Android Photo Recovery | How to Recover Deleted Photos on Android Phone

Updated to File Recovery Tips by Nancy on Mar 1, 2024 | Approved by Anthony Spadafora

Taking photos with an Android phone is a great way to capture memories. The best thing about these convenient devices is the ability to edit and share photos instantly. However, accidental deletions may occur when we organize the photo collection. When that happens, you're sure to be frustrated and longing for those photos to come back. Luckily, there are proven ways to d the task. Here in the following, 9 ways to recover deleted photos from Android phones and tablets are introduced.

Quick Navigation
Part 1. How to Restore Deleted Pictures from Android Phone Free With Gallery/Backup
Part 2. How to Recover Deleted Photos on Android Phone without Backup
Part 3. Other 10 Best Photo Recovery Apps for Android to Retrieve Deleted Pictures
Part 4. Tips for Keeping Your Photos Safe
Part 5. FAQ

How to Restore Deleted Pictures from Android Phone Free With Gallery/Backup

Accidentally deleting photos from your Android phone can be a traumatic experience. Before you panic and deposit the phone in the nearest trashcan, take heart - there are a few simple steps to try and recover those photos. While it's not guaranteed to work, if you act quickly, you can still restore pictures from an Android memory card free.

Ways 1. From Android Gallery

Like the computer recycle bin, there is a trash folder in the Android Gallery app saving deleted photos and videos for 30 days. Assuming you haven’t emptied the trash folder after deletion and it’s within the timeframe, the recently deleted Android photos should be there. Here is how to restore deleted photos from Android Gallery.

  1. Tap to open the Gallery app and click on the three vertical dots at the lower right bottom.
  2. Tap on "Trash." Different branded phones are other. Some "Trash" is also named "Recycle bin."
  3. You can see all the recently deleted videos and photos from the trash folder.
  4. Select the needed pictures and click the "Restore" icon to save the deleted Android images to their original albums.

This only works if you delete the photos on Android within 30 days and haven’t cleared the trash folder. If you haven't successfully recovered pictures from Android, you should try the following ways.

Ways 2. From the Manufacturer's Backup

Like iCloud for the iPhone, Android manufacturers offer cloud services to back up your phones. For example, you can see Samsung Cloud, Mi Cloud, and OnePlus Cloud. Usually, they automatically back up your photos to the cloud. So here is your chance to get back Android phone photos after deleting them.

Here, let's take Samsung as an example to learn how to recover deleted Android photos from cloud backup.

  1. Go to "Settings" > tap your name and open "Samsung Cloud."
  2. Tap "Restore data" and select the photos you need.
  3. Next, tap "Restore" and follow the wizard to complete the process.

Ways 3. From Your Cloud

There are many cloud services available for users to back up Android data. If you accidentally deleted photos from your Android phone, you can get them back in the cloud.

Method 1. Recover Android Photos with Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud service that makes it easy to store and access important documents, photos, videos, and more. Not only can you access these items from anywhere, but you can also prevent losing such important information. If you uploaded photos from your Android phone to OneDrive, you could restore them to your Android phone after you delete them.

  1. Tap to open OneDrive on your Android phone.
  2. Go to Photos > select needed photos > tap the 3-dot area.
  3. Select "Save" to save the selected pictures to your Android phone.

Method 2. Retrieve Deleted Photos on Android by Using Google Photos

Many people like to use Google Photos to share photos. It's more than a tool for sharing photos. It can also back up all your photos to avoid data loss issues. When the copies on the Android phone are lost, you can restore them with the backup in Google Photos.

  1. Tap to open Google Photos on your Android phone.
  2. Select the deleted photos and tap the three-dot area.
  3. Select "Save to device."

Method 3. Restore Android Photos from DropBox

Dropbox is a handy tool for storing and sharing digital information. It allows users to upload files of any size and type, meaning individuals can store entire libraries of documents and photos with ease. After accidentally deleting photos from your phone, you can download them from DropBox.

  1. Tap Dropbox to open it.
  2. Navigate to the folder where the photos were uploaded. If you uploaded directly from your Android phone, it might be saved in the "Camera Uploads."
  3. Select the target photos and tap the more icon.
  4. Select "Save to Device."

Method 4. Get Back Android Photos from Google Drive

Google Drive is a place to save files too. However, there is no "Save to Device" option, but offering you a "Download" option. After selecting photos there, click "Download" to save them to your Android phone.

Ways 4. Check Social Media

If you have shared the missing pictures to your social media, like FaceBook or Instagram, it's possible to recover deleted photos on Android for free by downloading these from the social media. For example, take a screenshot of your post, or you can install the Instagram photo downloader app and save the post. While on Facebook, you can select the photos, click the three dots icon, and click "Download." After that, you can see the removed shots stored on your phone.

How to Recover Deleted Photos on Android Phone without Backup

Are you in despair after losing precious photos on your Android phone? Have you looked everywhere but could not find them? Look no further! There are reliable solutions to retrieve permanently deleted photos from an Android phone, even if you have never created a backup.

Ways 1. Recover Deleted Photos from Android Phone Internal Memory

DiskDigger photo recovery is a fantastic software for getting accidentally deleted photos on Android. With its advanced algorithms, you can scan your devices for any deleted files or folders and quickly relocate them. This is a good choice for finding your precious memories.

  1. Download and install DiskDigger photo recovery in your Android phone
  2. Open it and click "Start Basic Photo Scan."
  3. Select your "JPG, PNG, and GIF" and click "OK."
  4. After the scan is complete, select the items you need and click the "RECOVER" button in the upper right corner of the screen.
  5. Choose a storage method to save them.

Ways 2. Restore Deleted Photos from Android External SD Card

Many Android phones still have microSD card slots, allowing users to expand the phone's storage with an SD card. If you have deleted photos from an external memory card, you are in luck; recovering deleted photos from an SD card due to permission issues is much easier than from Android devices.

iBeesoft Data Recovery is an amazing file recovery software tool, especially good at getting videos and photos from an SD card. It supports all images with different file extensions. It will fix the corrupted pictures while scanning the SD card and looking for the deleted photos. This unique algorithm is not available in other software.

  1. Connect the SD card to your computer, letting it be detected as an external hard drive on your computer.
  2. Download the iBeesoft Windows or Mac data recovery software on your computer.
  3. Download for Windows Download for macOS
  4. Launch it and click "Go to Settings." From there, you can deselect the other file types, only keep "Pictures" selected and confirm it.
  5. Click the "Scan" button beside the drive letter that represents the SD card. After then, you can see the software begins to scan the SD card, looking for deleted pictures and fixing the corrupted images.
  6. The resulting window will put all found files into the corresponding categories. Deleted photos and other files are in the "Deleted Files" folder. Click to open it. From there, you can preview the found images.
  7. Select the needed photos and click "Recover." Set up a new folder to save the recovered Android SD card photos.

Other 10 Best Photo Recovery Apps for Android to Retrieve Deleted Pictures

Smartphones are often our go-to gadgets for taking photos, but sometimes the careless swipe of a finger can send those treasured memories into the abyss. While the above software can help you recover deleted photos from Android phone. But you have other options to consider. Here is the ten best photo recovery app for Android you might be interested in.

  1. Dumpster
  2. Dumpster is one of the best Android photo recovery apps by Ballota. It can delete photo recovery due to deleted, formatted, system upgrades, and device initialization. Also, you can sync deleted files back to cloud services.

    Pros
    It can also upload all deleted content to its Dumpster cloud, preventing data loss issues.
    Automatic cleanup is available.
    The best app fro delete photo video recovery supports more than 14 languages.
    Cons
    It performs better with rooted devices as it allows for a deeper search.
  3. DigDeep Image Recovery
  4. If you're looking for a reliable tool to recover deleted photos from SD card on Android, then DigDeep Image Recovery is your best bet. This innovative software utilizes powerful algorithms to scan through your drives, swiftly locating all of the images that have gone missing. The program can recover photos of original resolution and quality with just a few simple clicks.

    Pros
    Recover deleted photos from Android without root.
    Get back lost items, even those that were deleted before installing the app.
    Cons
    No option to filter deleted photos; you have to preview them one by one.
  5. Undeleter
  6. With fast scanning speed, Undeleter works wonders on both rooted and unrooted devices, restoring all kinds of documents, pictures, videos, music, contacts, messages, etc. It also recovers lost files securely by creating a replica of the original content before saving it.

    Pros
    Two scanning modes
    Provide preview option
    Cons
    with embedded ads
  7. DigDeep Recovery Deleted Photo
  8. Developed to solve the vexing problem of data loss over Android devices, DigDeep is an efficient and capable tool that puts users back in control of their digital lives. The Android photo recovery app can retrieve files from accidentally deleted and formatted memory cards without rooting.

    Pros
    There are different modes for scanning photos, whether your Android is rooted.
    Upload lost or deleted photos to Google Drive, Dropbox, or email them.
    Scan for deleted files from the cache and thumbnails.
    Cons
    The interface is complex for individuals.
  9. Photo Recovery
  10. Photo Recovery is a great app that helps recover accidentally deleted or corrupted photos from your device. Whenever an image has been lost due to human error or technical problems, this app can help you reclaim the pictures that were once thought to be gone forever.

    Pros
    Easy to use
    Quickly extract removed data.
    Cons
    It can only recover deleted photos from Android phones.
  11. Disk Drill for Mac (Only macOS Version)
  12. Disk Drill is a reputable comprehensive data recovery software tool. It can recover lost and deleted data from various devices. Please note that Disk Drill for Windows doesn't support Android and iOS. Only Disk Drill for Mac can recover deleted photos from Android devices.

    Pros
    Recover photos from all devices running Android 2.3+.
    The trial version allows free recovery of up to 500MB of files.
    Allow previewing photos before recovery.
    Cons
    Too many tools in a package make it hard for users to use.
    The functions between Windows and macOS versions are different.
  13. iMobie PhotoRescue for Android (Windows & Mac)
  14. iMobie PhoneRescue for Android is a data recovery tool for users to recover lost and deleted files from Android phones and iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. Compared with another desktop Android photo recovery app, this one can unlock any locked Android device without performing a factory reset. It means it can rescue all data on your Android phone without performing a factory reset.

    Pros
    It roots Android phones quickly, preparing for data scanning and recovery.
    Support various file types.
    24*7 free customer support service.
    Cons
    Data extraction needs to be more thorough.
  15. EaseUs MobiSaver for Android (Windows and Mac)
  16. EaseUS MobiSaver for Android is a handy tool for those with an Android device. It's designed to easily resume deleted photos and videos, allowing you to take back control when your device unexpectedly malfunctions.

    Pros
    It provides an easy Android photo recovery process for users.
    Preview recoverable them before actual data recovery.
    Cons
    It only works on rooted Android devices.
    You need a subscription to unlock unlimited recovery.
  17. Wondershare Dr.Fone (Windows & macOS)
  18. Wondershare Dr.Fone is claimed as the world’s first data recovery solution. This tool is a package that contains several different modules. It can also offer you the option to root Android devices. No matter how dire the situation may seem, it is the perfect solution for finding those special memories without worrying about data loss.

    Pros
    It supports over 6000 Android devices.
    It is an indispensable tool for both novices and pro techies alike.
    Cons
    Dr. Fone's toolkit has many tools in a single package. You might need help choosing tools.
    It needs users to root the Android device for Android photo recovery.
  19. MiniTool Mobile Recovery for Android (Only Windows)
  20. MiniTool Mobile Recovery is a great tool for recovering deleted photos from Android devices. Compared with many other tools, the functions are the same, but this tool allows users to recover files for free. It is worth a try if you’re looking for a free Android photo recovery app.

    Pros
    The trial version can recover 10 files for each type of data.
    It scans fast.
    Cons
    This tool hasn’t been updated since 2017. Some new Android devices might not be supported.
    It doesn’t support Windows 11 yet.

Tips for Keeping Your Photos Safe

One of the greatest fears people have regarding their photos is that they can become lost or deleted and never recovered. When it comes to Android devices thankfully, there are several tips you can take to ensure that your images stay secure.

Following these tips for keeping your photos safe will ensure that your cherished memories remain secure forever.

FAQ

Conclusion

Many people have experienced the heart-stopping disappointment of accidentally deleting a treasured photo from their Android phones, whether it was intentional or a result of phone failures. Luckily, you can use the methods above to help you recover deleted photos from Android phone. In addition, we also provide 10 Photo Recovery apps for Android as alternatives. Although they are all useful, they are not 100% guaranteed to work. Therefore, always backing up your photos is the best option.