have deleted pictures from the Recycle Bin, you can check the cloud servers to see if you have backed up the images there. If you cannot find pictures, you can launch Recoverit photo recovery software on your device and restore photos right away.

Closing Words

Whenever you find out that you have accidentally deleted photos from your device, you can locate and recover your pictures using Recoverit photo recovery software or any other method mentioned above. It is highly recommended you bookmark this post for future reference or send it to someone who needs help recovering deleted photos from their smartphones or computers.