It is very common to accidentally delete important pictures while cleaning out your gallery, organizing or clearing up blurry pictures, formatting a drive, or damaging your storage device.
Here, we will walk you through a few methods that you can use to retrieve these deleted photos.
When Is A Photo Considered to Be Permanently Deleted? (PC)
When you delete a photo on your PC, it usually goes to the Recycle Bin. You can easily recover deleted photos using the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS).
Restore Deleted Photos From the Recycle Bin (Windows)
- Open Recycle Bin.
- Locate the deleted file and right-click on it.
- Click on Restore.
Retrieve Deleted Photos From Trash (Mac OS)
- Open Trash.
- Locate the deleted file and right-click on it.
- Click on Put Back.
However, when you use the Shift+Delete command, delete a file from the Recycle Bin or accidentally empty the Recycle Bin, it is then considered to be permanently deleted.
Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Photos?
Yes, It is possible to recover permanently deleted photos. However, conventional methods such as the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac) won’t work here.
In order to restore your permanently deleted photos, you can use the following solutions –
1. Retrieve Permanently Deleted Photos Using Cloud Backup (Phones)
A majority of our photos are stored in our smartphones today, and it is extremely easy to delete a photo with an accidental touch. The good news is that most media storage on today’s phones usually has a cloud backup if you have signed up for it (usually done while setting up new phones).
A. Recover Deleted Pictures using Google Photos
There are 2 scenarios in play here-
- You have deleted your photos from your phone’s internal storage.
- You have deleted images on Google Photos.
Scenario 1: You have Deleted your Photos from your phone’s internal storage.
If you have signed into your phone with your Google account and given all the relevant permissions to Google Photos then you can follow the steps below to easily recover your photos-
- Open Google Photos on your laptop (make sure to log in with your credentials).
- Locate your deleted photo and click on it.
- Click on the 3 dots in the top-right-hand corner and click on Download.
Scenario 2: You have Deleted The Image from Google Photos
When you delete an image from Google Photos, You can restore it within 60 days after deleting it. Follow the steps below to retrieve it.
- Open the Google Photos (the app)on your device.
- Use the search bar to locate and open “Bin”.
- Tap on the photo you want to recover.
- Tap Restore at the bottom of the screen to restore the deleted picture.
2. Retrieve Permanently Deleted Photos Using Professional Software (Recommended)
The most effective tool that you can use to recover permanently deleted pictures from any device is a professional photo recovery tool.
SFWare Data Recovery can recover photos from any device that includes but is not limited to
- USB drives
- SD cards
- External/Internal Hard Drives
- External/Internal SSDs
This tool is extremely user-friendly and has an advanced algorithm that allows first-time users to recover photos within minutes. You can try it for yourself by Downloading SFWare today!
1. Connect the storage device with the deleted/missing photos. (If the device in question is your primary computer system then ignore this step)
2. Download, install, and open SFWare Data Recovery.
3. Select the required drive and click on Start Scan.
(Note: If your system is unable to detect the external drive, try using the Refresh drive or Select Physical Drive option)
4. The software will scan and display all recovered photos organized into folders.
5. Navigate folders (“Deleted Files” and “Lost and Found Files”) and locate your photos.
(Tip: Use the filter option to make your search easier.)
6. Use the Preview feature to verify the photos before saving them to your PC.
7. Click on Save to restore photos to a chosen location.
3. Additional Options
1. Professional Recovery Service
Apart from all the solutions mentioned in this article, a professional data recovery service is by far the most effective. While it may be expensive and take more time/effort, it brings the best chances of a successful recovery.
2. Windows Backup and Restore Utility
If you have a backup file, you can use the Windows Backup and Restore Utility to recover your photos. Hopefully, you have maintained the backup drive well and can successfully restore your data using this method.
To Conclude
I hope that you were able to successfully recover permanently deleted photos with the help of this article. Most cases of this nature can be avoided by simply creating a backup beforehand. If you have any related queries or feedback please feel free to reach out!