How to Recover Deleted Photos on Android (Without Sketchy Apps)

Accidentally deleting a photo is a sinking feeling. Android phones rarely delete photos straight away. They move them to a trash folder first. The places to check, in order, are Google Photos, your phone’s gallery app, the My Files app and any backups. This guide covers Samsung Galaxy and other Android phones like Pixel. Menu names can differ slightly by model and app version.

Step 1: check Google Photos Trash

If you use Google Photos, start here, even on a Samsung phone. Google’s steps:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. At the bottom, tap Collections, then Trash.
3. Touch and hold the photo or video you want back. Tap more to select several.
4. At the bottom, tap Restore.

Google says a restored item goes back to the albums it was in, your Google Photos library and your phone’s gallery app. Its help page says items in Trash are permanently deleted after 30 days. You can’t restore something you deleted more than 30 days ago, deleted from Trash, or removed when you emptied Trash.

Check Archive and other accounts

Not in Trash? It might not be deleted at all. Google notes an archived photo is hidden from your main library; open your Archive in Collections and unarchive it. If you have more than one Google account, switch accounts (tap your profile picture) and check each library and Trash.

Step 2: recover deleted photos on Android from the Samsung Gallery trash

Samsung’s Gallery app has its own trash. Samsung says files deleted from Gallery are kept there for 30 days, then permanently deleted. The label is Trash on some versions and Recycle bin on others.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines).
3. Tap Trash (or Recycle bin).
4. Tap Edit, or touch and hold a photo, then select what you want back. Tap All to select everything.
5. Tap Restore (or Restore all).

Also check My Files

If you deleted the picture from a file manager rather than Gallery, Samsung’s My Files app has a separate bin. Open My Files and look for Recycle bin (or Trash), select the file and restore it. Samsung notes this bin also keeps items for 30 days.

Step 3: other Android phones

Many Android phones use Google Photos as the main gallery, so Step 1 covers them. If your phone came with its own gallery app, open it and look for a Trash, Bin or Recently deleted album in its menu. Google notes that on Android 11 and up, photos deleted from the device without being backed up also stay in Google Photos Trash for 30 days.

Step 4: look in your backups and other copies

If the trash is empty, think about where else the photo might live:

• Cloud sync for Samsung Gallery: open Gallery, tap Menu → Settings and check whether cloud sync was turned on. If it was, sign in to that service on the web or another device and look there, including its own recycle bin. Note that Samsung Cloud device backups don’t include photos and videos, according to Samsung.
• Google Photos on the web: sign in at photos.google.com with each Google account you use and check the library and Trash.
• Chats and email: if you ever sent the photo to someone, it may still be in that conversation or your sent mail. Ask the person you sent it to.
• Your computer: photos you once copied to a PC or Mac, or a shared album, may still be there.
• A memory card: if your phone has a microSD slot, check whether the photo was saved to the card and is still there.

What about photo recovery apps?

Search the Play Store and you’ll find plenty of apps promising to recover deleted photos. Be careful. Google says plainly that permanently deleted photos and videos can’t be restored from Google Photos, and no app can bring back something that only existed in a cloud trash that has been emptied.

• Many of these apps only find small cached thumbnails, not your original photo.
• Some ask for broad access to all your files, push subscriptions, or are packed with ads.
• Never install an app from a link in a pop-up or text message that claims to recover your photos. That’s a common way to spread malware.

If the photos really matter, for example the only copies of family pictures, contact your phone maker’s support or a reputable local repair shop rather than installing random apps, and stop using the phone heavily in the meantime.

Make sure it doesn’t happen again

• Turn on backup in Google Photos (or your gallery’s cloud sync) so a deleted photo still has a copy.
• Don’t empty the trash just to save space. Our guide to freeing up storage on Android has safer ways to make room.
• Keep a second copy of the important ones on a computer or another cloud service.
• When you change phones, check your photos have synced before you reset the old one. Our guide to setting up a new Android phone walks through it.

Need to send a recovered iPhone photo to an Android phone? Convert it with our HEIC to JPG converter. More guides are in the Android section.

Related guide: Gmail Storage Full? How to Free Up Space Without Paying.

FAQ

Sources

• Restore recently deleted photos & videos (Android), Google Photos Help
• Delete photos & videos (Android), Google Photos Help
• Use the trash feature of the Gallery app on your Samsung Galaxy device (Samsung Canada)
• Delete and restore files using the Trash feature in Samsung apps (Samsung Canada)
• Access your device backups in Samsung Cloud (Samsung US)