How to Check Deleted Photos on iPhone: A Comprehensive Guide

Accidentally deleted a precious photo or video from your iPhone? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Apple iPhones have a handy feature called the “Recently Deleted” album that acts like a recycle bin for your photos, giving you a chance to recover them. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to check deleted photos on your iPhone and get them back, if needed.

Understanding the Recently Deleted Album on iPhone

When you delete photos or videos from your iPhone’s Photos app, they aren’t immediately gone forever. Instead, they are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album. This album serves as a temporary holding place for your deleted media for 30 days. Think of it as a safety net, providing you with a window to change your mind and restore your memories.

The Recently Deleted album is conveniently located within the Utilities section of your Photos app, making it easily accessible when you need it. It’s important to remember that after 30 days, the items in this album are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered from your device.

How to Access the Recently Deleted Album to Check Deleted Photos

Finding your deleted photos is straightforward. Here’s how to access the Recently Deleted album on your iPhone:

1. Open the Photos App: Locate and tap the Photos app icon on your iPhone’s home screen.

2. Navigate to the Albums Tab: At the bottom of the Photos app, you’ll see a navigation bar. Tap on “Albums”.

3. Scroll Down to Utilities: Scroll down the Albums screen until you find the “Utilities” section.

4. Tap on Recently Deleted: Within the Utilities section, you will see the “Recently Deleted” album. Tap on it.

   iPhone showing Recently Deleted album option

   Alt text: Accessing the Recently Deleted album on an iPhone shown in the Photos app under the Utilities section, highlighting the “Recently Deleted” option.

5. Unlock if Necessary: If you are running iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, the Recently Deleted album is locked by default for security. You may need to use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock and view the contents of the album.

Once you are in the Recently Deleted album, you will see all the photos and videos you have deleted within the last 30 days, displayed in chronological order of deletion.

Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos from the Recently Deleted Album

If you find photos or videos in the Recently Deleted album that you want to restore, the process is simple:

1. Open the Recently Deleted Album: Follow the steps above to access the Recently Deleted album.

2. Tap Select: In the top right corner of the screen, tap the “Select” button.

3. Choose Photos to Recover: Tap on each photo or video you wish to recover. You will see a checkmark appear on the selected items. Alternatively, you can tap “Recover All” at the bottom of the screen to restore everything in the album.

4. Tap Recover: Once you have selected the photos you want to recover, tap the “Recover” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.

   iPhone showing multiple photos selected in the Recently Deleted album

   Alt text: Recovering multiple deleted photos on an iPhone, showing selected photos in the Recently Deleted album and the “Recover” option.

5. Confirm Recovery: Confirm your action by tapping “Recover Photos” (or “Recover Videos” or “Recover [Number] Items”) when prompted.

The recovered photos and videos will be restored to their original locations in your Photos Library, appearing in your “Recents” album and any albums they were previously in.

Permanently Deleting Photos from the Recently Deleted Album

If you are sure you want to permanently remove photos and free up storage space, you can also manually delete items from the Recently Deleted album before the 30-day period is up. Here’s how:

1. Access the Recently Deleted Album: Open the Photos app and navigate to the Recently Deleted album as described earlier.

2. Tap Select: Tap the “Select” button in the top right corner.

3. Choose Photos to Permanently Delete: Select the photos and videos you want to permanently delete.

4. Tap Delete: Tap the “Delete” button at the bottom left corner of the screen.

5. Confirm Permanent Deletion: Confirm your action by tapping “Delete Photos” (or “Delete Videos” or “Delete [Number] Items”) when prompted. Remember that this action is irreversible, and permanently deleted photos cannot be recovered.

Conclusion

The Recently Deleted album on your iPhone is an invaluable tool for managing your photos and recovering accidentally deleted memories. Knowing how to check deleted photos on your iPhone and utilize this feature can save you from the heartache of permanently losing precious images. Just remember to check the Recently Deleted album within 30 days of deletion to recover any photos you might want back, and to permanently delete photos from this album if you wish to free up space and ensure they are gone for good.