Forum Discussion
Dorothy_Addison
Feb 04, 2026Copper Contributor
How to recover permanently deleted photos from Android phone
Accidentally deleted dozens of crucial photos from my Android device (Samsung Galaxy S24, Android 16) and cannot find a way to get them back. I've checked the Trash folder of Google Photos but the 30...
ColoradoRiver
Feb 05, 2026Platinum Contributor
When you delete photos from your Android phone, many cloud storage services—like Google Photos, OneDrive, or Dropbox—don't immediately erase the files permanently. Instead, they move the deleted photos into a Recycle Bin or Trash folder within the cloud account. These folders often store the deleted photos along with their metadata, which includes information like the filename, date taken, size, and location.
How to Recover Photos from Android Phone Use Deleted Photo Metadata in Cloud Recycle Bin to
1. Access the Cloud Recycle Bin:
- Log into the cloud service where your photos were stored, such as Google Photos, OneDrive, or Samsung Cloud.
- Navigate to the Recycle Bin or Trash folder within the app or web interface.
2. Locate Your Deleted Photos:
- Find the photos you want to recover. Cloud services often retain metadata like filename, deletion date, size, and sometimes thumbnails.
3. Review the Metadata:
- Use the metadata to verify the specific photos you want to restore. Metadata can include timestamps, photo dimensions, and original folder locations.
- This helps ensure you're recovering the correct images, especially if multiple photos are involved.
4. Use Metadata to Assist Recovery:
- Some advanced cloud recovery tools or APIs allow you to use metadata to locate or verify files before restoring.
- If your cloud service supports restoring based on metadata, follow their instructions to select and recover the images accordingly.
5. Restore deleted Photos from Android phone:
- Select the desired photos and choose the restore option.
- The photos will be moved back to their original location or a specified folder in your cloud storage.
6. Download to Your Device:
- Once recovered in the cloud, download the photos to your Android phone to ensure local access.