How to recover deleted photos from iPhone

Edited 2 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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One of the most frustrating experiences for any smartphone user is accidentally deleting precious photos. If you have an iPhone and you've accidentally deleted your photos, don't worry; there are several methods you can try to recover them. This guide explains different ways to recover your deleted photos, including using the 'Recently Deleted' folder, iCloud backup, iTunes/Finder backup, and third-party recovery software.

Method 1: Recover from 'Recently Deleted' album

When you delete photos on your iPhone, they are moved to the 'Recently Deleted' album, where they stay for 30 days before being permanently deleted. This is the fastest and easiest way to recover deleted photos.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Go to the Albums tab in the bottom right corner.
3. Scroll down to find the Recently Deleted album, then tap it.
4. Inside the ‘Recently Deleted’ album, you will see all the photos that have been deleted in the last 30 days.
5. Select the photos you want to recover, then tap the Recover option in the bottom right corner.
6. Confirm your action by tapping Recover Photos.

Example

Let's say you deleted a photo of your pet cat yesterday. To recover it, you need to open the Photos app, go to the Recently Deleted album, select the photo of your cat and tap Recover. The photo will be restored to its original album.

Method 2: Recover using iCloud backup

If you have enabled iCloud backup, you can restore your deleted photos from iCloud backup. This method will only work if you have been regularly backing up your iPhone to iCloud before the photos were deleted.

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
2. Tap Manage storage > Backup.
3. Select the backup that contains the photos you want to recover.
4. Restore your iPhone from the selected backup. Note: Restoring an iCloud backup will overwrite all changes made to your iPhone since the date of the backup.
5. To restore, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
6. Follow the on-screen setup instructions until you reach the 'Apps & Data' screen.
7. Select Restore from iCloud Backup.
8. Sign in to iCloud and choose a backup to restore.

Example

Imagine you took a photo at a family event last weekend and accidentally deleted it today. If you backed up your iPhone before this weekend, you can restore the iCloud backup from last week to recover the photo. However, this will also revert your iPhone to its state from the backup date, meaning you may lose any new data created after that point.

Method 3: Recover using iTunes/Finder backup

If you back up your iPhone using iTunes (for Windows or macOS Mojave and earlier) or Finder (for macOS Catalina and later), you can restore your device from that backup to recover deleted photos.

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
2. Open iTunes or Finder.
3. Select your iPhone when it appears in the app.
4. Click the Summary tab (iTunes) or the General tab (Finder).
5. Click Restore Backup.
6. Select the backup you want to restore.
7. Click on Restore and wait for the process to complete.

Example

Let's say you took a lot of photos during your vacation and accidentally deleted them. If you created a backup in iTunes or Finder right before your vacation, you can connect your iPhone to your computer, use the restore function in iTunes or Finder to recover those photos, and your iPhone will be back to the state it was in when you created the backup.

Method 4: Using third-party recovery software

If the above methods don't work, you can try using third-party data recovery software. These programs can scan your iPhone for deleted files and try to recover them. Some popular options include Dr.Fone, iMobie PhoneRescue, and Enigma Recovery.

Please note that using third-party software often requires a purchase, and there is no guarantee of successful recovery. Here's how you typically use these tools:

1. Download and install data recovery software on your computer.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
3. Open the data recovery software and follow the on-screen instructions to scan your iPhone.
4. Preview and select the photos you want to recover.
5. Follow the instructions to complete the recovery process.

Common step example

Suppose you deleted important photos from a business conference. Suppose you decided to try Dr.Fone for recovery. You will download Dr.Fone on your computer, connect your iPhone via USB, scan through Dr.Fone according to the app instructions, preview the recoverable photos, and save the photos you retrieved from the conference.

Preventive measures

Although recovering deleted photos can often be successful, it is best to take preventive measures to avoid such a situation in the future. Here are some tips:

• Enable iCloud backup: Make sure your iPhone is regularly backing up to iCloud. That way, if you ever accidentally delete photos, you'll have a recent backup to restore.
• Manual backups: Create manual backups regularly using iTunes or Finder on your computer.
• Google Photos: Consider using Google Photos or another similar service to automatically back up all your photos. This provides an extra layer of security.
• Photo organizer: Use albums and photo organizers in your Photos app to better manage your pictures, reducing the risk of accidental deletion.

Conclusion

Accidentally deleting important photos from your iPhone can be frustrating, but there are ways to recover them. Checking the 'Recently Deleted' album should be your first step, as this is the fastest and easiest way to recover recently deleted photos. If you have regular backups via iCloud or iTunes/Finder, these can also be used to restore deleted photos, although these have their own challenges, such as overwriting existing data.

If all else fails, third-party recovery software may offer another way to recover your photos. While these solutions can sometimes be expensive, they often provide a viable way to restore lost data.

Always consider preventive measures to avoid losing important photos in the future. Regular backups, using cloud services, and organizing your photos can help protect against accidental deletion.

By following these methods, you will be able to recover your deleted photos and prevent future loss.

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