Forgetting photos on an Android device can sometimes feel like a heart-wrenching experience. Here, the disappointment of a ruined photograph is impossible not to notice: people lose valuable shots of dear moments or trips. Nevertheless, the positive aspect of this situation is that deleted photos are not always restored from the trash bin.
They often persist in your device’s memory until other data replaces them. These photos can indeed be lost, but don’t despair; great methods on how to find deleted photos on Android can be used to get them back.
This guide explains all the possibilities for finding and restoring lost photos on Android and provides some recommendations for avoiding such situations in the future.
Things to Know When Storing Photos in Internal Storage
What is Internal Storage?
Internal storage is the memory incorporated into your particular Android device on which information like pictures, videos, and apps are saved. This area is very protected and offers convenient totality to documentation. However, it may still contain problems such as the unintentional deletion of files and file corruption.
Common Reasons Photos Disappear
- Accidental Deletion: Pictures can be accidentally deleted while sorting the photo gallery or performing a clean-up operation.
- Misplacement During File Organization: Files are easy to lose or misplace—a snapshot can easily end up in the wrong folder or even disappear from view.
- Factory Reset Procedures: Erasing your device’s content will delete all files stored on it, making it impossible to restore them with a backup.
- Photo Corruption: Freeware or bugs in apps and the operating system can corrupt images downloaded from the internet.
- OS Glitches: Lost data may be caused by a glitch in software upgrades or in the applications that run on your device.
How to Retrieve Lost Photos Android: 6 Simple and Authentic Methods
Method 1: Use Android Photo Recovery Apps (Recommended)
When to Use Recovery Tools
Recovery tools work great if you have no backups and no access to deleted folders. They search your device’s internal memory for recoverable files.
Recommended Recovery Apps
- DiskDigger Photo Recovery: Known for its easy-to-use interface, it supports recovery of various file formats.
- Tenorshare UltData for Android: A trusted tool for recovering deleted photos, videos, and more.
How to Use a Recovery App (UltData As An Example)
Step 1: Navigate to the Google Play store for the Android version, type in the name UltData for Data Recovery, and install the app.
Step 2: After successfully setting up the app, open it and select the “Photos” option.
Wait until the app scans the deleted pictures. You can watch all the photos scanned on the Android screen when the scanning is complete.
Step 3: Select the photos you need for recovery and click the “Recover” option.
Step 4: When your images are restored, messages will display on the screen. Click the “Done” option to complete the photo recovery procedure.
Method 2: Check the Recently Deleted Folder
Many Android devices have the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder on the gallery apps. Images removed from the gallery are temporarily stored here before they are shifted to the recycle bin.
Steps to Restore Photos
- You can find it in the gallery app. Go to the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder.
- Look through the images contained in this folder.
- Choose the photos you want to recover and click on “Restore.”
Note: The time allowed to recover lost data differs between applications. For instance, when you delete an item from Google Photos, it is not actually deleted but rather archived for the next 30 days.
Method 3: Retrieve Recently Deleted Photos from Android from File Manager’s Trash Folder
Some Android devices feature a trash folder in the file manager app. This folder temporarily stores deleted files, including photos.
Steps to Restore Photos
- Open your device’s file manager app.
- Navigate to the “Trash” or “Bin” folder.
- Locate the deleted photos and move them back to the original folder.
Method 4: Restore Hidden Photos from the Images Folder
On some occasions, photos are not deleted but misplaced, hidden or lost. To find them, you should look in the “Images” folder on your file manager.
How to Get Back Lost Pictures
- Open the file manager app.
- Look for the folder name “Images”.
- Sort through the folder and put appropriate pictures in the correct folder.
Method 5: Remove .nomedia Extensions
Files with a .nomedia extension are hidden from gallery apps, making them seem missing.
How to Remove .nomedia Files
- Download a file manager app that supports viewing hidden files.
- Navigate to the folder where your photos are stored.
- Look for .nomedia files and delete them.
- Refresh your gallery to see if the photos reappear.
Method 6: Restore Photos from Cloud Backups
If you have a cloud backup such as Google Photos, your photos may still be saved even after you delete them.
Google Photos Recovery Process
- To do this, open the Google Photos app on your Android device.
- Search through the bin for deleted photos.
- The photos you want to recover should be checked, and then click on “Restore.”
- If these photos are not already in the trash, browse through your Google Photos boxes or download the backed-up files to your device.
Tip: Most users are not aware that the Google Photos recycle bin can hold deleted photos for two months.
Bonus Tips to Avoid Losing Photos in the Future
Prevention is much better than cure in the case of missing photos. Here, therefore, are some tips to safeguard your images.
Enable Auto Backup for Photos
Sign up for syncing to services that offer backup as a default feature, such as Google Photos, OneDrive, or Dropbox. This means that even if something happens to your gadget, you can be sure your photos are well taken care of.
Measures To Activate Google Photos Auto Backup
- Open “Google Photos” and head over to the settings section of the application.
- Click “Backup & Sync” and then slide the button to enable it.
Use SD Cards with Caution
External SD cards are great to use, but sometimes, the data on them may get corrupted. Always ensure that you are using high-quality SD cards, and they should never be ejected while the device is on.
Organize Photos Regularly
Please find time to sort your pictures and store them in an external enclosure or cloud at least once every month. This eliminates the likelihood of inadvertently deleting species from the list.
FAQs About Recovering Deleted Photos on Android
Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Photos?
If you’ve permanently deleted photos, you can recover them as long as they haven’t been overwritten. But the longer you wait, the lower that success rate becomes.
How Long are Photos Stored in Recently Deleted Folders?
The vast majority of gallery apps, including Google Photos, keep deleted photos in a folder known as ‘Recently Deleted’ for 30 – 60 days, depending on the app.
Are Recovery Tools Safe?
Yes, but that only works if you pick a fully trusted tool (the ones I mentioned include DiskDigger and Tenorshare UltData, among a few others). Avoid unverified apps to protect your data from theft or Malware.
