Photos often have huge sentimental value. They hold memories of birthdays, graduations, weddings, unforgettable trips and milestones in our lives. In other cases, they are records of work or study that need to be kept.
Deleted files can stay recoverable until they are overwritten: stop using the device. If software does not solve it, see Bot’s professional data recovery, which starts with a free diagnosis.
The problem is that, while organizing photos on the computer, it’s easy to delete files by accident and, even worse, permanently.
And then comes the desperate search for how to recover deleted photos from the computer. But is it possible?
Is it possible to recover deleted photos from my computer?
In many cases, yes. Don’t despair if you’ve deleted files by accident: they can often be recovered, even after being permanently deleted, as long as they haven’t been overwritten.
When you delete photos on your computer, they are not immediately erased. By default, Windows moves deleted files to a temporary folder you probably already know: the Recycle Bin.
The Recycle Bin holds the files you’ve recently deleted, and from there you can restore your photos to their original folder.
However, the Recycle Bin has limited space. When it reaches its maximum size, Windows starts permanently deleting the oldest files to make room.
You can also delete photos permanently yourself, by pressing Shift + Delete or by deleting files from inside the Recycle Bin (one at a time or with Empty Recycle Bin). In these cases, the files skip the Recycle Bin or leave it for good. Even so, it may still be possible to recover them with the methods described below.
How do I restore photos from the Recycle Bin?
Restoring photos from the Recycle Bin is the simplest way Windows offers to get your files back. That’s exactly what the Recycle Bin is for: giving you time to get back files you deleted by mistake, regret deleting or need again.
To restore your photos:
- Open the Recycle Bin (it’s usually on the desktop; if not, type “Recycle Bin” in the Windows search bar).
- Find the photos you deleted.
- Right-click them and select “Restore”.
The photos will go back to the folder they were in before you deleted them.
Remember that files only stay in the Recycle Bin while there is room, because once it’s full, the oldest ones are deleted. Check it now and then and restore anything important before it’s too late.
What happens after you delete photos from the Recycle Bin?
Let’s say you were clearing the Recycle Bin to free up space and deleted something by mistake. That blurry photo was the only one you had with your childhood friend, and it was never meant to go!
When you delete photos from the Recycle Bin, Windows treats them as permanently deleted. But the deletion isn’t necessarily final straight away.
What actually happens is that the photos disappear from the file system index, so you can no longer open them normally. The system only removes the references to the files.
The data itself stays on the disk until new files are written to that space. In practice, the system tells the disk that this space is free and can be reused for other data.
Why can permanently deleted files be recovered?
Permanently deleted files can be recovered because Windows only marks their space as free. The data remains on a hard disk, memory card or USB flash drive until that space is reused for new data. On an SSD it’s different: the TRIM command usually erases the deleted data within a short time, so recovery is often impossible.
As long as the data hasn’t been overwritten, there are methods (described below) that may get your deleted files back.
One important point: as soon as you realize you’ve deleted photos by mistake and want them back, stop using the computer (or the drive where they were) so that new data doesn’t overwrite them. Don’t install recovery programs on that drive either. Once the data is overwritten, the deletion is permanent.
How do I recover photos deleted from the Recycle Bin?
There are a few ways to recover photos permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin. They’re not as simple as restoring from the Recycle Bin, but they may get your files back if they haven’t been overwritten.
Here are the options:
Windows File History
This is one of the simplest ways to recover files, but it only works if you had already turned on File History, which keeps backup copies on an external drive or network location. If so, you can restore the files from that backup. If you haven’t turned it on yet, it’s worth doing so to avoid problems in the future.
If it was already on, follow these steps:
- Type “file history” in the Windows search bar and click “Restore your files with File History”.
- Use the “Previous” arrow to go back to a date when the photos still existed, and select them or the folder they were in.
- Click the green “Restore” button to recover them.
Previous versions of the folder
Another simple way to recover photos deleted from the Recycle Bin is to open a version of the folder from before they were deleted. For this to work, System Protection (restore points) must have been turned on for that drive beforehand.
If it isn’t on, it’s worth knowing about this option so you can use it in the future: type “Create a restore point” in the Windows search bar, select the drive, click “Configure” and turn on system protection. If it was already on, try the steps below:
- In File Explorer, go to the drive or folder where the photos were stored.
- Right-click it and select “Restore previous versions” (in Windows 11: Properties > Previous Versions).
- Under “Folder versions”, select the version from before the photos were deleted.
- Click “Restore” (or “Restore to” to save the copy somewhere else without replacing the current folder).
Data recovery programs
Data recovery programs are often effective at recovering deleted files after the Recycle Bin has been emptied. They scan the drive for permanently deleted or even corrupted files and copy them back to safety.
Most offer a free version with limits, such as the amount of data you can recover, and paid plans with more features. If you have a lot of photos to recover, you may need to buy a license.
When using these programs, avoid hasty steps that could make your photos unrecoverable: install the program on a different drive and save the recovered files to another drive, never to the one you are recovering from.
Here are some reliable, well-known programs that usually do a good job of recovering data:
- FreeUndelete (free for personal use)
- Disk Drill
- DiskDigger
- Recuva
- EaseUS
- Recoverit
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How Bot can help you
Bot is a company that specializes in data recovery, with more than two decades of experience. We work with the equipment and environments recommended for recovering files from storage devices.
That means we can help you recover deleted photos from your computer or any other storage device, such as hard disks, external disks, USB flash drives and memory cards. You’ll be helped by qualified, experienced professionals who have handled all kinds of data loss cases.
Find out more about our services and start recovering your photos with us.
