Deleted photos: what to do first
Deleted photos are often still there, hidden but not yet gone. What you do in the next few minutes decides whether they can be brought back.
1. Stop using the device
When a photo is deleted, the space it used is marked as free, but the photo stays until something new is saved over it. Every new photo, download or update makes recovery less likely. If the photos were on a camera card, take the card out and don't take any more pictures on it.
2. Check the places deleted photos wait
- Windows or Mac: look in the Recycle Bin or Bin.
- iPhone: open Photos, then Albums, then Recently Deleted. Photos usually stay there for about 30 days.
- Android and Google Photos: check the Bin or Trash in your gallery app and in Google Photos.
- Cloud backups: sign in to iCloud, Google Photos or OneDrive on another device. The photos may have been backed up without you realising.
3. Don't install recovery software on the same drive
Downloading a recovery program onto the drive you are trying to rescue can overwrite the very photos you want. If you use software at all, install it on a different computer and connect the drive or card to that.
What can and can't be recovered
- Memory cards and USB sticks: good chances, as long as the card hasn't been used much since.
- Older hard drives: often recoverable, even after formatting.
- Modern laptops with SSDs: harder. These drives clear deleted data in the background, sometimes within minutes.
- Phones: once photos have left Recently Deleted and there is no backup, they usually cannot be recovered, because modern phones are encrypted.
Not sure which you have? Send us a message with the make of the device. We'll tell you honestly whether it's worth trying, and there's no fee if we recover nothing.
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