Follow the right order: gallery trash, Google Photos and, only at the end, a recovery app.
Where the deleted photo might be
A photo deleted from the gallery doesn't always disappear right away. Depending on your phone and settings, it may be in one of these places, and it's worth checking in this order:
- In the gallery trash on your phone, which keeps items for about 30 days.
- In Google Photos, in trash or in cloud backup.
- In the device memory or on the card, where a recovery app can find what's left.
First, the gallery trash
In Samsung Gallery, tap the three-line menu and choose Trash. On other brands, look in the Albums tab for an album called Trash, Recently deleted or Recently removed.
If your phone uses Google Photos as the gallery, skip straight to the next step.
Tap and hold a photo to mark multiple at once and tap Restore. They return to the album they came from without losing quality.
Then, Google Photos
If Google Photos backup was on, the photo may still be in the cloud even if it disappeared from your phone.
Tap the Collections tab and then Trash. Photos with backup stay there for up to 60 days; those without backup stay 30 days. Select the ones you want and tap Restore.
Use search with the month, location or person's name. Sometimes the photo just left the manufacturer's gallery but is still saved in Google Photos.
Archived photos leave the main screen but are not deleted. In Collections, open Archive and, if you use this feature, the Locked folder.
If you have more than one account, tap your profile photo and switch accounts. The backup may have been made in the other one.
Finally, a recovery app
When the photo doesn't appear in trash or backup, scanning memory is the last resort. It's important to have realistic expectations here: on current phones without root, what usually appears are thumbnails and cache copies with lower resolution than the original.
Install just one app and avoid downloading several in a row, because each installation takes up space in the memory you want to preserve.
Open the app, start the basic search and wait. The list shows the images found with the size of each one. Very small ones are usually thumbnails.
Mark what you want to keep and send it to the cloud or another folder. That way you don't overwrite photos that might still be found.
To avoid this happening again
- Enable backup in Google Photos, preferably over Wi-Fi only.
- Check the trash occasionally, before it empties on its own.
- If you often delete things by mistake, an extra trash app like Dumpster keeps copies of what's deleted after it's installed.
- Review what cleaning apps will delete before you confirm.
1. Google Photos
Google Play
The trash keeps deleted photos for 30 days, or 60 days when there was a backup. It's the first place to look.
Open Collections, tap Trash, select the photos, and tap Restore.
Download on Google Play
2. DiskDigger
Google Play
Scans your phone's memory and SD card for deleted photos. Without root access, it mainly finds thumbnails and cached copies.
Save what you find to the cloud or another folder, never in the same place where the photos disappeared.
Download on Google Play
3. Dumpster
Google Play
Creates an extra trash bin for items you delete after installation.
It helps prevent new losses. Photos deleted before installing the app rarely appear in it.
Download on Google PlayFrequently asked questions
I emptied the trash. Is there still a way?
Only if the photo is in a backup or still exists in your device's memory. In that case, a recovery app is your last resort, and results may be partial.
Why did the recovered photo come out small?
Because the app found a thumbnail or cached copy, not the original file. This is what usually happens on phones without root access.
Does deleting in Google Photos also delete from my phone?
Yes. When the photo has a backup, deleting it in Google Photos removes it from both your device and the cloud, and it goes to the app's trash.
Does the Free up space option delete my photos?
It only removes photos from your phone that already have a backup. They stay in the cloud and can be viewed in Google Photos.
Is it worth rooting to recover photos?
For most people, no. The process is risky, can delete data, and void your device's warranty.