How to recover deleted photos on Android
Do not panic. In most cases a deleted photo is still recoverable for a while. Work through these places in order, and stop using the phone heavily so nothing is overwritten.
1. Google Photos bin
If you use Google Photos, open it and look for Library > Bin (or Trash). Photos stay there for a limited time, which is usually 60 days if the photo was backed up and 30 days if it was not. Select the photo and tap Restore.
2. Your gallery’s recycle bin
Many phone gallery apps keep deleted photos for a while.
- Samsung Gallery: look for Recycle bin in the menu.
- Xiaomi and others: look for Recently deleted or Trash in the gallery’s albums.
- Files app: look for a Trash section.
Items usually stay about 30 days, but this depends on the phone.
3. Check your cloud and other apps
Open your cloud app (such as Google Drive, a phone-maker cloud or another storage service) and check whether a copy was uploaded. Look in WhatsApp chats, email or messages, where the same photo may have been sent. WhatsApp media may also be in the WhatsApp > Media folder.
4. Look on a memory card or a computer
If photos were saved on an SD card, check it on a computer. Check any computer or cloud folder where you backed up before.
5. Recovery apps: be careful
Apps that claim to “recover” deleted files work only sometimes, and rarely on modern encrypted phones. Many are scams or ask for payment first. Try the options above before you use one, and avoid anything that asks for a lot of permissions.
Protect yourself next time
- Turn on backup. In Google Photos, look for Backup in settings.
- Do not clear the bin until you are sure.
- Free up space safely. See how to free up space.
- Back up before a reset. See how to factory reset an Android phone and how to back up your WhatsApp chats.
