I was scrolling through my iPhone, clearing out old screenshots and blurry photos. It felt good to tidy up my gallery. But then, my heart sank. I had deleted a set of pictures from my best friend’s wedding. I tapped “Recently Deleted” in panic, hoping to undo my mistake. But somehow, I had cleared that too.
My stomach tightened. Those photos weren’t just pictures—they were memories. I needed them back. I searched online, hoping for a solution. Could I recover permanently deleted photos from my iPhone? I had no idea, but I was determined to try every possible way.
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My First Step: Checking the ‘Recently Deleted’ Folder
I took a deep breath and checked my iPhone. Maybe I got lucky. Photos don’t disappear right away—they sit in a special folder for 30 days.
Here’s how I found them:
- Opened the Photos app.
- Tapped on Albums at the bottom.
- Scrolled down to Recently Deleted (it’s near the bottom).
- Selected the photos I wanted to restore.
- Tapped Recover and confirmed.
That was it. My photos were back in the gallery, safe and sound. But what if they were gone from here too? That’s when things got tricky.
What If ‘Recently Deleted’ Is Empty? Here’s What I Did
I stared at my screen, hoping for a miracle. No luck. My photos were gone from the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. That meant they had been permanently removed.
At this point, I had two options:
- Check iCloud or iTunes backups – If I had a recent backup, I could restore my phone to bring back lost photos.
- Use a recovery tool – If there was no backup, I needed third-party software to scan my iPhone for deleted data.
I had to act fast. The longer I waited, the harder it would be to recover anything.
How I Got My Photos Back Without a Backup
I had no backup. That meant I needed a different solution. A recovery tool was my best bet. After some research, I found software that claimed to retrieve lost data directly from my iPhone.
Here’s how I used it:
- Downloaded and installed a trusted recovery program on my computer.
- Connected my iPhone using a USB cable.
- Launched the software and selected the option to recover deleted photos.
- Scanned my device for lost data (this took a few minutes).
- Previewed the recovered files and selected the photos I wanted.
- Clicked “Recover” to save them back to my phone.
It worked! My deleted photos were back, even without a backup. I made a mental note to back up my phone regularly—just in case this ever happened again.
My Last Hope: Restoring Photos from iCloud Backup
I had one final option—restoring from an iCloud backup. This meant resetting my iPhone and hoping my photos were in the latest backup.
Here’s how I did it:
- Checked that iCloud Backup was enabled in Settings > [My Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
- Went to Settings > General > Reset.
- Selected Erase All Content and Settings (this wiped my phone).
- Followed the setup instructions until I reached Apps & Data.
- Chose Restore from iCloud Backup.
- Signed into iCloud and picked the most recent backup.
It took some time, but my photos were back.
My Lesson: How I Keep My Photos Safe Now
Losing photos once was enough. I didn’t want it to happen again. So, I changed my habits to keep my memories safe.
Here’s what I do now:
- Back up photos automatically with iCloud or Google Photos.
- Use ‘Optimize iPhone Storage’ to save space without losing pictures.
- Think twice before deleting—especially in the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder.
Now, I don’t panic when I delete something by mistake. My photos are always backed up.
Where Do Permanently Deleted Photos Go?
Once photos are deleted from ‘Recently Deleted,’ they don’t sit in a hidden folder. They are removed from my iPhone’s storage and can’t be recovered without a backup or recovery tool.
That’s why backups are so important. Without one, there’s no way to bring them back. Now, I never risk losing my photos again.