How to recover deleted photos? Top 5 tricks & methods you need to know

We live in a world where photographs are integral to our lives. Not only do they connect us to our past but they also remind us of those beautiful experiences which we had encountered.

Almost everyone has access to a camera these days, and countless pictures are taken every second. But what if these photos get deleted by accident or due to an unknown error. 

No matter what the reason was, there can be nothing worse than losing those precious moments. Don’t panic! Thankfully, due to the advancement in technology, there are numerous ways to recover your beloved photos.

So let’s deep dive into some of the methods through which you can recover deleted photos from SD Cards, Windows PC/MAC, iPhone and Android devices effectively. 

1. Recover deleted photos from MAC

Even if the photos have been deleted accidentally or due to some OS malfunction, rest assured they are still on your Macbook only. 

As of now, the space which was occupied by the deleted photos will now be shown as available for storage. You can recover deleted photos from Mac before any new data overwrites them. In such a situation, you should not use the folder or drive where the photos were originally saved. Else, it can become very difficult to recover deleted photos from Mac.

Here are some effective ways to retrieve your precious photos from Mac:

• Restore photos from trash

The moment the photos are deleted, they automatically go to the macOS trash. The photos stay in the trash for 30 days before getting permanently deleted.

Follow the given steps to retrieve your photos from the trash:

1. Go to the trash folder and look for the deleted pictures.
2. Select the photos you want to retrieve and then right-click on them
3. Choose the ‘Put Back’ option and the photos will be restored to the original location.

• Restore using Time Machine Backup

If you use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac, then you can easily retrieve the deleted photos. Here are the steps which you can follow to restore deleted photos from Time Machine:

1. Open the ‘Time Machine’ option in the menu bar or go to System Preferences and then 

Time Machine.

2. Time Machine will show all the available backups. Find the last backup and then go to your photo library backup and select it.

3. Click on ‘Restore’ and this way, your photos will be restored to their original location.

• Recover deleted photos from iTunes backup

This method will work only if you have created a backup of your iTunes library on an external drive.

Follow the given steps to restore deleted photos from iTunes backup:

1. On Macbook, the iTunes backup is stored in Library > Application Support > MobileSync > Backup. 
2. Open your external drive and then copy the iTunes folder.
3. Paste the iTunes folder to another location.
4. Holding down the Option key, open iTunes and click ‘Choose Library’.
5. Select and open the location where you copied the iTunes folder.
6. Now choose the iTunes Library.itl file.

• Restore using photo recovery software

If none of the above-mentioned methods worked for you, then you should take the help of a reliable Photo recovery software for Mac.

Just follow these simple steps to restore deleted photos from Mac:

1. Download and install Stellar Mac Photo Recovery for Mac.
2. Launch the software and you will see ‘Select What to Recover’ option.
3. You can choose ‘Photos’ and then click Next.
4. Select the drive or folder where the photos were originally there. Then tap on Scan.
5. On the top, you will see the ‘Advanced Settings’ option. Open it and then Add File Type or Edit File Type or select Filter.
6. Tap on Next.
7. Once the scanning is complete, you will see all the scanned files and folders. You can preview these files before saving them. 
8. Choose the photos you want to retrieve and then click on Recover.
9. Now press on Save. This will restore your photos to the chosen drive/folder.

2. Recover Deleted Photos from Windows 

If you have accidentally deleted your photos on Windows PC then you need not worry. Here are some easy and effective methods to recover deleted photos from Windows PC:

• Restore photos from Recycle Bin

If you have accidentally deleted the photos on your Windows PC, then you should first check the Recycle Bin folder. Follow the given steps to retrieve your beloved photos:

1. Open Recycle Bin folder.
2. Select the photos that you want to restore.
3. Choose the Restore option after right-clicking on the picture.

All photos and files in Recycle Bin are automatically deleted after 30 days.

• Use Windows Backup and Restore Utility

Using Windows built-in backup and restore utility, you can easily recover deleted photos from Windows PC. This method can be used only when you regularly take a backup of your photos and computer data.

Below are the steps which you need to follow to get your photos back:

1. First, you need to plug in an external storage media to your Windows PC.
2. Go to Control Panel and then tap on Backup and Restore.
3. Here you will get two options- either choose ‘Restore my files’ or ‘Restore all users’ files’. 
4. Now choose the deleted photos which you want to restore. 
5. Tap on ‘Browse for files’ or ‘Browse for folder’. 
6. Then click Next and Restore photos to the storage media.

• Photo Recovery Software

Now, what if you haven’t created a backup of your photos and neither can you find them in Recycle Bin? Don’t panic! In such a situation, a DIY (do-it-yourself) tool 

such as Stellar’s Photo Recovery Software can come to your rescue. 

Stellar Photo Recovery software can help you recover lost or deleted photos from all types of storage devices. You can download the free trial version for Windows PC to preview your deleted photos. 

Follow these simple steps to retrieve your deleted photos from Windows:

1. Download and install Stellar Photo Recovery for Windows.
2. After launching the software, the screen will show Recover Photo, Audio and Video tab.
3. Here, you have to choose the drive from where you want to retrieve the deleted photos.
4. Then click Scan. 
5. Once the scan is complete, it will show all the lost photos in three panes such as ‘File Type’, ‘Tree View’ and Deleted List’. 
6. You can also preview the scanned files before restoring them.
7. Now choose the photos and tap on Recover. 
8. Select Browse, then choose a desired location where your photos will be stored.
9. Then tap on Start Saving. 

3. Recover deleted photos from SD Card

SD cards are often used in addition to the internal storage of any device. But what if it gets corrupted or you accidentally format the SD card? Don’t you worry as you can try the following methods to recover deleted photos from SD Card:

• Windows Explorer

At times, the files, photos and folders on your SD card are not visible and are completely hidden when you accidentally use a malware-infected PC. 

Here are the steps to recover hidden photos from an SD card:

1. Plug in your SD card to your PC.
2. Go to Windows Explorer and select Tools.
3. Now tap on Folder options and select View.
4. Here it will show hidden files or photos or folders.
5. Uncheck Hide and now you can access all the photos on your SD card.

• CHKDSK Command

Sometimes when you check the contents of your SD card, it shows an error message. You can fix this by following the given steps:

1. Go to My Computer from the Windows taskbar.
2. Then select Devices > Removable Storage and you will find your SD card there.
3. Now open Command Prompt by typing cmd in the search box. 
4. Click Run as administrator.
5. Type chkdsk in the Command Prompt window followed by the letter of the SD card, e.g., chkdsk E: /f and then press Enter. 

CHKDSK command will try to fix all possible errors in your SD card. If you can easily access your SD card in removable storage or on your computer, then using CHKDSK Command, you can retrieve your photos. 

4. Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone

There are multiple ways to recover deleted photos from the iPhone. One of them is to check the internal storage which has recently deleted photos for a period which is generally 30 days.

• Recover Deleted Photos from Photos app/Gallery

Here are the steps which you need to follow to recover deleted photos from Gallery on iPhone:

1. Go to the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Select the Albums option and once you scroll down to the bottom of the display, you will see ‘Recently Deleted’. 
3. Select the ‘Recently Deleted’ option and then choose the photos which you want to retrieve. 
4. Then tap on ‘Recover’. 

• Recover Deleted Photos from iCloud 

Creating backups in iCloud is probably one of the best ways to protect your images, videos, files etc. 

Just follow these easy steps to recover deleted photos from iCloud.com

1. Open iCloud.com and then sign in with your Apple ID.
2. Select Photos > Albums at the top and then tap on the ‘Recently Deleted’ album.
3. Now choose the pictures which you want to retrieve and tap on 

Recover to get your deleted photos back. 

5. Recover Deleted Photos from Android phone

There are several methods to recover deleted photos from Android phones. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective methods:

• Trash

Many Android devices have a Trash folder in the Gallery app. All the photos remain in this folder for 30 days before getting automatically deleted. 

Follow the given steps to restore deleted photos from your Android phone:

1. Go to the Gallery app.
2. You will see Trash option here.
3. Choose the photos which you want to retrieve and then tap on Restore.
4. All your deleted photos will now appear in their original folder/location. 

• Google Drive Backup

If you have backed up your photos on Google Drive then it is very easy to retrieve your photos on an Android phone.

Follow these simple steps which are given below :

1. Log in to your Google Drive account on your Android phone.
2. You can now see all backed-up photos here.
3. Select the photos you want to retrieve and then tap on Download.