If you’ve ever lost photos from your phone, you know how upsetting it can be. Our smartphones hold so many memories and iconic moments. There are ways to get your deleted photos back before they disappear for good.
In this article, we share how to recover deleted photos from iPhone.
1. Determine Whether Your Photos Are Still Recoverable
If you’re using an iPhone, there’s a good chance your photos can be recovered if any of the following apply:
- The photos were deleted within the last 30 days and are still in the Recently Deleted album.
- You had iCloud Photos turned on, and the images still exist in iCloud.
- Your iPhone has an iCloud backup or computer backup (Finder/iTunes) created before the deletion.
- You haven’t used your phone much since deleting the photos, just a few new pictures or downloads won’t usually overwrite them.
2. How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone
Accidentally deleted photos? You can still get them back, depending on how long ago they disappeared and if you have a backup handy.
How to Recover Deleted Photos from the Recently Deleted Album
If you change your mind during that window, you can get your photos back with just a few taps.
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Recently Deleted.
- Tap View Album, and unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
- Select the photo or video you want to restore.
- Select Recover in the bottom-right corner.
If you want to bring back several photos at once, here’s how to recover deleted photos from iPhone in bulk:
- Open the Recently Deleted album.
- Tap Select.
- Choose the photos you want to recover.
- Hit the More button (the three dots), then choose Recover to confirm.
Your recovered photos and videos will be returned to their original locations in your Photos library.
>>> Read more: How to Turn Off Find My iPhone: Step-by-Step Guide
How to Recover Deleted Photos Through iCloud
To get these photos back:
- Head to icloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Once you’re in, look for the Recently Deleted folder in the sidebar.
- Select any photos or videos you want to bring back.
- Click Recover to restore them to your library.
- If you’re asked to confirm, just follow the prompt.
How to Restore Deleted Photos on iPhone From Backups
In case you’ve backed up your iPhone before, whether through iCloud backup, Finder, or iTunes, you have the option to restore your device.
Keep in mind that restoring from a backup replaces your current data with the data saved in that backup. Double-check that the backup actually includes the photos you’re hoping to get back.
If you have an iCloud backup created before the photos were deleted,
- Turn on your iPhone and follow the setup until Transfer Your Apps & Data.
- Tap From iCloud Backup.
- Sign in with your Apple Account.
- Choose the backup made before the photos were deleted (check date and size).
- Update to the latest iOS version if prompted.
- Sign in again to restore apps and purchases if needed.
- Keep your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi and power until the restore finishes. Photos and other data may continue downloading in the background.
>>> Read more: How to Transfer Data From One iPhone to Another in 5 Reliable Ways
3. Special iPhone Photo Recovery Situation
Sometimes, getting your deleted photos back isn’t so simple. Still, you’ve got a few things you can try.
If your iPhone screen is broken, don’t panic yet. Your photos might still be safe in iCloud or a local backup. However, things get trickier if the phone won’t turn on, is badly damaged inside, or was never backed up in the first place.
If you’ve cleared out both your Photos library and the Recently Deleted album, those pictures are basically gone permanently. At this point, your best options are to restore an older iCloud backup or a Finder/iTunes backup, or to try a third-party recovery tool.
4. FAQs
Can you recover deleted photos on iPhone after deleting from recently deleted?
In most cases, no. After you delete photos from the Recently Deleted album, they’re permanently removed from Apple’s system, and there’s no way to get them back directly from the iPhone.
How long are deleted photos kept on iPhone?
Deleted photos on an iPhone are kept in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before being automatically removed. During that time, you can bring them back at any point through the Photos app.
Do deleted iPhone photos go to iCloud?
If you delete a photo on your iPhone, it disappears from iCloud too, since your photo library syncs across devices.
How to recover permanently deleted photos from iCloud after 30 days?
The only way to get them back is if you have an older iCloud backup, Finder/iTunes backup, or if you’ve saved them to another cloud service like Google Photos or OneDrive.
5. Conclusion
Acting fast is key when learning how to recover deleted photos from iPhone. The sooner you try to recover them, the better your chances. To avoid losing important pictures in the future, make sure you have regular backups and cloud storage whenever possible.
