Accidentally deleted a precious photo from your iPhone? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Apple iPhones have a handy feature that allows you to recover photos and videos you’ve recently deleted. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to retrieve those memories and get them back into your photo library.
Recovering Photos from the Recently Deleted Album on iPhone
When you delete photos or videos from your iPhone, they aren’t immediately gone forever. Instead, they are moved to a “Recently Deleted” album, acting like a recycle bin for your photos. This gives you a 30-day window to change your mind and restore them. Here’s how to recover your photos from this album:
-
Open the Photos App: Locate and tap on the Photos app icon on your iPhone’s home screen.
-
Navigate to the Albums Tab: At the bottom of the Photos app, you’ll see a few tabs. Tap on the “Albums” tab.
-
Find the Recently Deleted Album: Scroll down the Albums screen until you find the “Utilities” section. Within this section, tap on the “Recently Deleted” album.
-
Unlock if Necessary: If you are using iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, this album might be locked for security. Use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock and access the contents of the Recently Deleted album.
-
Select Photos to Recover: Once inside the Recently Deleted album, you will see thumbnails of your recently deleted photos and videos. Tap “Select” at the top right corner of the screen. Then, tap on each photo or video you wish to recover. You’ll see a checkmark appear on the selected items. If you want to recover everything, you can usually find a “Recover All” option.
-
Recover Your Selection: After selecting the photos, tap the “Recover” button at the bottom right corner. Confirm your action by tapping “Recover Photo” (or “Recover Photos” if you selected multiple items).
Recover recently deleted photos in the Recently Deleted album on iPhone
Once recovered, your photos and videos will be restored to their original locations within your Photos Library, appearing back in your albums and moments.
Recovering Photos from iCloud.com
If you use iCloud Photos to sync your photos across your Apple devices, you can also retrieve recently deleted photos via iCloud.com. This is useful if you accidentally deleted photos and want to recover them from a computer. Here’s how:
-
Go to iCloud.com and Sign In: Open a web browser on your computer and go to iCloud.com. Sign in using your Apple ID and password that you use with iCloud Photos on your iPhone.
-
Open Photos: Once logged in, you’ll see various iCloud apps. Click on the “Photos” icon.
-
Access the Recently Deleted Album: In the Photos app on iCloud.com, look for the sidebar. If you don’t see it, there’s usually a sidebar button to reveal it. In the sidebar, click on the “Recently Deleted” album.
-
Select and Recover: You will see your recently deleted photos and videos. Select the ones you want to retrieve by clicking on them. Then, click the “Recover” button that appears.
The recovered photos will be returned to your iCloud Photos library and will then sync back to your iPhone and other devices connected to your iCloud account.
Important Points to Remember
- 30-Day Limit: Photos and videos in the Recently Deleted album are only kept for 30 days. After this period, they are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered from the Recently Deleted album.
- iCloud Photos Sync: If you use iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on one device will delete it across all devices synced with the same iCloud account. Similarly, recovering a photo will restore it everywhere.
- Check Regularly: If you frequently delete photos, it’s a good practice to check the Recently Deleted album periodically to ensure you haven’t accidentally deleted anything important.
Losing photos can be distressing, but Apple provides convenient ways to recover recently deleted ones. By utilizing the Recently Deleted album on your iPhone or iCloud.com, you can easily retrieve your cherished memories within 30 days. Make sure to act promptly to avoid permanent loss.
