Have you ever accidentally deleted precious photos from Google Photos, only to realize later that you need them back? It’s a terrible feeling, especially if those photos held cherished memories.
The good news is that even if 60 days have passed since you deleted the photos, there are still ways to recover them. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to get your permanently deleted Google Photos back.
1. Check Your Google Photos Trash Folder
The first place to look is the Google Photos Trash folder. When you delete photos, they are moved to the Trash and kept there for 60 days before being permanently deleted.
Here’s how to check your Trash folder and restore deleted photos:
- Open the Google Photos app or go to photos.google.com
- Click on Trash in the left sidebar
- Select the photos you want to restore
- Click the Restore button at the top
If your deleted photos are still in the Trash and it’s been less than 60 days, this method should allow you to get them back easily.
2. Contact Google Support
If it’s been more than 60 days and your photos are no longer in the Trash, the next step is to contact Google Support. Google may still have your deleted photos for an additional 21 days after permanent deletion.
To request recovery of permanently deleted photos from Google Support:
- Go to Google Drive Help and click Contact us
- Explain that you need to recover permanently deleted Google Photos
- Provide details on approximately when the photos were deleted
- Wait for a response from the Google Support team
The key is to act quickly, provide clear details in your request, and hope that Google is able to locate and restore your deleted photos.
3. Restore from a Local Backup
If you had previously backed up your Google Photos library to your computer or an external hard drive, you may be able to recover the deleted photos from there.
Check to see if you have any Google Takeout archives that were exported before you deleted the photos. You can also look for copies of the original photo files on your computer or other devices where you may have uploaded them from.
Having a local backup of your Google Photos is always a good idea to guard against accidental deletions or other issues with the cloud service.
4. Use Data Recovery Software
As a last resort, you can try using data recovery software to scan your phone or computer for deleted photo files. This may allow you to recover photos that were deleted from your device storage before being uploaded to Google Photos.
Some popular data recovery tools include:
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
- Disk Drill
- Recuva
Keep in mind that data recovery is not always successful, especially if the deleted files have been overwritten by new data. But it’s worth a try if the other methods have failed.
Conclusion
Losing important photos can be stressful, but permanently deleted Google Photos can often be recovered even after the 60 day trash period has passed. By checking your Trash folder, contacting Google support, restoring from backups, and trying data recovery software, you have several options to get your precious memories back.
To avoid future scares, be sure to:
- Regularly back up your Google Photos to your computer or an external drive
- Be very careful before deleting photos and immediately restore anything deleted by accident
- Consider using the Archive feature instead of deleting photos you want to remove from your main library
Hopefully these tips will help keep your Google Photos safe and recoverable. Don’t give up if you’ve lost important pictures – with some persistence and quick action, there’s a good chance of getting them back!
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