At some point in our lives, we've all accidentally deleted important photos, but the relief comes when we are able to restore them. Typically, when you delete a photo from Google Photos, it automatically moves to the Trash folder.
Deleted photos that are backed up remain in the Trash for 60 days, while unbacked photos are retained for 30 days. You can only restore photos and videos if they're still in your Trash folder. Once you empty the Trash folder, its contents cannot be restored.
Furthermore, according to Google Support, you won't be able to restore deleted photos if you've been inactive in Google Photos for 2 years or more. In such cases, your content might get permanently deleted. Similarly, if you've exceeded your storage limit for 2 years or more, all your content, including photos, will also be deleted.
Here are some ways to retrieve your deleted photos in Google Photos:
Check Trash folder
To restore the deleted photos that might be in the Trash folder, find the photo that you want to restore and click on the ‘Restore’ option. The photo will be restored into either your phone gallery or the Google Photos library.
Check the Archive folder
Sometimes people accidentally archive their photos and think that they have deleted them. It can be helpful to check the Archive folder for missing photos. If you find your missing photos in the Archive folder, just select the ‘Unarchive’ option. The photo will be restored to the gallery.
Use Google Support
There is one way to request Google to retrieve your deleted photos if you stored them in Google Drive.
– Go to Google Drive and click on the Help Page. From the Help page click on “Missing or deleted files.”
– Now you will get two options in a pop-up box. The first option will be “request chat” and the second will be “email support.” You can pick the one that suits you at the moment.
– Explain why you need Google to restore the photos/files. If it is possible then Google might retrieve the deleted photos or files.
Use third-party recovery tools
One can attempt to restore deleted photos using third-party programs like PhotoRec, Disk Drill, and FreeUndelete but the results are not guaranteed. Many fraudulent recovery tools can also be used as phishing attempts and can infect your phone or computer with viruses.
How to make sure you do not lose pictures in future
Make sure you have enabled ‘automatic backup’. This way your photos will be safely stored in the cloud and you can access them even after deleting them from the device. Download your important photos and store them in an external hard drive. You can use Google Photos features like “Lock” and “Archive” to keep important photos safe from accidentally deleting them.
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