Tech & Gadgets

How to Recover Deleted Photos on Your Phone

Accidentally deleted a photo? Check these places first — they often still exist.

Editorial TeamNovember 6, 20261 min read

Deleting a precious photo by accident is upsetting. The good news: phones and cloud services usually keep deleted photos for a while.

iPhone

  1. Open Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted.
  2. Unlock with Face ID or passcode.
  3. Select photos and tap Recover.

Items are usually kept for about 30 days.

Android (Google Photos)

  1. Open Google Photos → Library → Bin or Trash.
  2. Select the photo and tap Restore.

Backed-up items are typically kept for about 60 days; items not backed up for a shorter time.

Samsung Gallery

Open Gallery → menu → Recycle bin.

Check the cloudLook at iCloud.com, Google Photos on the web, OneDrive or other backup services you use.

Other places to check

  • Messaging apps where you shared the photo
  • Email attachments
  • Social media posts
  • Friends who were there

Prevent it next time

Turn on automatic photo backup so your memories are always safe.

#Smartphones#Tech & Gadgets
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Written by Editorial Team

Our editors research, test and simplify everyday tasks so you can get them right the first time. Spotted something we should update? Let us know on our contact page.

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