Accidentally deleted important photos? Don’t panic. Whether they were removed from your phone, computer, SD card, or cloud account — there are multiple ways to recover deleted photos, even if they seem lost forever.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover:
- How to recover deleted photos from Recycle Bin or Trash
- Free photo recovery software like Recuva
- How to restore recently deleted photos on Android, iPhone, or Cloud
- Deleted photo recovery tips for SD cards and formatted drives
No tech background required — just follow these step-by-step methods. Let’s explore how to recover deleted photos easily using free tools and backup methods.
How to Recover Deleted Photos on Windows PC or Laptop
Restore from Recycle Bin
If you’ve recently deleted the photo, it’s likely in the Recycle Bin.
- Double-click on Recycle Bin from your desktop.
- Locate the deleted photo(s).
- Right-click > Restore.
- The file will be returned to its original folder.
Recycle Bin stores deleted files until it exceeds size limits or is emptied.
Use File History or Backup
If File History is enabled, you can retrieve previous versions.
- Navigate to the folder where the photo was saved.
- Right-click > Restore previous versions.
- Select an older version and click Restore.
Or restore from an external backup if available.
Use Photo Recovery Software Recuva
Recuva is a popular free file recovery software for Windows. It can restore photos, videos, music, and documents from:
- Internal hard disks
- External hard drives
- USB pen drives
- SD cards
- Even formatted or corrupted drives
The file format which is supported is FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5.
The best part? Recuva is completely free and works on all versions of Windows. Whether you’ve deleted files accidentally, due to bugs, system crashes, or virus attacks, Recuva can help bring them back.
How to recover deleted photos from computer using Recuva
Let’s walk through the step-by-step guide using Recuva to recover deleted photos. For this example, we’ll recover data from a USB flash drive, but the process is similar for your computer drives.
“Download and install Recuva” from the official website.
Open Recuva, Select the type of file you want to recover — in this case, choose Pictures.
Choose the drive you want to scan (e.g., USB flash drive or D:/).
A “green icon” indicates the file is in good condition and can be recovered.
A “red icon” means the file is overwritten or damaged, and recovery is not guaranteed.
Select the photos you want to restore.
Choose a different location (NOT the same drive) to save the recovered files.
That’s it! Your deleted photos are now recovered.
If you face any difficulty, you can watch a video tutorial for better understanding.
Recover Recently Deleted Photos on Android Phones
Check “Recently Deleted” or Trash/Bin Folder
Most smartphones and photo apps (like Google Photos, iCloud, or Gallery) store deleted photos temporarily before permanently removing them. You can recover from “Recently Deleted” Folder
- Open the Gallery or Google Photos app.
- Go to the Trash or Bin folder.
- Select the deleted photo(s) and tap Restore.
Restore from Google Photos Backup
- Go to photos.google.com and log in.
- Open the Trash section.
- Recover photos (available for 60 days after deletion).
- Tap Restore — photos return to your Google Photos library.
Recover Deleted Photos on iPhone/iPad
Use Recently Deleted Folder in Photos App
- Open the Photos app.
- Scroll down to Albums > Recently Deleted.
- Select the photos > Recover.
iOS stores deleted photos for 30 days before permanent deletion.
Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card, USB Drive, or Camera
Use Data Recovery Software (Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery.)
- Remove the SD card and connect it to your computer.
- Use Recuva, or EaseUS Data Recovery.
These tools can help retrieve deleted photos even from formatted, corrupted, or unreadable SD cards.
Losing precious photos can be frustrating, but as you’ve seen, knowing how to recover deleted photos gives you a real chance at getting them back. Whether you’re restoring recently deleted items from the Trash, using cloud backups, or trying recovery software like Recuva — you have multiple reliable options.
The best part? These methods are beginner-friendly, effective, and often free — so you can recover your memories without stress or cost.