Losing precious photos from your iPhone can feel devastating. Whether it was an accidental delete or a system crash, those memories may seem gone forever. But don’t panic. You have several options to retrieve deleted photos on your iPhone. This has happened to me, and I was able to recover deleted photos from my iPhone easily.
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Check the Recently Deleted Folder
The Photos app on your iPhone keeps a temporary album called Recently Deleted that stores images for up to 30 days after deletion. Here’s how to check it:
- Open the Photos app and select the Albums tab at the bottom.
- Scroll down to Utilities and tap Recently Deleted.
- Browse the folder for your photos.
- Select the images you want to recover.
- Tap Recover in the bottom right corner.
This easy process restores photos if you catch the deletion within 30 days. Just be aware the folder may disappear sooner if your iPhone storage fills up.
Restore from an iCloud Backup
If you have iCloud backups enabled, you can restore archived photos from the cloud. Follow these steps:
- Go to Settings => [Your Name] => iCloud => Manage Storage => Backups.
- Choose a backup that contains your deleted photos.
- Tap Restore iPhone and continue through the prompts to complete the restoration.
All your photos, texts, settings, and more will revert to the state they were in during that backup. Make sure the backup is fairly recent to increase the chances of retrieving the photos.
Note: This was you can only recover photos that have been backed up on iCloud. This method may not recover recently clicked photos that have not been backed up to iCloud.
Use iPhone Data Recovery Software
Third-party software provides another route to rescue deleted images. Apps like iMazing, EaseUS MobiSaver, and PhoneRescue can scour your iPhone’s storage for recoverable photo data.
Look for a tool that supports your specific iPhone model and iOS version. The recovery process involves connecting your iPhone to a computer, scanning the device, and restoring unsaved image files. Some tools are free to try with paid upgrades for full functionality.
Restore from an iTunes Backup
If you routinely back up your iPhone through iTunes on a computer, you may be able to recover deleted photos from there. Here’s what to do:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB and open iTunes.
- Click the phone icon in the top left corner.
- Select Restore Backup.
- Choose a backup containing the lost photos.
- Click Restore and let the recovery complete.
Like iCloud, iTunes backups store copies of your iPhone data, including photos. This method only works if you’ve been regularly backing up your computer.
Note: This was you can only recover photos that have been backed up on iTunes. This method may not recover recently clicked photos that have not been backed up to iTunes.
Check the iCloud Photo Library
The iCloud Photos feature can also help you recover deleted images. It synchronizes your photo library between devices connected to your iCloud account. Follow these steps on a computer:
- Go to icloud.com and sign in.
- Click Photos.
- Select the Recently Deleted folder.
- Choose the photos to restore.
- Click Recover.
This works if you had iCloud Photo Library enabled when you took the now-missing pictures. Just sign in at icloud.com within 30 days of deletion.
Don’t Despair, Do Recover!
Losing precious photos feels awful at the moment. But whether you restore from a backup, turn to data recovery software, or catch the deletions in time through Recently Deleted, the photos often aren’t gone forever. Now you know several techniques to rescue your lost iPhone photos. With some effort, you can recover those valuable memories.
