Losing precious photos from your Android phone can be a distressing experience. Whether it’s due to accidental deletion, a software glitch, or a factory reset, the thought of losing those memories can be upsetting. Fortunately, recovering lost photos on Android is often possible. This guide will walk you through various proven methods to retrieve your deleted pictures and offer tips to prevent future data loss.
Understanding Android Photo Recovery
Just like any other file on your phone, when you delete a photo on your Android device, it’s not immediately gone forever. Instead, the space it occupied is marked as available for new data. The photo remains recoverable until new data overwrites that space. This is why acting quickly is crucial for successful photo recovery.
However, Android’s security measures limit direct access to the system’s storage, making data recovery slightly more complex than on a desktop computer. While rooting your Android device can enhance the capabilities of recovery tools by granting unrestricted access, it’s not always necessary, and rooting itself can potentially overwrite the data you’re trying to recover if done after the photo deletion.
The Role of Rooting in Android Photo Recovery
Rooting your Android device is akin to gaining administrator rights on a Windows PC. It bypasses manufacturer restrictions and gives you full control over your phone’s operating system. For data recovery, root access significantly empowers recovery applications. With root, these apps can perform a deep scan of your phone’s internal storage, increasing the chances of finding and restoring deleted photos that might otherwise be inaccessible.
However, rooting your phone after you’ve lost photos is not recommended. The rooting process itself involves writing data to your phone’s storage, which could overwrite the very photos you are trying to recover, making them unrecoverable. If you plan to use root-dependent recovery methods, it’s best to have your device rooted beforehand.
The Impact of TRIM on Photo Recovery
Modern Android devices, especially those with SSD-like flash storage, utilize a feature called TRIM. TRIM is designed to maintain the performance and lifespan of your phone’s storage. It works by proactively erasing data blocks that are no longer in use. While beneficial for performance, TRIM can be detrimental to data recovery.
Periodically, or under certain conditions like system updates or reboots, TRIM may run and effectively wipe out deleted files, including photos, making recovery impossible. This underscores the importance of initiating the recovery process as soon as you realize your photos are missing. The longer you wait, the higher the risk that TRIM or other system operations will overwrite your deleted photos.
Common Scenarios and Recovery Solutions
The method for recovering your lost photos often depends on how they were deleted and where they were stored. Here’s a breakdown of common scenarios and the most effective solutions:
Scenario 1: Recently Accidentally Deleted Photos
- Solution: Check the Trash/Recycle Bin folders within apps like Google Photos or file manager apps. These apps often temporarily store deleted items before permanent removal. If not in the trash, proceed to data recovery software options.
Scenario 2: Permanently Deleted Photos from Phone Memory
- Solution: Utilize Android data recovery software like DiskDigger (directly on your phone) or connect your phone to a computer and use software like Disk Drill. These tools scan your phone’s storage for recoverable files.
Scenario 3: Permanently Deleted Photos from SD Card
- Solution: Remove the SD card from your Android device and use a computer with data recovery software like Disk Drill to scan the card. This is often more effective than phone-based recovery for SD cards.
Scenario 4: Photos Lost After Factory Reset or Phone Reflash
- Solution: If you had backups enabled on Google Photos or Google Drive, restore from these cloud services. For SD card photos, use computer-based recovery software after removing the card. Internal memory recovery after a factory reset is challenging and less likely to succeed without prior backups.
Scenario 5: Unsure How Photos Were Lost
- Solution: Start by checking Trash folders in Google Photos and file managers. Then, explore Google Photos and Google Drive backups. If these fail, proceed with data recovery software, beginning with the least invasive methods like DiskDigger’s basic scan.
Step-by-Step Methods to Recover Deleted Photos
Let’s delve into detailed steps for each recovery method mentioned above.
Method 1: Recovering Photos from Android Memory Card using Disk Drill
Disk Drill is a powerful data recovery software for Windows and macOS, known for its wide format support and user-friendly interface. It excels at recovering data from SD cards used in Android phones.
Steps:
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Detach SD Card: Power off your Android phone and carefully remove the SD card.
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Connect to Computer: Insert the SD card into an SD card reader and connect it to your Windows PC or Mac.
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Download and Install Disk Drill: Download Disk Drill from the official website and install it on your computer.
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Launch Disk Drill and Select SD Card: Run Disk Drill. It will display a list of available drives. Select your SD card from the list.
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Start Scan: Click on “Search for lost data” next to your SD card. Disk Drill will begin scanning the card for lost files.
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Review Found Items: Once the scan is complete, click “Review found items”.
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Filter and Locate Photos: Use Disk Drill’s filters to narrow down the results. Select the “Pictures” category to view image files. You can preview photos to identify the ones you want to recover.
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Select Photos and Recover: Check the boxes next to the photos you wish to recover. Click the “Recover” button.
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Choose Recovery Location: Select a destination folder on your computer to save the recovered photos. Important: Do not save them back to the SD card you are recovering from, as this can cause data overwriting. Click “Next”.
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Complete Recovery: Disk Drill will recover the selected photos and display a summary upon completion. Click “Show recovered data in Explorer” (or Finder on Mac) to view your recovered images.
Method 2: Recovering Lost Photos from Phone’s Internal Memory using DiskDigger
DiskDigger is an Android app available on the Google Play Store that can scan both internal and external storage for deleted photos. While it works best on rooted devices, it can still perform a basic scan on unrooted phones.
Steps:
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Install DiskDigger: Search for “DiskDigger photo recovery” in the Google Play Store and install the app.
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Grant Permissions: Launch DiskDigger and allow it to access photos, media, and files on your device when prompted.
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Start Basic Photo Search: Tap “Start Basic Photo Search”. This option is available for both rooted and unrooted devices and scans for easily recoverable photos. For a deeper scan on rooted devices, you can use “Full Scan”.
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Select and Recover Photos: DiskDigger will display thumbnails of recoverable photos as it scans. Review the found photos, select the ones you want to restore by checking the box, and tap “Recover”.
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Choose Save Location: Select where you want to save the recovered photos. You have options to save to a cloud service (like Google Drive or Dropbox), send via email, or save locally to your device (not recommended to the same location from which you are recovering).
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Complete Recovery: Follow the prompts to complete the recovery process based on your chosen save location. For example, if you choose email, you’ll be prompted to select an email app and send the recovered photos to yourself.
Method 3: Restoring Photos from the Trash Folder in Files by Google
Files by Google is a file management app that includes a Trash folder, providing a temporary holding place for deleted files. If you use Files by Google to manage your photos, you can easily restore recently deleted images from its Trash.
Steps:
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Open Files by Google App: Launch the Files by Google app on your Android device.
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Access Menu: Tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
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Go to Trash: Tap “Trash” from the menu options.
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Locate and Select Photos: Browse through the Trash folder to find your deleted photos. Check the circle to the right of each photo you want to recover.
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Restore Photos: Tap “Restore” at the bottom of the screen. The selected photos will be moved back to their original location.
Method 4: Retrieving Photos from Google Photos Trash
Google Photos, a popular photo management app, also has a Trash or Bin folder where deleted photos are temporarily stored for 60 days before permanent deletion.
Steps:
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Open Google Photos App: Launch the Google Photos app on your Android device.
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Go to Trash/Bin: At the bottom of the screen, tap “Library”, then tap “Trash” (or “Bin” depending on your app version).
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Select Photos to Restore: In the Trash, you will see your deleted photos. Select the photos you want to recover by tapping and holding on them. Then, tap “Restore” at the bottom of the screen.
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Confirm Restore: Confirm your action by tapping “Restore” again in the prompt that appears.
Method 5: Recovering Deleted Photos from Google Drive
If you use Google Drive to back up your photos, you might find deleted photos in its Trash folder. Google Drive keeps deleted files in the Trash for 30 days.
Steps:
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Open Google Drive App: Launch the Google Drive app on your Android device.
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Access Menu and Go to Trash: Tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner and select “Trash”.
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Locate and Select Photos: Find your lost photos in the Trash. Tap and hold on each photo to select them.
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Restore Photos: Tap the “More” icon (three vertical dots) in the top-right corner and select “Restore”. The photos will be moved out of the Trash and back to their original location in Google Drive.
Conclusion: Act Fast and Backup Regularly
Recovering lost photos on Android is often achievable, especially if you act quickly. Utilizing Trash folders in apps like Google Photos and Files by Google, along with dedicated data recovery software like Disk Drill and DiskDigger, provides a strong arsenal for retrieving your precious memories.
However, the most reliable way to prevent photo loss is proactive data backup. Regularly back up your Android photos to cloud services like Google Photos or Google Drive, or to a computer. This ensures that even in cases of permanent deletion or device damage, your photos remain safe and easily recoverable.
FAQ
How can I find deleted photos on Android?
You can find recently deleted photos in the Trash or Bin folders of apps like Google Photos and Files by Google. For photos deleted from your phone’s storage, you can use Android data recovery apps like DiskDigger directly on your phone or connect your SD card to a computer and use software like Disk Drill.
How to recover permanently deleted photos from the Gallery app?
Photos “permanently” deleted from the Gallery app (beyond its Trash, if it has one) can still be recovered using data recovery software. Apps like DiskDigger can scan your phone’s internal storage for recoverable files. Start a basic photo scan with DiskDigger, select the found photos, and choose a recovery location.
What is the best way to retrieve deleted pictures from my Android phone?
The best approach depends on where your photos were stored and how they were deleted.
- Recently deleted: Check Trash folders in Google Photos, Files by Google, and other relevant apps.
- SD Card: Use Disk Drill on a computer after removing the SD card.
- Internal Memory: Try DiskDigger app directly on your Android phone.
How do I retrieve deleted photos on a Samsung phone?
Samsung phones use Android, so the same recovery methods apply. You can use Trash folders, DiskDigger, Disk Drill, Google Photos, and Google Drive as described for general Android devices. For Samsung-specific guides, you can refer to resources on recovering photos from Samsung phones or Samsung SD cards for more tailored advice.
