How to Recover Deleted Photos on Google Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide

We’ve all accidentally deleted important photos at some point in our lives, but it’s a relief when we can get them back. Usually, when you delete an image from Google Photos, it is automatically moved to the Trash folder.

Deleted photos that have been backed up will remain in the trash for 60 days, while unbacked photos will remain in the trash for 30 days. You can only recover photos and videos if they are still in your Trash folder. Once you have emptied the Trash folder, its contents cannot be restored.

Also, according to Google support, you cannot recover deleted photos if you have been inactive on Google Photos for at least 2 years. In such cases, your content may be permanently deleted. Similarly, if you have exceeded the storage limit for at least 2 years, all your content, including photos, will also be deleted.

Here are some ways to recover your deleted photos in Google Photos:

Check the Trash folder

To recover deleted photos that may be in the Trash folder, find the photo you want to recover and click the Recover option. The photo is restored either to the phone’s gallery or to the Google Photos library.

Check the Archive folder

Sometimes people accidentally archive their photos and think they’ve deleted them. It may be useful to check the Archive folder for missing images. If you find your missing photos in the Archive folder, just select the “Remove from Archive” option. The image is returned to the gallery.

Use Google Support

There is one way to ask Google to retrieve your deleted photos if you have them stored in Google Drive.

– Go to Google Drive and click on the Help page. On the Help page, click on “Missing or deleted files”.

– Now you get two options in the pop-up window. The first option is “request chat” and the second is “email support”. You can choose the one that suits you at the moment.

– Explain why you need Google to restore images/files. If it is possible, Google may retrieve the deleted photos or files.

Use third-party recovery tools

Recovering deleted photos can be attempted using third-party programs such as PhotoRec, Disk Drill, and FreeUndelete, but results are not guaranteed. Many fraudulent recovery tools can also be used as a phishing attempt and can infect your phone or computer with viruses.

How to make sure you don’t lose photos in the future

Make sure you have enabled “automatic backup”. In this way, your photos are safely stored in the cloud and you can access them even after you have deleted them from the device. Download your important photos and save them on an external hard drive. You can use Google Photos features like “Lock” and “Archive” to protect important photos from accidental deletion.