How to Find Recently Deleted Photos on iPhone

As an iPhone user, have you ever accidentally deleted some important photos? Don’t worry, because in this blog post, we will teach you how to find recently deleted photos on iPhone. iPhones have a built-in feature that allows you to recover deleted photos within a certain time frame. This feature is very useful, especially if you have deleted photos by mistake and want to retrieve them without the need for third-party applications.

In this post, we will give you an in-depth guide on how to recover your deleted iPhone photos. We will show you some different methods that you can use to recover your deleted photos, explain why you might not be able to recover your photos, and provide some recommendations for avoiding data loss in the future.

Video Tutorial:

What’s Needed

To recover your recently deleted photos on iPhone, you will need an iPhone running at least iOS 8. If you have iCloud Photo Library enabled, your photos will be backed up to your iCloud account. If you don’t have iCloud Photo Library enabled, your photos will be backed up to your iTunes backup.

In addition to your iPhone, you will need a computer with iTunes installed. You don’t need to use iTunes to restore your photos, but it does provide a backup for your iPhone in case anything goes wrong during the recovery process.

What Requires Your Focus?

It’s important to act quickly when trying to recover recently deleted photos on iPhone. The photos are only recoverable for a limited time, and if you wait too long, they will be permanently deleted.

You should also make sure to have enough storage space on your iPhone or iCloud account to restore the deleted photos. If your storage space is full, you won’t be able to recover any new data, including your recently deleted photos.

Different Methods to Find Recently Deleted Photos on iPhone

Method 1: Recover Deleted Photos from Recently Deleted Folder

The first and most straightforward way to find recently deleted photos on iPhone is to look in the Recently Deleted folder. When you delete a photo on your iPhone, it is moved to this folder, where it will stay for 30 days before being permanently deleted.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down and look for the Recently Deleted folder.
4. Tap on the Recently Deleted folder to open it.
5. Find the photo you want to recover and tap on it.
6. Tap on the Recover button at the bottom of the screen.
7. The photo will be restored to your Photos app and stored in your Camera Roll album.

Pros:
– The Recently Deleted folder is easy to use and doesn’t require any additional steps or software.
– It’s a built-in feature of your iPhone that doesn’t require any third-party apps.

Cons:
– The photos are only recoverable for 30 days, after which they will be permanently deleted.
– If you accidentally delete photos from the Recently Deleted folder, they will be permanently deleted.

Method 2: Restore from iCloud Photo Library Backup

If you have iCloud Photo Library enabled, your photos are backed up to your iCloud account. To recover your deleted photos, you can restore them from your iCloud backup.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap the Recently Deleted album.
4. Tap Select in the upper right corner.
5. Tap each photo you want to restore.
6. Tap Recover in the lower right corner.
7. Wait for the photos to download from your iCloud account to your iPhone.

Pros:
– iCloud backup automatically backs up your photos and makes them easily accessible for recovery.
– You can recover deleted photos even if they were permanently deleted from your iPhone.

Cons:
– You need to have iCloud Photo Library enabled and set up to be able to use this method.
– You need to have enough storage space on your iCloud account to restore the photos.

Method 3: Restore from iTunes Backup

If you have backed up your iPhone to iTunes before deleting the photos, you can restore them from your iTunes backup.

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer with the iTunes backup.
2. Open iTunes on your computer.
3. Select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes.
4. Click the Restore Backup button.
5. Choose the backup that contains the photos you want to restore.
6. Wait for the restore process to finish.

Pros:
– iTunes backup automatically backs up your photos and makes them easily accessible for recovery.
– You can recover deleted photos even if they were permanently deleted from your iPhone.

Cons:
– This method requires a computer with iTunes installed and a previous backup of your iPhone.
– You need to have enough storage space on your computer to restore the backup.

Method 4: Recover Photos from a Third-Party App

There are many third-party applications that can help you recover lost or deleted photos on iPhone. These apps use various methods to recover your deleted photos, such as scanning your iPhone for recoverable data or using cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Photos.

1. Download a third-party photo recovery app from the App Store.
2. Open the app and follow the instructions to scan your iPhone for recoverable photos.
3. Once the app has finished scanning, select the photos you want to recover.
4. Wait for the photos to download to your iPhone.

Pros:
– Third-party apps can recover photos that were permanently deleted or lost.
– You can use these apps without needing a computer or backup.

Cons:
– Third-party apps can be expensive or have limited functionality in the free version.
– Some apps may not be reliable or could cause data loss.

Method 5: Contact Apple Support

If none of the above methods work for you, or if you accidentally deleted important photos, you can contact Apple Support for help. Apple Support can provide you with more information on how to recover your lost photos, and they may have other solutions to help you restore your iPhone data.

1. Contact Apple Support via phone, email, or chat.
2. Provide them with information about your iPhone and the deleted photos.
3. Follow their instructions to recover your lost data.

Pros:
– Apple Support can provide you with customized solutions to recover your lost photos.
– They have more access to tools and information that can help you restore your iPhone data.

Cons:
– Contacting Apple Support can be time-consuming.
– It may not be possible to recover all of your lost data.

Why Can’t I Find Recently Deleted Photos on iPhone?

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to find recently deleted photos on iPhone:

1. The photos were permanently deleted: If the photos were deleted more than 30 days ago, they were permanently deleted and cannot be recovered from the Recently Deleted folder.

2. iCloud Photo Library was not enabled: If you did not have iCloud Photo Library enabled, your photos were not backed up to your iCloud account, and you cannot recover them from there.

3. iTunes backup was not performed: If you did not perform an iTunes backup of your iPhone before deleting the photos, you cannot recover them from iTunes.

Fixes:

1. Enable iCloud Photo Library: Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library. This will automatically back up all of your photos to your iCloud account.

2. Perform an iTunes backup: Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. Click on your iPhone icon, and then click on “Back Up Now” to perform a backup of your iPhone data.

3. Use a third-party app: Download and install a third-party application to recover deleted photos from your iPhone.

Implications and Recommendations

1. Backup your iPhone regularly: This will ensure that you have a copy of your important data, such as photos, in case anything goes wrong.

2. Enable iCloud Photo Library: This will automatically back up your photos to your iCloud account and make them easily accessible for recovery.

3. Be careful when deleting photos: Make sure you really want to delete a photo before doing so. If you accidentally delete a photo, act quickly to recover it before it’s permanently deleted.

5 FAQs about Finding Recently Deleted Photos on iPhone

Q1: Can I recover photos deleted more than 30 days ago?

A: No, photos that have been deleted for more than 30 days are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

Q2: Do I need a computer to recover my deleted photos?

A: No, you can recover your deleted photos using the built-in Recently Deleted folder or third-party photo recovery apps.

Q3: Can I recover deleted photos if I don’t have iCloud Photo Library enabled?

A: Yes, you can still recover deleted photos using third-party applications or restoring from an iTunes backup.

Q4: Will restoring my iPhone from an iTunes backup erase my current data?

A: Yes, restoring your iPhone from an iTunes backup will erase all existing data on your iPhone and replace it with the backup data.

Q5: Can I recover only some of my deleted photos using the Recently Deleted folder?

A: Yes, you can select which photos to recover from the Recently Deleted folder and leave others permanently deleted.

Final Words

Losing important photos can be a frustrating experience, but don’t worry, because there are many ways to recover recently deleted photos on iPhone. Try using the built-in Recently Deleted folder or restoring from an iCloud or iTunes backup. If those methods don’t work, consider using a third-party photo recovery app or contacting Apple Support for help. Remember to back up your iPhone regularly to avoid data loss in the future.

Scroll to Top