How to Recover Deleted Photos From Your Phone

Check the Recycle/Trash Folder First (It Saves More People Than You Think)

Almost every phone has a built-in “recently deleted” folder. It quietly stores deleted photos for about 30 days. Honestly, this is where most people find their photos again, and they’re always surprised.

On Android:

• Open the Gallery or Photos app.
• Scroll to the bottom or tap Library.
• Open Trash or Bin.
• Select your photos and tap Restore.

On iPhone:

• Open the Photos app.
• Scroll down to Recently Deleted.
• Open the folder, select your photos, and tap Recover.

Most phones keep images here for 30 days, but honestly it depends on the model and brand. Some phones clear the trash sooner if storage is low.

If You Use Google Photos, Check There Too

Even if you don’t remember turning on backup, Google Photos quietly saves a lot of people. I’ve helped friends recover months-old photos just because their backup was running in the background.

You can check by visiting the official site: Google Photos.

To check on your phone:

• Open Google Photos.
• Tap Library → Bin.
• Restore anything you find.

If you see your photos there, you’re lucky — restoring them is instant.

Use iCloud If You’re on iPhone

If you have iCloud Backup turned on, your photos might still be saved in the cloud, even if they’re gone from your phone. This only works if you had the backup feature enabled before deleting the pictures.

Here’s how to check:

• Visit iCloud.com and sign in.
• Open Photos.
• Browse or check the Recently Deleted folder.

Sometimes you’ll find photos there that you thought were long gone.

Try a Local Backup If You Do That Kind of Thing

If you’ve ever connected your phone to a PC and backed up your data manually, you might already have a copy of the missing photos. I know not everyone does this, but if you’re that person who syncs their phone once in a while, check your computer.

Check on Windows:

• Connect your phone using a USB cable.
• Open This PC.
• Browse your phone’s storage under DCIM.
• You may find older photos still sitting there.

It’s definitely worth checking.

Use a Recovery App (But Only Good Ones)

Now here’s where people get confused. There are a lot of recovery apps out there, and many of them simply don’t work — especially the ones promising “100% guaranteed recovery.” If you see claims like that, run.

However, a few legitimate recovery tools work well depending on your phone model. And yes — results vary by brand and storage type. Some Android phones allow deeper recovery, while others don’t.

Two reliable tools I can confirm work:

• Dr.Fone Data Recovery (Android & iPhone)
• DiskDigger (Android)

They’re not magic, and they won’t recover everything, but I’ve seen them bring back photos that weren’t available anywhere else.

Before using recovery apps, keep this in mind:

• Stop using your phone to avoid overwriting deleted data.
• Don’t install random apps from sources you don’t trust.
• Always download tools from their official sites.

I’ve seen people lose their entire phone’s storage because they installed unsafe software trying to recover one picture. So be careful.

Check WhatsApp, Messenger, and Other Apps That Save Photos

This trick has saved me more than once. If someone sent you the photo, or you shared it somewhere, chances are it still exists inside that app.

You’d be surprised how many “deleted” photos are still sitting inside WhatsApp’s media folder.

On WhatsApp (Android):

• Open File Manager.
• Go to WhatsApp → Media → WhatsApp Images.
• You may see old pictures still there.

On WhatsApp (iPhone):

• Open the chat where the image was sent.
• Tap the contact name → Media, Links & Docs.

Messenger, Telegram, and even Instagram DMs sometimes keep copies of photos.

Try Your SD Card (If Your Phone Has One)

If your phone uses an SD card for storage, your chances are even better. SD cards often keep deleted data longer because they don’t overwrite as fast.

You can remove the card, connect it to a computer, and use recovery software to scan it directly. I’ve recovered months-old photos using this method.

When Recovery Won’t Work

Sometimes, photos are truly gone — especially if the phone storage has been overwritten or reset. I always like to mention this because I don’t want to give false hope.

But here’s the comforting part: as long as you act quickly, most deleted photos are still recoverable.

How to Avoid This Panic Next Time

Losing photos once usually makes people rethink how they store them. I did the same thing.

Here are the habits that saved me from future disasters:

• Turn on Google Photos Backup or iCloud Photos.
• Back up your phone monthly to your computer.
• Use an SD card if your phone supports it.
• Don’t clear your trash folder unless necessary.

Trust me — future you will be grateful.

Final Thoughts

I know how stressful losing a photo can be, especially if it’s something meaningful. But most of the time, there’s still hope. Just take it step by step, try the methods above, and stay patient. If one option doesn’t work, another might surprise you. And honestly, once you get those photos back, the relief you’ll feel is unmatched.