Trying to recover mistakenly deleted files, photos, and videos from your Android smartphone can be a major pain, but nonetheless, it can be done. Depending on the app you used to delete the photo, the method may vary from device to device. However, you will probably be able to get it back if it hasn’t been too long since deletion. In this article, we will see how we can recover deleted photos in 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 in Android.
Recover Deleted Photos in Android Smartphones and Tablets
The default Gallery app of 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 than not. You should also be able to recover deleted photos if you use Google Photos as your default photo viewer. So today we are going to show you how to recover deleted photos in Android using these two methods. We will also show you how to recover deleted photos in Android using third-party apps.
Method 1: Recover Deleted Photos Using Default Gallery App
To note: As with all Android, the exact process may differ from device to device, but the tutorial below should give you an idea of what to look for in your device..
- Open the default “Gallery” or “Photo” app on your Android phone. Now locate the “Trash” folder by tapping on the hamburger menu [1] or the “More” option [2].
- On this device, the Trash folder can be accessed through the hamburger menu at the top left. Tap “Trash” to see if your deleted images are still there.
- If you find your target image there, tap it to select it or tap and hold to select multiple images. Now choose the “Restore” button to restore or the “Delete” button (trash can) to delete it permanently.
That’s it. You have successfully restored deleted images on your Android device using the default Gallery app.
Method 2: Recover deleted photos using Google Photos
To note: Your deleted photos and videos in Google Photos will remain in your Trash for 60 days before being permanently deleted. So to make this method work, you need to recover your deleted files within this time frame.
If you have deleted photos from Google Photos app and want to recover them, here is how to recover deleted photos using Google Photos app on Android:
- Open Google Photos and tap the “Library” tab at the bottom. Now select the “Trash” folder on the next page.
To note: On some devices, you may need to tap the hamburger menu in the top left to select the Trash folder.
- Locate the image you want to recover and tap on it. To recover multiple images, tap and hold one image, then tap the other images you want to recover. Finally, tap on the “Restore” button at the bottom. Confirm if requested.
That’s it. Now you know how to recover deleted photos using Google Photos on Android. Note that it will be back 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) from rooted Android devices, and most of them charge a pretty penny for it. So, if you have a rooted device and are willing to pay, you can try EaseUS MobiSaver (To download). It can also recover images from non-rooted devices, but there’s a limit to how many you can recover if you don’t have root access.
Another notable photo recovery application is Disk Digger (free). It can recover lost photos and pictures from memory card or internal memory on non-rooted devices. Again, you need root to be able to recover every photo, but there’s a “Basic Scan” option that promises to recover at least some deleted files. Today we are going to use it to try to recover deleted photos on my device.
- Install Disk Digger on your Android device. Launch it and tap on the “Start basic photo scanning” option on the homepage. Once the scan is complete, the app will tell you how many recoverable photos it has found. Press “OK” to see the actual files.
- Once you get the list of recoverable files, go through the list to choose your target image(s) one by one, or tap the menu button (three dots) on the top right and then tap ‘Select All’. Now click “Recover” at the bottom to recover all selected files.
- You can save the recovered files to cloud, device or FTP server. If you choose a local device, you will get options to select the exact folder. Once you have made your choice, your recovered photos will be saved in a location of your choice.
You can recover as many photos as you want, but the free version will only scan cache and thumbnails. You will have to pay $3.99 for the premium version which will scan all locations and fetch high quality images.
Can I recover “permanently” deleted photos in Android?
Yes, you can recover “permanently” deleted photos on Android and other platforms. Indeed, the most important thing to remember about digital file storage is that even when you “permanently” delete a file, it is not permanently erased from your disk. Instead, the operating system only erases the references of this file and marks the space occupied by this file as empty, allowing other applications to write on top of it. The actual data belonging to the deleted file still remains on your device unless it is overwritten. This means that even “permanently” deleted files are often recoverable with the right tool.
That said, you are unlikely to recover permanently deleted files if you deleted them a long time ago. 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. So, if you delete a file by mistake, stop using the device immediately to increase your chances of recovering it. This means no more app installs, updates, games, streaming, etc. Stop your internet connection, phone connection, Bluetooth and crack trying to recover the file.
If you just deleted it from a photo viewer or file viewing app, it should still be in a trash folder in that app in most cases, so you should be able to recover it. if it is within the permanent deletion period. However, if it was permanently deleted because the time expired or you manually deleted it for good, then you will need data recovery software, whether on Android, Windows or Android. other platforms. Many such tools are available for different platforms and at different price points.
How Does Data Recovery Software Work?
Data recovery programs work by looking for files marked as deleted by the system. As space is freed per byte, rather than per file, this can sometimes lead to incomplete data recovery if some of the sectors containing the “deleted” file are overwritten by new applications or system files.
If you have deleted a file and now want to recover it, time is running out. If you leave it too long, even the best mainstream data recovery software may not be able to recover them for you. Of course, you can try forensic data recovery software, but it will cost you an arm and a leg and might not recover your beloved photo or video in full.
Is there a way to permanently delete confidential data?
Yes there is. For starters, you can always use the “permanently delete” option on your app to permanently delete the file from the Trash folder of your device and the cloud. Then use an application that can “wipe free space”, which will intentionally overwrite the sectors occupied by the target file to ensure that it cannot be recovered. These digital file shredders intentionally overwrite “free” disk space to render data unrecoverable.
The most reputable data erasers (“erasure” is a misnomer because the data is never erased, only overwritten) do this using a number of different erase (overwrite) patterns. At the basic level, simple random overwrites of 2-3 passes are enough for regular users. However, to shred state secrets and confidential business information, government agencies and corporations often use the Gutmann method or standards set by the US Department of Defense (DoD), NATO, German VSITR, etc. .
If you want to safely delete files on your computer or smartphone, I would recommend using the free and highly effective CCleaner on Windows (free), Mac (free) and Android (free). It offers all of the above options, although the latter are much more time consuming and are only for the paranoid.
Easily recover deleted photos on your Android device
So now that you know how to recover photos you deleted from your Android device, hope you can recover your precious memories that you may have deleted by mistake. If you have permanently deleted photos or videos from your Android device, you can still recover them using quality data recovery software. To prevent something similar from happening again in the future, make sure to backup all data from your Android device to a trusted cloud service provider by following our tutorial. If someone you know uses an iPhone, you can share our guide on how iPhone users can back up their device for complete peace of mind.
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