"I recently found that some of my photos on my iPhone disappeared, and I am wondering where do permanently deleted photos go on iPhone? Although I had deleted them from my "Recently Deleted" album, I still cannot find them in my Photos app or iCloud. I am worried that they are gone permanently and cannot be recovered. I have tried searching for solutions online, but have not found a clear answer. I would appreciate any insight into where these photos may have gone, and if there is any way to retrieve them."
- from Apple Community
Many iPhone users often accidentally delete important photos when clearing up device storage. So, the question is: where do deleted photos go on iPhone? Are permanently deleted photos gone forever on iPhone? This article will provide a detailed explanation of where permanently deleted photos go on iPhone and teach you several effective methods to help you recover those photos you thought were lost forever.
What happens to deleted photos on iPhone? When you delete a photo in the iPhone Photos app, it doesn't immediately disappear from your device. Instead, it is moved to the "Recently Deleted" folder, where it stays for 30 days. This means you can easily recover these photos or permanently delete them within that 30-day period.
Where to find recently deleted photos on iPhone? Follow the steps below:
Step 1. Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone.
Step 2. Tap on the "Albums" tab located at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3. Scroll down and look for the album named "Recently Deleted". Tap on it to open.
Step 4. Within the "Recently Deleted" folder, you will find all the photos you recently deleted. Select the photos you want to recover by tapping on them.
Step 5. After selecting the desired photos, look for the "Recover" option, usually located at the bottom right corner of the screen. Tap on "Recover" to restore the selected photos.
But where do photos go when permanently deleted from iPhone? When you manually empty the "Recently Deleted" folder or when the 30-day period expires without recovery, the photos are permanently deleted. On the surface, these photos seem to have completely disappeared from your iPhone and cannot be recovered through regular methods.
However, in reality, the permanently deleted photos are not immediately physically erased. Instead, their storage space is simply marked as "available for overwriting". As long as this space hasn't been overwritten by new data, you still have a chance to recover them through professional iPhone data recovery tools or by restoring from a backup.
After addressing the question of, "Where do photos go when permanently deleted on iPhone?" Can you recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone? Of course. Keep reading to learn how to solve this problem.
As we mentioned earlier, if you haven't backed up your iPhone using iCloud or iTunes, don't lose hope. You can still rely on professional iOS data recovery tools, such as iPhone Photo Recovery. These tools can directly scan your device for deleted data and attempt to recover photos that haven't been overwritten.
Key Features:
Follow the steps below to recover permanently deleted photos from your iPhone without a backup:
01Download, install, and launch the application on your Windows or Mac computer. Make sure to select the correct version tailored for your specific operating system.
02Connect your iPhone to the computer using a functional USB cable. Next, select the "Recover from iOS Device" option located in the upper left corner of the application and click the "Start Scan" button. The iPhone Photo Recovery application will initiate the scanning process to retrieve deleted data.
03The application's interface will showcase all available files, including deleted ones. Choose the "Camera Roll" folder and preview the photos by double-tapping them. Once you locate the desired photo, press the "Recover" button to save the image.
If you possess an iTunes backup, there are two methods to recover deleted photos on your iPhone.
Coolmuster iPhone Data Recovery is a professional tool that lets you selectively recover photos and other files from iCloud and iTunes backups. Unlike official methods, this software allows you to recover only the photos you need, without affecting other data.
Here is how to recover photos from iTunes backup using iPhone Data Recovery:
01Download and launch iPhone Data Recovery, then select the "Recover from iTunes Backup File" tab from the left panel.
02It scans the default iTunes backup location on your computer. Select a backup file from the interface's list and click "Start Scan". If you can't locate the desired file, use the "Select" icon to find your iTunes backup in alternative folders.
03Select the data types you wish to recover, and click the "Start Scan" icon located at the bottom right. Subsequently, you can preview the iTunes backup files on your computer.
04Navigate to "Photos", choose specific deleted and existing files on the right, and ultimately, click the "Recover to Computer" icon to initiate the file restoration process from iTunes backups.
Video Tutorial:
You can also directly use Apple's iTunes app to recover deleted photos, but it will overwrite the current iPhone data and cannot recover photos only. If you don't mind this, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes.
Step 2. In iTunes, find and select your iPhone icon situated in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window.
Step 3. Under the "Summary" tab, find the "Backups" section. Click on the "Restore Backup" button.
Step 4. Choose the backup that includes the photo you wish to recover and click "Restore".
If you created an iCloud backup before deleting photos, you can recover deleted photos on your iPhone from the iCloud backup. However, it's important to note that this process requires erasing all content and settings on the iOS device first. Follow the steps below:
Step 1. Navigate to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset". Then, tap "Erase All Content and Settings" to reset your iPhone.
Step 2. Set up your iPhone and opt for "Restore from iCloud Backup" on the "Apps & Data" screen.
Step 3. Sign in with your Apple ID and select "Choose backup".
Step 4. Choose the most recent iCloud backup to restore your iPhone.
Where do permanently deleted photos go on iPhone? Are permanently deleted photos gone forever from iPhone? I believe by now you have learned the answer. If you wish to recover deleted photos, this article has provided several methods. iPhone Photo Recovery is the best choice if you don't have a backup; of course, if you have a backup, consider using Coolmuster iPhone Data Recovery to selectively recover your photos instead of restoring the entire backup.
That's all I can tell you, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a message below, and we'll be happy to assist you.
Related Articles:
[100% Success] How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone Without Computer
[3 Ways] How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iCloud?
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on iPhone with/without a Backup
How to Recover Photos from iPhone Without iCloud Backup? (4 Ways)
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