How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone (4 Proven Methods)

How to recover deleted photos from your iPhone: Quick, Easy & Safe

Deleted photos from your iPhone? Don't panic — there's a good chance you can still get them back.

The method you use will depend on how long ago the photos were deleted and whether you have a backup. In this guide, we'll walk you through the most effective ways to recover deleted photos from your iPhone - with or without a backup.

Best for: Photos deleted within the last 30 days.

First up is the quickest and easiest method, our safety net. If your iPhone is running iOS8 or newer (what iOS version is my iPhone running?), you'll have a handy "Recently Deleted" folder in your Photos app. That's right, even when you've deleted photos, they will remain on your iPhone for 30 days before being permanently deleted from the device.

Note that this option only covers photos which you have deleted. If you have lost data through a software or backup issue, the photos will not appear in this album. In this case, go to Method 2.

Here's how to view and restore deleted photos on your iPhone:

1. Open the Photos app and tap "Collections"
2. Scroll down and select "Recently Deleted" under "Utilities".
3. Tap "Select" then tap all the photos that you want to restore to the device.
4. Tap the menu (•••) and then "Recover" to save your photos!

Best for: Recovering permanently deleted iPhone photos from a backup without restoring a whole backup.

If your photos have been permanently deleted from your iPhone, we need to step up our detective game. You'll need to check your iPhone backups on you computer for the photos that you are missing.

You can use any local device backup on your computer created with iTunes, the Apple Devices app or Finder. If your iPhone backup contains the photos that you deleted since the backup was created, you'll be able to extract lost photos, as detailed in this section.

Let's see how we can use the popular iBackup Extractor tool to extract your deleted photos from a backup:

1. Download and install iBackup Extractor.
2. Choose a backup of your device from the list to view its contents.
3. Click the "Backup Media" (PC) or "Images" (Mac) tab in each backup to look for your deleted iPhone photos.
4. Once you find photos that you would like to restore, select them, and click "Save to PC" or "Copy to Mac".

The free trial of iBackup Extractor allows you to extract 20 items FREE.

Download iBackup Extractor Buy iBackup Extractor now

Restoring Photos to your iPhone

To restore the extracted photos to your iPhone, simply connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes or the Apple Devices app. Select your device, and then click "Photos".

Tick "Sync Photos", then using the dropdown box, select the location on your computer where you copied your pictures to with iBackup Extractor. Finally, click "Apply" to copy the photos from your computer to your iPhone.

Best for: Restoring your iPhone from a computer backup to recover older deleted photos.

If your iPhone backup is very recent, you may simply want to restore the backup to your iPhone. Please note that restoring a backup will overwrite the existing content of your device with the content stored in the backup.

To avoid completely restoring your device, you might prefer Method 2 which allows you to selectively recover your photos from a backup.

Here's how to restore an iPhone backup using iTunes, Finder (Mac), or the Apple Devices app (Windows):

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
2. Open iTunes, Finder (Mac), or the Apple Devices app (Windows).
3. Select your iPhone when it appears.
4. Click "Restore Backup...".
5. Choose the backup you want to restore, then click "Restore".
6. Keep your device connected until the process completes. Your iPhone will restart and sync.

Best for: Recovering permanently deleted photos on iPhone without a computer.

If you make your iPhone backups to iCloud, you can restore your iPhone from an iCloud backup to recover your photos. As mentioned before, restoring a backup will overwrite the existing content of your device with the content stored in the backup. In the case of restoring from iCloud, you need to erase the current content of your iPhone before restoring from an iCloud backup.

If you'd rather not restore your entire device, try Method 2, which lets you recover only the photos you need from a backup.

Let's see how we can restore a backup to iPhone using iCloud:

Before we start, double-check that you have an iCloud backup to restore to your iPhone. You can find steps on how to do this on your iPhone, depending on your iOS, on Apple's support page.

1. Erase your device (Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase all content and settings).
2. Turn on your reset device.
3. Follow the onscreen setup steps until you reach the Apps & Data screen, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
4. Using your existing Apple ID, sign into iCloud.
5. Tap the backup that you want to restore, and the restore process will start.

If your photos were deleted recently, start with the Recently Deleted folder. If not, backups or recovery tools may still help you get them back.

The sooner you act, the better your chances of recovery. Good luck!

Can you recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone?

In some cases, yes. If your photos are no longer in the Recently Deleted folder, you may still be able to recover them from an iCloud or computer backup with tools like iBackup Extractor, or restore the backup to your iPhone.

Can I recover deleted photos without a backup?

If your photos were deleted less than 30 days ago, you can easily restore them from the Recently Deleted section of the iPhone Photos app.

Where do deleted photos go on iPhone?

When you delete a photo, it's moved to the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app. From there, it stays on your device for a limited time before being permanently removed.

How long do deleted photos stay on iPhone?

Deleted photos remain in the Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days. During this time, you can restore them at any point. After 30 days, they are automatically removed from your device.

Will restoring a backup delete my current data?

Yes. Restoring a backup replaces the current data on your iPhone with the data stored in that backup. If you have important files on your device, it's a good idea to back them up first before restoring.