How do I recover recently deleted photos?

On iPhone/iPad: Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted (kept 30 days). On Android: Google Photos → Library → Trash (kept 60 days). On Windows: Recycle Bin (until emptied). On Mac: Trash (until emptied) or Photos app → Recently Deleted. If not in any of these, use SafeRestore to scan your device or drive for deeper recovery.

Where do recently deleted photos go?

Recently deleted photos go to a temporary holding area: iPhone/iPad: Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted (30 days). Google Photos: Library → Trash (60 days for Google Photos users, 30 days for device-only). Samsung Gallery: Trash (30 days). Windows: Recycle Bin. Mac: Trash or Photos → Recently Deleted.

How do I recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone?

After the 30-day Recently Deleted window: 1) Restore from iCloud backup (Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Restore from iCloud Backup). 2) Restore from iTunes/Finder backup on your computer. 3) Use SafeRestore to scan iTunes backups for deleted photos without doing a full device restore — non-destructive and recovers photos, videos, and attachments.

Can I recover deleted photos from Google Photos?

Check Google Photos Trash first — deleted photos are kept for 60 days. Open Google Photos → Library → Trash → select photos → Restore. After 60 days, Google permanently deletes them from their servers. If the photos were originally on your phone's internal storage, SafeRestore can scan the device to recover them.

How do I recover deleted photos from an SD card?

Stop using the SD card immediately (don't take new photos). Connect the SD card to your computer using a card reader. Download SafeRestore and run a deep scan on the SD card. SafeRestore supports recovery from SD cards, microSD cards, CF cards, and other memory cards — it reads the raw sectors to find deleted photos in JPEG, RAW, HEIC, PNG, and other formats.

Are deleted photos really gone?

No — not immediately. When you delete a photo, the file system marks the space as available but doesn't erase the actual data. The photo remains on the storage until something new is written to that exact location. This is why recovery software like SafeRestore can find 'deleted' photos — the data is still physically there.

Can SafeRestore recover HEIC photos from iPhone?

Yes. SafeRestore supports HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container), which is the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. It also recovers JPEG, PNG, RAW (CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG), TIFF, BMP, WebP, and 200+ other file formats. Recovered HEIC files can be opened on iPhone, Mac, or converted to JPEG.

Loading SafeRestore...

How to Recover Recently Deleted Photos — iPhone, Android & More

Q: Can I recover photos deleted more than 30 days ago?

Yes. After photos leave the Recently Deleted folder, they can often still be recovered using SafeRestore. The photo data remains on your storage until overwritten by new data. SafeRestore scans at the sector level using AI-powered file carving to find photos by their data signatures (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, RAW, etc.).

Restore photos from Recently Deleted on every major device and platform, plus what to do when the 30-day window expires. Covers iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Google Photos, and iCloud.

Step-by-Step Guide

iPhone — check the Recently Deleted album — Open Photos → Albums → scroll to Utilities → Recently Deleted. Photos and videos deleted within 30 days appear here. Select all or specific items → Recover.
Android — check Google Photos Trash — Open Google Photos → Library → Trash. Photos sync'd to Google Photos stay in Trash for 60 days. Tap the photos → Restore.
Mac — check Photos app Recently Deleted — Open Photos app → in the left sidebar, click Recently Deleted (under Utilities). Photos deleted within 30 days are here. Select and click Recover.
Google Photos (any device) — Go to photos.google.com → Trash (in the left menu). Photos remain for 60 days. Select the photos → click "Restore."
After the 30-day window — scan with SafeRestore — SafeRestore's deep scan can find deleted photo files still on the device's internal storage or SD card. Stop using the device to preserve the deleted data, then run a scan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover photos deleted more than 30 days ago from iPhone?

If iCloud Photos is enabled, photos are removed from iCloud after 30 days in Recently Deleted. However, if you have an iTunes, Finder, or iCloud backup made before the deletion, SafeRestore can extract the photos from that backup.

Can I recover photos deleted from Google Photos after 60 days?

After 60 days in Trash, Google permanently deletes them. Google Workspace admins have a recovery window via Admin Console. Otherwise, SafeRestore can scan the Android device's internal storage if the photos were taken on that phone.

Related Guides

Download SafeRestore — Free Scan