How To Recover Deleted Photos On Phone And Computer (2026)
You deleted photos by accident and the gallery no longer shows them.
They are often still recoverable for 30 days in a trash folder, and sometimes longer in a backup.
Check the places below in order, starting with the fastest, and stop as soon as your photos come back.
Where are deleted photos kept, and for how long?
Most apps move deleted photos to a trash folder instead of erasing them right away.
| Where to look | How long deleted photos stay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, Mac: Recently Deleted | 30 days | Apple Support |
| iCloud.com: Recently Deleted | 30 days | Apple Support |
| Google Photos: Trash | 30 days | Google Photos Help |
| Samsung Gallery: Recycle bin | 30 days | Samsung Support |
| OneDrive: Recycle bin (personal account) | 30 days | Microsoft Support |
| OneDrive: Recycle bin (work or school account) | 93 days, unless the admin changed it | Microsoft Support |
After that window, Apple and Google both say the item is permanently deleted.
How do I recover deleted photos on an iPhone or iPad?
- Open the Photos app, swipe up and tap Recently Deleted in the Utilities section.
- Tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
- Tap a photo or video, then tap Recover, and confirm.
To bring back several at once, tap Select, choose the items, tap the More button and tap Recover.
How do I recover photos from iCloud.com?
The same 30-day trash is available in a browser.
- Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Click Photos, then Recently Deleted in the sidebar.
- Select a photo and click Recover.
If the sidebar is hidden, click the Show Sidebar button in the upper-left corner.
How do I recover deleted photos from Google Photos?
On Android, open Google Photos, go to Collections, then Trash.
Touch and hold the photo and choose Restore, and it returns to your library, its albums and your phone’s gallery app.
- Time limit: Google says you can restore an item moved to Trash less than 30 days ago, if Trash was not emptied.
- Archived photos: an archived item can be unarchived so it appears in your library again.
- Permanent deletes: Google says permanently deleted items cannot be restored.
How do I recover deleted photos on a Samsung Galaxy?
Samsung’s Gallery app has its own Recycle bin, separate from Google Photos.
- Open the Gallery app and tap Menu.
- Select Recycle bin, then tap Edit.
- Select the photos and tap Restore.
Menu names can vary by software version, so check Google Photos too if you use it as your gallery.
Samsung’s page notes you may be signed in to a different Google Account than the one you backed up to, so check the account if photos seem missing.
How do I recover deleted photos on a computer?
On a computer, check the Recycle Bin on Windows or the Trash on a Mac before anything else.
| Where the photo lived | First place to check | Next place |
|---|---|---|
| Windows folder | Recycle Bin | OneDrive recycle bin, if the folder synced |
| Mac Photos app | Recently Deleted in Photos | Time Machine backup |
| Mac folder | Trash | Time Machine backup |
How do I recover deleted photos in the Mac Photos app?
On macOS Ventura or later, Apple’s steps are short.
- Open Photos and select Recently Deleted in the Utilities section of the sidebar.
- Unlock it with Touch ID or your login password.
- Click the photo or video, then click Recover.
The same 30-day limit applies, so older deletions have to come from a backup.
How do I restore deleted photos from OneDrive?
- Go to onedrive.com and sign in.
- Select Recycle bin in the navigation pane.
- Select each item’s check box, then select Restore.
Microsoft says files permanently deleted from the OneDrive recycle bin cannot be restored.
Microsoft 365 subscribers can also roll the whole OneDrive back to any point in the last 30 days.
How do I restore photos from a Time Machine backup?
If Time Machine was on, a backup can contain photos that were deleted weeks ago.
- Quit Photos.
- Open Time Machine from the menu bar, or go to System Settings, General, Time Machine.
- Select a backup date, choose your photo library and click Restore.
Warning: Apple says that if you use iCloud Photos, restoring the library can bring back photos you deleted since the last backup and upload them to iCloud again.
If you use Optimize Mac Storage, Time Machine may not hold full-resolution originals, which stay in iCloud.
Which fix matches my situation?
Use this table to jump to the right section.
| Your situation | Best fix | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Deleted on an iPhone within the last month | Recently Deleted album | 30 days |
| Deleted in Google Photos on Android | Trash in Collections | 30 days |
| Deleted on a Samsung Galaxy | Gallery Recycle bin | 30 days |
| Deleted from a synced OneDrive folder | OneDrive recycle bin | 30 days (personal) |
| Deleted more than 30 days ago | Time Machine or another backup | Depends on your backups |
What if the photos are not in any trash folder?
Check places that may hold copies, such as email attachments, chat apps and a phone you replaced.
- Search your email for messages with attachments you sent or received.
- Look through your chat history for photos you shared.
- Check a previous phone or computer that was never wiped.
Free recovery tools exist for memory cards and drives, but results vary, and nothing guarantees a photo is recoverable once it is overwritten.
Stop taking new photos or saving files to the same card or drive until you have tried recovery.
Official help pages
Apple: recover deleted photos, Google Photos: restore deleted photos, Microsoft: restore deleted OneDrive files and Apple: restore a Photos library from Time Machine.
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