How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone: 3 Proven Ways 2025

Whenever we go for an outing, and take a lot of pictures for our future memories. However, we know that iPhone models don’t allow us to take unlimited pictures because of a storage problem. And we don’t keep this in our mind and do the same. In that scenario, we delete photos that seem irrelevant. Accidentally, we removed the pictures that are important to us. So, this guide is for those who are looking for a solution on how to recover deleted photos from iPhone.

This tutorial will describe your main query and its related questions that you may also have. In other words, we would like to highlight some common solutions if you have accidentally deleted important pictures of yourself or your loved ones. Then, we will elaborate on when users should use iCloud to retrieve their images. Many more concepts will also be discussed in this. So, you just need to have patience and read sections one by one.

What to Do When You Accidentally Delete Photos on Your iPhone?

There are a few points that you must remember if you are trying to recover deleted photos from your iPhone. Read and understand the following instructions that may be important for your question: how to recover deleted pictures on iPhone.

Always take a backup of your current data for recovering deleted photos from iPhone in case of accidental deletion.
If you have deleted your pictures in the past 20 days, you can effortlessly recover them within 30 days. However, there is no other way to retrieve them unless you have a backup of your confidential data.

When Should You Use iCloud to Recover Deleted Photos?

Here are some situations in which you can conveniently use iCloud or access iCloud.com.

If you have deleted your data from the “Recently Deleted” folder, it is not possible for you to get them as it is.
Sometimes, we make a mistake that iCloud Photos is turned on. If you delete your picture from your iPhone, it will also be removed from your iCloud account. In fact, it will also be deleted from all your connected devices where you are using the same iCloud email ID.
You can use iCloud to get your photos back when you have deleted your recent photos, not more than 30 days ago.

Why Are My Photos Missing from My iPhone?

Several reasons can help you answer why your photos are missing and how to recover deleted photos from iPhone.

Accidental Deletion: Sometimes, you have to delete the photos that you think are irrelevant. But you can easily retrieve them on your iPhone within 30 days.

Shared Library: Make sure your shared library should be enabled before the backup. However, if your photos have become misplaced, you can easily get them back.

Hidden Album: By moving photos to hidden albums, you can’t able to see them in your gallery. In fact, if you have hidden images on a device, it will automatically hide from other devices also. In simple words, if you’ve registered with the same email ID and password on other devices, it will mean that your other images will also be hidden.

How to Find Deleted Photos from iPhone?

First, we will help you provide your answer on how to recover photos from recently deleted iPhone. Afterwards, we will discuss the solution to your targeted question.

To begin the process, you need to open your Photos application to move to the Albums section.
After that, go down, and here you will find the Recently Deleted option.
Next, you can open the desired or targeted folder to check what is inside it.
Then, highlight the destination where your accidentally deleted image is and opt for it.
Finally, the Recover button is at the bottom right, and hit the confirm button.

How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone?

In this section, we will elaborate on three main ways that will help you to recover a deleted photo from iPhone.

#1. How to Get Deleted Photos Back on iPhone Through iTunes Backup

All of us want our data must have a second copy if there is an accidental deletion. If your data is current and you are taking backups again and again, your data can become a duplicate. So, make sure to avoid backup, not more than once.

First, link your iPhone to your Apple laptop or desktop with the help of the USB cable.
After that, open the iTunes application.
Then, hit the device icon when it shows you in iTunes.
Next, you need to click the ‘Restore Backup…’
Moving ahead, select the backup you desire to retrieve, and hit ‘Restore’.

Note: You need to keep both devices linked until the whole procedure is finished. Your iPhone device will reboot and then sync.

#2. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from iPhone via iCloud

Read below to learn more about how to recover deleted photos from iPhone.

Initially, navigate to Settings, where you will find General.
Here, you need to reset all the data by clicking on the Erase all content option.
Further, enable your entire reset device.
Next, you need to understand the steps that are mentioned on your screen until you find out where the Apps & Data screen is highlighted.
Now, you can hit the Restore from iCloud Backup option.
Proceeding further, you have to mention your iCloud email ID and password to sign in to your current account.
At last, click the backup button which you require to restore. After it, you can see the restoring procedure has started.

#3. How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone After 30 days

Under this section, we have two solutions that will highlight to you the important thing, i.e, if you’ve taken a backup even after 30 days, you can follow the below procedures.

Option 1: Using Dropbox

For starting the process, you need to sign in to your current Dropbox account.
Here, click the Deleted files option, which is located on the left sidebar.
Now, you have two options: single or multiple folders from which you want to recover a deleted photo from iPhone.
In the end, when you have decided to choose the selective ones, hit the Restore button.

Option 2: Using iCloud Photos

In the beginning, you need to log in to iCloud.com on your Mac.
Afterwards, mention the login credentials of your Apple ID and move to the Photos section.
Further, you need to tap on the Recently Deleted button under the library.
Next, choose the photo(s) and then hit on the Recover button.
Lastly, you can pick the number of photos by pressing down the Command + Click keys simultaneously on a Mac.

Common Mistakes When Trying to Recover Deleted iPhone Photos

Here are several mistakes that we would like to grab your attention to:

Ignoring the “Recently Deleted” Album: If you are not able to retrieve your photos within 30 days, you need to opt for the advanced approach.

Forgetting iCloud Backups: Not remembering to activate iCloud backup settings in your iPhone, you can not recover the images after an accidental deletion.

- Recovering Lost Photos that Were Not Saved Elsewhere: If you have not backed up your images not for once, it is not possible to retrieve them.

Making Beliefs about the Backup Process: Ensure that while backing up your data, you have a stable internet connection. If you are connected to a weak network, you won’t be able to back up.

How to Prevent Losing Photos on Your iPhone

After having a proper troubleshooting approach on how to recover deleted photos from iPhone, we are now mentioning some prevention methods.

Configure automatic backup with Apple iCloud.
You can also back up using Google Photos.
Backup your iPhone via iTunes.
Protect your iPhone if you have children by enabling either Touch ID or Face ID and keeping your device locked.

End Words!

So, you want to find information on how to recover deleted photos from iPhone. There are three options to do this. The first one involves recovering deleted photos directly from your iPhone. The second approach is to use iTunes or Finder for the same purpose. The third technique involves using an iCloud backup or Dropbox. By following any approaches, you can understand which method is more important.

Frequently Asked Questions

Understand the following questions, too, so you are able to progress forward in solving your problem.

Q 1. Are permanently deleted images really deleted from my iPhone?

Ans. There are a couple of opportunities that your deleted photos will be lost permanently. But if you have a backup of your data, then it can be recovered.

Q 2. Why don’t my deleted pictures return on my iPhone?

Ans. Sometimes, you face some software glitches. That’s the reason you can’t find your deleted photos on your iPhone.

Q 3. How long can you retrieve deleted photos on your iPhone?

Ans. In your Photos library, there is a 30-day rule. In other words, you recover or retrieve your targeted photos within 30 days. After the completion of 30 days, your images will automatically be permanently deleted.