Photos are an important part of our lives as they capture precious moments and memories. However, there could be times when you might accidentally delete some photos from your phone, camera, computer or other devices. While the photos may seem permanently gone, there are actually several effective ways to recover deleted photos.
Can You Recover Deleted Photos?
The good news is – yes, it is often possible to recover deleted photos. When you delete photos from your device, the actual photo files are not immediately erased. Instead, the space they occupied is marked as available to be overwritten by new data. The actual deleted photos remain on the device until they get overwritten.
As long as the deleted photos have not been overwritten by new data, recovery software can scan the device and restore the deleted photo files. However, the chances of recovery depend on various factors:
- Time since deletion – The sooner you attempt recovery, the higher the chances.
- Device usage – If the device has been extensively used since deletion, overwritten data makes recovery difficult.
- Recovery method used – The right software and techniques are required for recovering deleted photos.
Where Are Deleted Photos Stored?
When you delete photos:
- On computers – The files go to the Recycle Bin from where they can be restored.
- On Android – They go to the trash folder which holds them for 30 days by default.
- On iPhone – They are marked as deleted but remain until the storage space is required by new data.
- On digital cameras – Deleted photos remain on the memory card until overwritten.
Knowing the temporary location of deleted photos can guide you towards the best recovery method.
How to Recover Deleted Photos from a Computer
Here are the steps to recover deleted photos from a computer:
- Restore from Recycle Bin – Open the Recycle Bin from the desktop and look for your photo files here. Select and restore them to the original location.
- Use recovery software – If the photos are not in the Recycle Bin, use powerful recovery software like Stellar Photo Recovery to scan the computer and restore deleted photos.
- Restore from backup – If you have a backup of your photos, you can retrieve the deleted files from the backup storage.
Key Things to Keep in Mind
- Avoid saving new data to the computer as it overwrites deleted photos.
- Do not install the recovery software on the disk from where you want to restore photos.
- You can recover deleted photos from hard disks, USB drives, SD cards, etc.
How to Recover Deleted Photos on Android
Here are the steps to recover deleted photos on Android phones or tablets:
- Restore from trash – On Android, deleted photos go to the ‘trash’ which holds them for up to 30 days. Open trash and restore the photos.
- Use file recovery apps – Apps like DiskDigger Photo Recovery can scan the phone and restore deleted photos even from the trash.
- Connect to PC – You can also connect the Android device to a computer and use recovery software like Stellar to restore lost photos.
Key Things to Keep in Mind
- Don’t click too many new photos as it overwrites the deleted files.
- Rooted device allows better data recovery than non-rooted.
- Recovery from SD card is easier than internal storage.
How to Recover Deleted Photos on iPhone
Here are the options to recover deleted photos on an iPhone:
- Restore from iCloud – If you had iCloud backup enabled, you can restore the deleted photos from the cloud.
- Connect to iTunes – Sync your iPhone to the computer and restore from iTunes backup if you had taken one.
- Use iPhone data recovery software – Apps like iSkysoft Toolbox can recover deleted photos even without backup.
Key Things to Keep in Mind
- Prevent the iPhone from syncing and creating new data till recovery.
- Jailbroken devices allow accessing deleted files, improving recovery.
- Recovery is more successful from iCloud or iTunes backup.
How to Recover Deleted Photos from Camera
Here are the main options to recover deleted photos from digital cameras:
- Restore from memory card – The deleted photos may still be present on the memory card. Remove the card, connect it to a computer and run recovery software on it.
- Connect camera to computer – Connect the camera directly to a computer, access the storage and use a recovery app.
- Recover from backups – If you had transferred and backed up the photos from the camera, restore from these backups.
Key Things to Remember
- Avoid clicking new photos before recovery as it overwrites deleted data.
- Do not save the recovery software on the same memory card.
- Recovery is more successful if the memory card was used only in the camera before deletion.
Top Software to Recover Deleted Photos
Here are some powerful yet easy-to-use photo recovery software options:
| Software | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Stellar Photo Recovery | Recovers photos from hard drives, memory cards, USB drives, cameras, smartphones, etc. Interface is simple and recovery process is quick. |
| iSkysoft iCare Recovery | Effective software to restore deleted photos from computers as well as iPhone and Android devices. |
| Remo Photo Recovery | Allows deep scanning of device storage to recover deleted, lost and formatted photos. Has user-friendly interface. |
Tips to Avoid Losing Photos
To avoid hassles of recovery, follow these best practices:
- Maintain regular backups of all photos to external storage.
- Enable cloud sync on smartphones so photos are backed up automatically.
- Be careful while deleting photos and avoid bulk deletion.
- Add important folders to library so files go to Recycle Bin before permanent deletion.
Conclusion
It is often possible to recover deleted photos using the right techniques. However, prevention is better than cure. Follow best practices to avoid losing your precious photos. Maintain backups regularly so that your memories are always safe.