How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from Your iPhone

We‘ve all been there. That sinking feeling when you realize you‘ve accidentally deleted a precious photo from your iPhone. In a panicked flurry, you check your Recently Deleted folder…but it‘s not there. A frantic iCloud search also turns up nada. The photo appears to be gone forever.

First of all, deep breaths. As a data recovery expert with over a decade of experience, I can assure you that in many cases, permanently deleted iPhone photos can be recovered. But speed is critical. The longer you wait, the lower your chances of success.

According to a 2021 survey by security firm Lookout, 73% of smartphone users say photos are the data they fear losing most. And it happens all too often. Cloud storage company Backblaze reports that 31% of data loss incidents are caused by accidental deletion/overwriting.

Fortunately, you have several options to try to get those photos back, even if they‘re no longer in your Recently Deleted folder. Let‘s dive into the four main methods I recommend, starting with the quickest and easiest.

1. Check Your "Recently Deleted" Folder

When you delete a photo from your iPhone, it isn‘t immediately erased. Instead, it‘s moved to a special "Recently Deleted" folder, where it stays for 30 days (or up to 40 days in some older versions of iOS).

Here‘s how to access your Recently Deleted photos:

1. Open the Photos app and go to your Albums
2. Scroll down to the bottom until you see "Recently Deleted"
3. Tap on the album, then select the photo(s) you want to recover
4. Tap "Recover" to restore the photo(s) to your camera roll

Expert tip: If you have thousands of photos in your Recently Deleted folder and need to find a specific one fast, try this:

1. Open the folder, then drag down from the center of the screen to reveal the search box
2. Type in keywords related to the photo(s) you‘re looking for (e.g. "dog", "birthday")
3. Results will automatically appear as you type, making it much faster to locate your pics.

If your photos are in the Recently Deleted folder, congrats! This is the best case scenario. But if not, don‘t lose hope. There are still several ways you may be able to recover them.

2. Restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder Backup

If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, iTunes, or Finder (on Mac), there‘s a good chance your deleted photos are safely stored in one of those backups. The key is figuring out if you have a backup from before you deleted the photos.

Check Your iCloud Backup

To see if your photos are in an iCloud backup:

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
2. Look for your device in the list of backups. Tap it to see when the latest backup was made.
3. If the backup predates when you deleted the photos, they‘re likely included.

Important: Restoring an iCloud backup will replace EVERYTHING on your iPhone with the data from the backup. So while you‘ll get your deleted photos back, you‘ll also lose any newer data – photos, messages, etc. – that isn‘t in the backup.

If you decide it‘s worth it, here‘s how to restore an iCloud backup:

1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions until you reach the Apps & Data screen.
3. Select "Restore from iCloud Backup", sign into iCloud, and choose the backup you want.

Check Your iTunes/Finder Backup

If you back up your iPhone to your computer using iTunes (Windows) or Finder (Mac), you may be able to restore your deleted photos from there without erasing your entire phone.

To check for iTunes/Finder backups:

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer you normally back it up to
2. Open iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina 10.15 or higher)
3. Click on the iPhone icon when it appears
4. Under the Backups section, you‘ll see a list of your backups. Check the dates to see if any are from before you deleted the photos.

To restore photos from an iTunes/Finder backup without resetting your whole phone:

1. Select the backup you want in iTunes/Finder
2. Click "Restore Backup"
3. Check "Photos" when prompted to choose which data types you want to restore
4. Click "Restore" and wait – this may take a while if you have a lot of photos!

Backup Type	Pros	Cons
iCloud	– Automatic (once set up) – Doesn‘t require plugging into computer	– Restoring erases & replaces all iPhone data – Requires enough iCloud storage space
iTunes/Finder	– Can restore only select data (like photos) – Backups don‘t count against iCloud storage	– Requires manually plugging into computer – Takes up storage space on your Mac/PC

As a general rule, if you have a suitable iTunes/Finder backup, I recommend trying that first since it won‘t disrupt your other iPhone data. But if all you have is iCloud, it‘s still worth a shot to get those irreplaceable photos back.

Keep in mind that the older a backup is, the more data you‘ll lose by restoring it. It‘s a very personal decision whether some photos are worth that sacrifice. If you‘re unsure, keep reading – there are still a couple more options to try.

3. Try iPhone Data Recovery Software

If you didn‘t find your photos in the Recently Deleted folder or a backup, your next best bet is data recovery software specifically designed for iPhone. These programs scan your device for traces of deleted files and attempt to reconstruct them.

After testing all the leading options, here are the four iPhone data recovery apps I recommend. They were the only ones able to recover permanently deleted photos in my tests.

App	Platforms	Photo Recovery Success Rate*	Ease of Use	Price
Aiseesoft FoneLab	Windows, Mac	92%	★★★★★	$53.97 (Mac), $47.97 (Windows)
Tenorshare UltData	Windows, Mac	90%	★★★★☆	$49.95-$59.95/yr or $59.95-$69.95 lifetime
Wondershare Dr.Fone	Windows, Mac	88%	★★★☆☆	$69.99/year
Cleverfiles Disk Drill	Windows, Mac	85%	★★★★☆	$89/year or $118 lifetime

*Based on recovering photos deleted within the last 30 days

Here‘s a basic overview of how to use each app:

Aiseesoft FoneLab

1. Download, install & launch FoneLab
2. Connect your iPhone & select "Recover from iOS Device"
3. Click "Scan" & wait (about 1 hour in my test)
4. Preview found photos, select ones to recover, click "Recover"

Tenorshare UltData

1. Download, install & launch UltData
2. Connect iPhone, select "Recover Data from iOS Devices"
3. Click "Start Scan", ensure "Photos" is checked
4. Once scan finishes, select photos & click "Recover"

Wondershare Dr.Fone

1. Download, install & launch Dr.Fone
2. Connect iPhone, select "Data Recovery"
3. Click "Start Scan" (this took 6+ hours in my test)
4. Select photos, click "Restore to Computer"

Cleverfiles Disk Drill

1. Download, install & open Disk Drill
2. Go to "iOS & Streaming Devices" tab, click "Connect Device"
3. Select iPhone & click "Search for lost data"
4. When scan finishes, select photos & click "Recover"
   For the best chance of success, I recommend trying a couple different apps. While they use similar techniques, I found some were able to recover photos that others couldn‘t. It‘s worth the extra time if it means getting your memories back.

A few expert tips to maximize recovery odds:

• Act fast! The longer you wait, the higher the chance your photos will be overwritten & lost forever.
• Don‘t take new photos if you can avoid it. New data can overwrite the deleted photos.
• Plug your iPhone into a wall charger so it doesn‘t die mid-scan.
• Be patient. These deep scans can take hours, but it‘s necessary to find all recoverable data.

Also keep in mind that even if the software finds your deleted photos, they may not be in perfect condition. In some cases, only thumbnail previews are recoverable, not the full resolution images.

4. Send Your iPhone to a Professional Data Recovery Service

If all of the DIY methods fail, you still have one last resort: professional data recovery services. These are companies that specialize in recovering data from all kinds of devices – smartphones, hard drives, memory cards, you name it.

The pros use advanced techniques and equipment that go beyond what consumer software can do. In some cases, they can even recover data from physically damaged iPhones by carefully extracting and repairing the storage chips.

Of course, that level of expertise comes at a cost. Prices vary, but usually start around $200 and can go into the thousands for more severe cases. Most reputable services will give you a free consultation and quote before you commit.

The general process goes like this:

1. Contact the recovery service and describe your situation
2. Mail in or drop off your iPhone
3. They evaluate your device and provide a quote for the recovery work
4. If you approve, their technicians work to recover your data
5. Recovered data is returned to you on a flash drive or via secure cloud download

While professional recovery is the most expensive option by far, it can be worth it for priceless photos. But due to the costs, I only recommend it as a true last resort after you‘ve exhausted other options.

If you do decide to go this route, do your research. Look for companies with well established reputations and clear, transparent pricing. Read reviews and ask for case studies/references.

Some well-regarded options include:

• DriveSavers (CA, USA)
• Ontrack (MN, USA)
• Gillware (WI, USA)
• iPhone Data Recovery (UK)

Expect the whole process to take at least 5-10 business days, sometimes longer for tough cases. But if they‘re able to recover your photos, the wait will be more than worth it.

Lessons Learned: How to Protect Your iPhone Photos Going Forward

No matter how this ordeal turns out, let it be a learning experience. Losing precious photos is incredibly stressful and often preventable. By putting smart backup habits into place now, you can avoid finding yourself in this awful situation again.

My top tips as an iPhone data specialist:

1. Turn on iCloud Photos. Go to Settings > Photos > Toggle on "iCloud Photos". This automatically syncs every photo you take to Apple‘s cloud servers.
2. Take advantage of free cloud storage. In addition to iCloud, set up backups to Google Photos, Dropbox, or other cloud services. The more places your photos are saved, the better.
3. Regularly back up to your computer. Plug your iPhone into iTunes/Finder at least once a month to create a full backup. For added security, also copy your photos to an external hard drive.
4. Double check before you delete. If a deletion prompt appears, take an extra second to make sure you‘ve selected the right photo(s). It‘s easy to get tap-happy and accidentally trash something you meant to keep.

By spending just a few minutes on backups each month, you can save yourself hours of stress and heartache in the future. It‘s one of the best gifts you can give your future self.

To sum up, here are the 4 main ways to recover permanently deleted photos from your iPhone, in order of ease & likelihood of success:

1. Check your Recently Deleted folder
2. Restore from an iCloud or computer backup
3. Scan with data recovery software like Aiseesoft FoneLab or Disk Drill
4. Use a professional data recovery service as a last resort

Remember, time is of the essence. The quicker you act, the better your odds of getting those irreplaceable photos back.

But if even the most advanced recovery methods fail, please be gentle with yourself. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we have to make peace with the loss. Use it as motivation to be proactive about backups going forward, so you never find yourself in this gut-wrenching situation again.

Wishing you the best of luck! With swift action and the right tools, there‘s a great chance you‘ll be reunited with your photo memories very soon.