Have you ever accidentally deleted a precious photo or video from your iPhone and panicked? It’s a common experience, and thankfully, Apple has a built-in safety net. If you’re wondering “Where Are Deleted Photos On Iphone?”, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through exactly where your deleted photos go, how to recover them, and even how to permanently remove them from your device.
Before we dive in, it’s crucial to understand that deleting a photo on your iPhone doesn’t mean it’s instantly gone forever. Just like a recycle bin on a computer, your iPhone has a “Recently Deleted” album. This album acts as a temporary holding place for your deleted photos and videos, giving you a chance to retrieve them if you change your mind or deleted something by mistake. Let’s explore how this works.
Understanding the “Recently Deleted” Album on iPhone
When you delete photos or videos from the Photos app on your iPhone, they are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album. This is not immediately obvious, which is why many users wonder where their photos disappear to. Think of it as a first step in the deletion process, not permanent removal.
Items in the “Recently Deleted” album remain there for 30 days. This 30-day window is your grace period. It allows you to recover any photos or videos you might have deleted accidentally or decided you want back. After 30 days, these items are automatically and permanently deleted from your device.
If you are using iCloud Photos, deleting a photo or video on your iPhone will also delete it from all other devices logged in with the same Apple ID and using iCloud Photos. This synchronization is important to keep your photo library consistent across your Apple ecosystem.
To check your iPhone storage and manage your photos effectively, navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. This section provides a clear overview of your storage usage, helping you understand how photos and videos contribute to it.
How to Delete Photos and Videos on iPhone
Deleting photos and videos on your iPhone is a straightforward process. There are methods for deleting single items or multiple items at once. Here’s how:
Deleting a Single Photo or Video
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Locate and select the photo or video you wish to delete.
- Tap the Trash icon (located at the bottom right or bottom left corner of the screen).
- Confirm your action by tapping Delete Photo (or Delete Video).
The selected photo or video will now be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album.
Deleting Multiple Photos or Videos
- Open the Photos app.
- Tap Select in the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap on each photo or video you want to delete to select them. Alternatively, you can drag your finger across multiple photos to select them quickly.
- Once you have selected all the items, tap the Trash icon.
- Confirm the deletion by tapping Delete [Number] Items.
These multiple selected photos and videos will also be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album.
It’s important to note that if you added photos to your iPhone by syncing from your computer, you cannot delete them directly from the Photos app on your iPhone. The Trash button might appear grayed out in such cases. You would need to stop syncing photos from your computer to manage them directly on your iPhone.
Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos from “Recently Deleted”
Now that you know where deleted photos go on your iPhone, let’s look at how to recover them from the “Recently Deleted” album.
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Open the Photos app.
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Scroll down to the Utilities section and tap on Recently Deleted.
- Security Note: In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and later versions, the “Recently Deleted” album is locked by default and requires Face ID or Touch ID to access for enhanced privacy. You might need to tap View Album and use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock it.
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Once inside the “Recently Deleted” album, tap Select in the top right corner.
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Select the photos or videos you want to recover. You can tap individual items or select multiple.
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Tap Recover at the bottom right corner.
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Confirm by tapping Recover Photo (or Recover Video) or Recover All if you want to restore everything in the album.
The recovered photos and videos will be restored to their original locations within your main Photos Library, appearing in your Library and Albums.
Permanently Deleting Photos from “Recently Deleted”
While the “Recently Deleted” album is a great safety feature, it does take up storage space on your device for up to 30 days. If you want to permanently delete photos and videos and free up storage immediately, you can do so from the “Recently Deleted” album.
- Open the Photos app and navigate to the Recently Deleted album (as described in the recovery steps).
- Unlock the album using Face ID or Touch ID if prompted.
- Tap Select.
- Select the photos or videos you want to permanently delete. Or, if you want to delete everything, you can skip selection for now.
- Tap Delete at the bottom left corner.
- Confirm permanent deletion by tapping Delete Photo (or Delete Video) or Delete All to permanently erase everything in the album.
Warning: Photos and videos deleted from the “Recently Deleted” album are permanently removed and cannot be recovered. This action is irreversible.
Managing Duplicate Photos to Save Space
iPhones running iOS 16 and later have a helpful feature to detect and merge duplicate photos, which can save storage space and declutter your photo library.
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Open the Photos app.
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Scroll down to the Utilities section.
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Look for the Duplicates album and tap on it.
- If you have duplicate photos, they will be listed here. The duplicate detection process is automatic and may take some time, so if you don’t see the album immediately, check back later.
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Tap Merge to combine detected duplicates.
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Confirm by tapping Merge [Number] Items.
When you merge duplicates, your iPhone intelligently keeps the photo with the highest image quality and relevant data. The other duplicates are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album, giving you a chance to recover them if needed before they are permanently deleted after 30 days.
Conclusion
Understanding where deleted photos go on your iPhone is essential for managing your photo library and recovering photos when needed. The “Recently Deleted” album provides a valuable safety net, allowing you to undo accidental deletions within 30 days. By following this guide, you can confidently delete photos and videos, recover them if necessary, and manage your iPhone photo storage effectively. Remember to regularly review your “Recently Deleted” album to either recover important photos or permanently delete items to free up space on your device.
