How to Recover Deleted Photos on Your Phone
Advertisement
Did you accidentally delete that photo from your trip, reset your phone thinking you’d already backed everything up, or is your memory card suddenly refusing to open? Take a breath, you’re not the only one dealing with this right now.
Birthday photos, graduation, family trips, your kid’s first steps… losing that kind of memory really hurts. And the worst part is that nagging feeling of „is it gone for good?“
The good news is that, in most cases, it’s still possible to get them back. There are free apps for simple attempts and professional tools for trickier situations, like a reset phone or a corrupted SD card.
I’ve put together 7 apps that genuinely help recover deleted photos, from the simplest option to the most advanced. One important heads-up before you start: stop taking new photos or installing apps right now, since that can overwrite the space where your photos are still sitting, lowering your chances of recovery.
Google Photos (Trash)
Before downloading any new app, it’s worth checking the most obvious place first: the Google Photos trash folder. A lot of people forget, but deleted photos stay there for up to 60 days before being permanently removed.
This should be the first place you look, since recovery here is instant and completely free.
Quick tutorial:
- Open the Google Photos app
- Tap „Library,“ then „Trash“
- Look for the photo you deleted
- Tap it and select „Restore“
- Done! It goes right back to your original album
⚠️ Heads up: if it’s been more than 60 days, the photo may have already been permanently deleted from the trash.
Recently Deleted (iPhone)
On iPhone, the process is similar. The „Recently Deleted“ album keeps deleted photos for up to 30 days before they’re erased for good.
This is always the first step to try before moving on to any paid tool.
Quick tutorial:
- Open the Photos app
- Go to „Albums“
- Scroll down to „Utilities“ and tap „Recently Deleted“
- Select the photo you need
- Tap „Recover“
DiskDigger
If the photo is no longer in the trash, DiskDigger is one of the most well-known tools for doing a deeper scan of your Android storage.
The free version already finds a lot, but the premium version unlocks a more thorough scan and recovery of larger files, like videos.
Quick tutorial:
- Download the DiskDigger app
- Grant the requested permissions
- Choose „Basic scan“ (faster) or „Full scan“ (deeper)
- Select the photos it finds
- Tap „Recover“ and choose where to save them
- Upgrade to premium if you need to recover larger files
💡 Tip: run the full scan if the basic search doesn’t find your photo.
Dr.Fone
Dr.Fone is one of the most complete tools on the market, especially useful if you accidentally reset your phone or switched devices without transferring your files first.
It works on both Android and iPhone, walking you through a guided process that locates photos, videos, and even deleted messages. The initial scan is free, but full recovery requires the paid version, which usually comes with a limited-time free trial.
Quick tutorial:
- Install Dr.Fone on your computer or phone
- Connect your device (or scan directly through the app)
- Select „Data Recovery“
- Choose „Photos“ as the file type
- Wait for the scan to finish
- Activate the free trial to unlock full recovery
EaseUS MobiSaver
EaseUS MobiSaver is another strong option, especially for photos lost due to a corrupted SD card or system error. It also recovers videos and contacts.
The free version lets you recover a limited number of files, and the premium subscription unlocks unlimited recovery.
Quick tutorial:
- Download EaseUS MobiSaver
- Connect your phone or insert the SD card into your computer
- Select the location you want to scan
- Check „Photos“ under file types
- Preview the results before recovering
- Subscribe to the premium plan if you need to recover everything
Disc Drill
Disc Drill is widely used by people who lost photos after accidentally resetting their phone or due to internal storage failure. It has a simple interface and shows a preview of your photos before recovering them.
Scanning is free, but restoring the files you find requires the Pro plan, which usually comes with a discount on your first subscription.
Quick tutorial:
- Install Disc Drill
- Select your phone’s storage or SD card
- Start the scan
- Check the photos you want to recover
- Upgrade to the Pro plan to restore them
- Save the files to a safe location
Google One (Backup So It Never Happens Again)
Once you’ve recovered your photos, the smart move is to make sure this never happens again. Google One offers automatic backup for your photo library in the cloud, with plans that go beyond the standard free storage tier.
Turning on automatic backup means a factory reset, a lost phone, or a device upgrade won’t ever wipe out your memories again.
Quick tutorial:
- Download the Google One app
- Turn on automatic photo and video backup
- Check your available storage space
- Upgrade your plan if the free tier isn’t enough
- Confirm the backup is running in the background
Don’t Let Your Memories Disappear
Losing important photos is stressful, but as you can see, in most cases they can still be recovered, especially if you act fast and stop using your phone’s storage as soon as you notice the problem.
Always start with the simplest option first (Google Photos trash or Recently Deleted), and if that doesn’t work, move on to more advanced tools like DiskDigger, Dr.Fone, EaseUS MobiSaver, or Disk Drill.
And once you’ve recovered them, don’t take that risk again: turn on automatic cloud backup.
Which of these apps are you trying first?
- Google Photos (Play Store | App Store)
- DiskDigger (Play Store)
- Dr.Fone (Play Store | App Store)
- EaseUS MobiSaver (Play Store)
- Disk Drill (App Store)
- Google One (Play Store | App Store)
