Trying to recover accidentally deleted files, photos and videos on your Android smartphone can be a huge pain, but it can still be done. Depending on the app you use to delete the photo, the method may vary from one device to another. However, if it hasn’t been too long since the deletion, you’ll probably be able to recover it. In this article, we will look at how we can recover deleted photos on Android smartphones and tablets using the default Gallery app, Google Photos, and third-party apps. We will also tell you how to recover permanently deleted photos on Android.
Recover Deleted Photos on Android Smartphones and Tablets
The default Gallery app on most Android devices has a built-in recovery option. So if you use the pre-installed Gallery app as the default photo viewer on your device (as most people do), you should be able to recover your deleted photos more often. If you use Google Photos as your default photo viewer, you should be able to recover deleted photos as well. So today we will show you how to recover deleted photos on Android using these two methods. We will also show you how to get back deleted photos on Android using third-party apps.
Method 1: Recover Deleted Photos Using Default Gallery App
Note: As with everything on Android, the exact process may differ from one device to another, but the tutorial below will give you an idea of what to look for on your device..
- Open the default ‘Gallery’ or ‘Photo’ app on your Android phone. Now search for the ‘Trash’ folder by tapping one of the hamburger menu [1] or the ‘More’ option [2].
- On this device, the Trash folder is accessible via the hamburger menu in the upper left. Tap ‘Trash’ to see if your deleted pictures are still there.
- If you find your target image there, tap on it to select it, or tap and hold to select multiple images. Now select the ‘Restore’ button to restore or the ‘Delete’ button (trash) to permanently delete it.
This much. You have successfully restored deleted pictures on your Android device using the default Gallery app.
Method 2: Recover Deleted Photos Using Google Photos
Note: Photos and videos deleted in Google Photos stay in your trash for 60 days before being deleted forever. For this method to work, you must recover your deleted files within that time frame..
If you deleted photos from Google Photos app and want them back, you can recover deleted photos using Google Photos app on Android as follows:
- Open Google Photos and tap the ‘Library’ tab at the bottom. Now select the ‘Trash’ folder from the next page.
Note: On some devices, you may need to tap the hamburger menu in the top left to select the Trash folder..
- Find the picture you want to recover and tap on it. To recover multiple images, tap and hold an image and then tap the other images you want to get back. Finally, tap the ‘Restore’ button at the bottom. Confirm if prompted.
This much. Now you know how to recover deleted photos using Google Photos on Android. Note that it will go back to where it came from, so if it’s an old photo, you’ll have to scroll down a bit to see it.
Method 3: Recover Deleted Photos Using Third-Party Apps
Many third-party apps can recover deleted files (including photos and videos) on rooted Android devices, and most charge a pretty hefty fee for it. So if you have a rooted device and are ready to pay, you can try EaseUS MobiSaver (download). It can also recover images from non-rooted devices, but there’s a limit to how many you can get if you don’t have root access.
Another noteworthy photo recovery app is Disk Digger (Free). It can recover lost photos and images from memory card or internal memory on non-rooted devices. Again, you need root to be able to recover every single photo, but there is a ‘Basic Scan’ option that promises to recover at least some deleted files. Today we will use it to try and recover deleted photos on my device.
- Install Disk Digger on your Android device. Fire it up and tap ‘Start Basic Photo Scan’ on the main page. Once the scan is complete, the app will tell you how many recoverable photos it has found. Tap on ‘OK’ to see the actual files.
- Once you have the list of recoverable files, go through the list or tap the menu button (three dots) in the top right and then tap to select your target images one by one. Select all’. Now hit the ‘Recover’ button at the bottom to recover all the selected files.
- You can save the recovered files to the cloud, device or an FTP server. If you choose the local device, you will get options to choose the exact folder. After making your selection, your recovered photos will be saved in the location you selected.
You can recover as many photos as you want, but the free version will only scan the cache and thumbnails. You will have to pay $3.99 for the premium version, which will scan all locations and allow you to recover high-quality images.
Can I Recover ‘Permanently’ Deleted Photos on Android?
Yes, you can recover ‘permanently’ deleted photos on Android and other platforms. This is because the most important thing to remember about digital file storage is that even if you ‘permanently’ delete a file, it is not permanently deleted from your disk. Instead, the operating system simply deletes references to that file and marks the space occupied by that file as empty, allowing other applications to overwrite it. The actual data of the deleted file remains on your device as long as it is not overwritten. This means that even files that are ‘permanently’ deleted can often be recovered with the right tool.
However, if you deleted it a long time ago, it is unlikely that you will get permanently deleted files back. This is because as you continue to use the device, the sectors used to store the ‘deleted’ file are slowly but surely overwritten, reducing your chances of recovering it. Therefore, if you accidentally delete a file, stop using the device immediately to increase your chances of recovery. This means installing more apps, updating, playing games, streaming, etc. Does not mean. Turn off your internet connection, phone connection, Bluetooth and start cracking trying to recover the file.
If you just deleted it from a photo viewer or file viewer app, in most cases it should still be in a trash folder in that app, so you should be able to recover it if it’s within the permanent deletion period. However, if it has been permanently deleted because the time frame has expired or you have manually deleted it permanently, you will need a data recovery software on Android, Windows or other platforms. Many such tools are available for different platforms and at various price points.
How Data Recovery Software Works
Data recovery programs work by scanning files marked as deleted by the system. Because space is freed per byte rather than per file, this can sometimes result in incomplete data recovery when some of the sectors containing the ‘deleted’ file are overwritten by new applications or system files.
If you’ve deleted a file and now want to recover it, time is of the essence. Even the best consumer-level data recovery software may not be able to recover them for you if you leave them too long. Sure, you can try forensic data recovery software, but it will cost you an arm and a leg, and you still may not be able to get all of your favorite photo or video back.
Is There a Way to Delete Confidential Data for Good?
Yes there is. For starters, you can always use the ‘permanently delete’ option in your app to permanently delete the file from your device’s Trash folder and from the cloud. Then use an application that can ‘wipe free space’ which will intentionally overwrite the sectors occupied by the target file to ensure it cannot be recovered. Such digital file shredders deliberately overwrite the ‘free’ space on the disk to make the data unrecoverable.
Most reputable data wipers (“wipe” is a misnomer because data never deleted, only overwritten) do this using a number of different deletion (overwrite) patterns. At a basic level, a simple 2-3 pass random overwrite is sufficient for normal users. However, government agencies and commercial enterprises often use the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), NATO, German VSITR, etc. to break up government secrets and confidential business information. It uses the Gutmann method or standards defined by
If you want to securely delete files on your computer or smartphone, I recommend using the free and highly efficient CCleaner on Windows (Free), Match (Free) and Android (Free). It offers all of the above options, but the latter takes much more time and is only for the paranoid.
Easily Recover Deleted Photos on Your Android Device
Now that you know how to recover deleted photos from your Android device, we hope you can get back your precious memories that you accidentally deleted. If you have permanently deleted photos or videos from your Android device, you can still be ready to recover them using a quality data recovery software. To prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future, make sure to back up all data on your Android device to a reliable cloud service provider by following our tutorial. If someone you know is using an iPhone, you can share our guide on how iPhone users can back up their device for complete peace of mind.
