How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from an iPhone

Overview of iPhone Photo Recovery

Data loss happens almost every day, and your iPhone is no exception. Valuable photos can be lost due to accidental deletion, human errors, physical damage, iOS updates, jailbreak, factory reset, and more.

Normally, if you accidentally delete photos on your iPhone, you can quickly recover the deleted pictures from the Recently Deleted album. Alternatively, you can restore permanently deleted photos from a previous backup. Even without a backup, you can use third-party iPhone recovery software to retrieve lost photos.

Therefore, there are 5 possible ways to recover deleted photos from iPhone. Choose the most suitable one based on your situation to get back your lost photos.

Part 1: Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone with "Recently Deleted" Album

The easiest way to recover deleted photos from your iPhone might be to restore them from the Recently Deleted album. This folder can hold onto your deleted photos and videos for up to 40 days, giving you time to restore deleted files to your Albums.

If your photos were deleted from your iPhone within the last 40 days, you can recover them by following these steps:

Recover Deleted Photos from the Recently Deleted Album:

1. Open the Photos app, then tap Albums.

Step 2: Scroll down and select “Recently Deleted.”

Step 3: Click “Select” and check the photos you want to recover.

4. After selecting the photos, click "Recover" > "Recover Photos" to restore the deleted photos.

Part 2: 4 Ways to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone

If you've emptied the Recently Deleted album, or if photos have been deleted for more than 40 days, the items are gone permanently.

So how can you recover permanently deleted photos from your iPhone?

If you have previously backed up your data via iTunes or iCloud, then retrieving permanently deleted photos from your iPhone can be easy. However, more often than not, you do not have a backup available when you need to recover photos from your iPhone. In this case, you will need a third-party iOS data recovery tool to help you out.

Method 1: Retrieve Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone with iPhone Data Recovery Software

Without a proper recovery plan, you might lose your data permanently. If you can't afford to lose important files forever, it's best to download a reliable iPhone photo recovery app just in case you lose your data.

A professional and secure iPhone data recovery tool – MobiSaver, is just what you need. This professional data recovery tool can help you retrieve deleted WeChat messages, contacts, videos, movies, chat history (like LINE chat history), and more from your iPhone or iPad, whether or not they were backed up. Unlike traditional recovery methods like iTunes and iCloud that require a full restore of your iPhone, this powerful tool lets you recover only the photos you want back to your device. More importantly, it can retrieve lost data even without a backup.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer

Launch MobiSaver, select “Recover from iOS Device” on the left, and then click “Start”.

Step 2. Scan for Lost iPhone Photos

MobiSaver will scan your iPhone 13/12/11/X/XR/XS/8/7/6/5/4 automatically and find all the existing photos on it, as well as some lost ones.

Step 3: Preview and recover photos

Click on “Photos” on the left. You can preview the photos on your phone and select the ones you want to recover. Then, choose “Recover to Computer” or “Recover to Device” to start the recovery process.

If you have a backup, whether it's an iTunes backup or an iCloud backup, you can restore your deleted photos using one of the methods below.

Method 2: Recover Deleted iPhone Photos Using iTunes

If you have an iTunes backup, you can restore deleted photos on your iPhone in one of two ways. You can either restore your iPhone via iTunes, or use a tool like MobiSaver to selectively retrieve photos from the backup.

The difference is that when you perform an iPhone restore, all data and settings on your iOS device will be replaced with what's in your backup, which means you could lose information. With an iPhone recovery tool, you can choose to recover just the photos.

Restore all iPhone data from an iTunes backup:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable, and trust the computer.

Step 2: In iTunes, click the device icon, then choose Summary.

Step 3: Tap “Restore Backup” and choose one.

Step 4: Click “Recover” to begin restoring the photos and other content to your iPhone.

If your iPhone isn't recognized by iTunes, you'll need to fix that first.

Recover Deleted iPhone Photos from iTunes Backup (Without Data Loss):

Step 1: Run the MobiSaver tool

First, download the MobiSaver tool > Connect your iPhone/iPad to the computer > Launch the MobiSaver tool > Select “Recover from iTunes Backup” > Choose an iTunes backup.

Step 2: Unlock iTunes

If this iTunes backup is encrypted, you'll need to enter the password to unlock it. After entering the password, click “Continue.” The MobiSaver tool will now scan your backup file for lost data.

Step 3: Preview and recover data from iTunes

After the scan, you can preview the detailed content of the lost photos/videos, contacts/messages, memos, and social app data. Select the files you need and click the "Recover" button to save them to your computer.

Method 3: Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone via iCloud

Using an iCloud backup (created after you turned off iCloud Photos) can also help you recover permanently deleted photos from your iPhone. Similar to an iTunes backup, you can choose to restore the deleted iCloud backup to your iPhone through its Settings, or use an iPhone recovery software like MobiSaver to selectively retrieve the photos.

Now that you have learned in detail how to use an iPhone photo recovery tool, I will show you how to restore all your iPhone data from an iCloud backup.

Before you begin, you should know that to restore deleted photos from an iCloud backup on your iPhone, you need to erase all content and settings on your iOS device first; then you can choose to restore the device from a backup. Otherwise, you'll only be able to access and recover data from the backup with a third-party tool.

Restore permanently deleted iPhone photos using an iCloud backup:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Reset.

Step 2: Tap “Erase All Content and Settings” to reset your iPhone.

Step 3: Set up your iPhone and on the Apps & Data screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.

Step 4: Sign in with your Apple ID, then tap “Select Backup.”

Step 5: Choose the most recent iCloud backup to restore your iPhone.

Method 4: Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone with a Third-party Service

If you have a third-party service like OneDrive, Google Photos, or Dropbox backing up your iPhone's photos, you can easily recover deleted photos from your iPhone.

Take Google Photos for example. If you have Backup and Sync turned on on your iPhone, photos and videos deleted from it will remain in the trash in Google Photos for 60 days before they're permanently removed. Luckily, this gives you a window to recover deleted photos from your iPhone.

Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone with Google Photos:

Step 1: Open Google Photos on your iPhone.

Step 2: Click on "Libraries" and then "Trash."

Step 3: Select the photos you want to restore, then click "Recover".

After that, they'll show up again in Photos and Google Photos.

Part 3: Backup Photos on iPhone

However, there are instances when you won't be able to recover deleted photos, such as when your iPhone is physically damaged and you don't have a backup. This should emphasize the importance of backing up your data.

To minimize the risk of losing your data, it's a good idea to back up important files from your device, especially photos.

The easiest way to back up your iPhone photos is to transfer them to your computer:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to the computer using the USB cable.

Step 2: Unlock the device and tap “Trust This Computer” to trust this computer.

Step 3: Go to This PC, then click on [Your iPhone's Name] > Internal Storage > DCIM > 100APPLE.

Step 4: You'll now see all the photos and videos on your iPhone. Select and copy the items you want to transfer to a folder on your computer.

For more reliable ways to back up your iPhone photos, check out the guide on how to transfer photos from iPhone to PC without iTunes.

Bottom line

As you know, backing up iPhone photos is of great importance to prevent data loss. Therefore, don't hesitate and get into the habit of backing up your device regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone

If you still have issues, please read the FAQ below for more help.

1. Where did my deleted photos go?

Where do deleted photos go? Depending on your operating system, they'll go to the Recycle Bin, Trash, or a similar area.

**2. Can I recover photos I've permanently deleted from my iPhone?**

Yes, you should first check the "Recently Deleted" album in the Photos app. You can also use data recovery solutions like MobiSaver to retrieve deleted photos that aren't in the "Recently Deleted" album. Lastly, you can restore them from an iCloud backup.

3. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from an Android Device?

To recover deleted photos from an Android, check out Recover Deleted Photos & Pictures from an SD Card.

1. Download and install the MobiSaver tool.
2. Connect your Android phone to the computer.
3. Launch the MobiSaver tool and start the recovery process.