A picture is worth a thousand words. But what happens when those digital memories disappear without a trace from your Android Gallery? The panic is real, but the good news is – those photos aren’t always lost for good.
Throughout my journey in the world of tech, I’ve come across many a fallen photo and have had the opportunity to rescue them from the abyss of deletion. Trust me when I say, it’s not as hard as it sounds. So, let’s dive in and explore the 12 best ways to recover deleted photos from your Android Gallery.
1. Check your Trash Bin
Did you know your Android phone has a trash bin? It’s true, just like a computer. Your “deleted” photos might just be hanging out there. Navigate to your Gallery app, tap on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner and hit “Trash” (or “Bin” on some devices).
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2. Use Google Photos
If you’ve been using Google Photos as your primary photo app, breathe a sigh of relief. Google Photos automatically backs up your photos and keeps them safe for 60 days, even if you’ve deleted them from your device. Just go to the ‘Bin’ in the sidebar menu of Google Photos, select the photo(s) you want to recover, and hit ‘Restore’. Here is more on Google Photos’ backup feature.
3. Check your Cloud Backup
If you’ve enabled cloud backups on apps like Google Photos, Dropbox, or Amazon Photos, recovering photos can be straightforward. Here’s how:
- Open the respective app or website.
- Navigate to the ‘Trash’ or ‘Deleted files’ section.
- Select the photos you want to recover and select ‘Restore’.
4. Recover using a Computer
Your computer might be able to access deleted files on your Android phone. Here’s how:
- Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
- On your computer, open the phone’s folder.
- Navigate to the DCIM folder where photos are usually stored and look for the deleted photos.
5. Dig Through Your Social Media
If you’ve shared photos on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, you can download them again. Just find the photo, tap on the options button (usually three dots), and select ‘Download’.
6. Tips for Optimizing Photo Recovery Success
- Act Quickly and Stop Further Usage: As soon as you realize that photos have been deleted, it’s crucial to stop using your phone immediately. When photos are deleted, they’re not completely erased from the device’s memory; rather, the space they occupied is marked as available for new data. Continued use of the device might overwrite this space, making photo recovery more challenging. Avoid capturing new photos, installing apps, or performing tasks that might write data to the device’s storage.
- Enable Airplane Mode or Turn Off Data/Wi-Fi: Disabling network connections like Wi-Fi, mobile data, or enabling Airplane Mode can prevent automatic syncing or cloud backups. This step is essential to prevent any automatic processes from replacing or syncing data, potentially affecting the deleted photos.
- Choose Reliable Recovery Apps or Software: Utilize reputable and reliable recovery apps or software specifically designed for Android devices. These tools scan the device’s storage, searching for traces of deleted files. Ensure the app or software you choose has positive reviews, good ratings, and supports your device model and Android version.
- Rooting Your Device (If Necessary): In some cases, rooting your Android device might be necessary to access and recover deleted photos more effectively. Rooting grants you deeper access to system files and partitions, potentially enhancing the recovery process. However, note that rooting can void your device warranty and should be done carefully following proper instructions.
- Perform a Deep Scan and Filter Results: Opt for a deep or thorough scan within the recovery app/software. This might take longer but increases the chances of finding deleted photos. After scanning, filter the results to specifically target image files, making it easier to locate and recover the deleted photos without unnecessary clutter.
- Restore Recovered Photos to a Different Location: When recovering deleted photos, ensure that you save the recovered files to a different location, such as an external SD card or your computer. Saving them to the same location where the deleted files were might overwrite the remaining traces of the deleted photos, reducing the chances of successful recovery.
- Regularly Back Up Your Data: Prevention is better than cure. Implement a regular backup routine using reliable cloud services or external storage. This ensures that even if photos get deleted, you’ll have a recent copy to restore from without relying solely on recovery methods.
- Avoid Overwriting Deleted Data: Keep in mind that any new data written to the storage space might overwrite the deleted photos, making them unrecoverable. Be cautious about installing new apps or saving new files until the recovery process is completed.
