How To Do Photo Recovery?

Accidentally deleted precious photos or lost your favorite memories due to a corrupted SD card or system crash? You’re not alone. Photo loss is a common issue caused by accidental deletion, formatting errors, or damaged storage devices. Fortunately, with the right tools and techniques like the modern photo recovery software, you can restore your lost images, even if you think they’re gone forever.

Whether you’re a photographer looking to recover RAW files, a student who deleted vacation memories, or a business user needing to restore presentation visuals, there’s a tool suited to your needs. If all else failed, seek professional data recovery service like Volta PC Upgrade & Repair. We provide professional, secure, and efficient solutions to ease the stress of your photo loss. 

In this below guide, we’ll walk you through the causes of photo loss, practical recovery methods, and preventive steps to help safeguard your images in the future.

Why Do Photos Get Lost or Deleted?

Before diving into recovery solutions, it helps to understand how photo loss typically happens:

• Accidental deletion from phones, cameras, or computers
• Formatted SD cards or hard drives
• Corrupt storage devices (e.g., USB drives, memory cards)
• Virus or malware infections
• Crashes or software errors during file transfers

Knowing the cause can help determine the most effective recovery method.

How to Recover Deleted or Lost Photos

1. Use Photo Recovery Software

Modern photo recovery tools make the process simple. Here are a few reliable options:

• Recuva: A free, easy to use recovery tool for Windows
• Stellar Photo Recovery: Known for high success rates and wide file support
• Disk Drill: Offers powerful scanning and preview features
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: Intuitive interface and quick recovery process

Steps to recover photos using software:

1. Download and install the recovery tool on your computer.
2. Connect the affected device (camera, SD card, USB, etc.).
3. Run a scan on the device.
4. Preview recoverable images.
5. Select and restore the files you want.

💡 Tip: Avoid installing the recovery tool on the same drive where your photos were lost to prevent overwriting data.

2. Recover Photos from Cloud Storage

If you use cloud services, there’s a good chance your photos are backed up automatically.

• Google Photos: Check the “Trash” or “Bin” folder, items remain for 30-60 days.
• iCloud Photos: Visit iCloud.com and go to “Recently Deleted.”
• OneDrive/Dropbox: Look in the deleted or recycling folders.

Restoring from the cloud is often the fastest and safest method.

3. Restore from Backup Drives

If you keep backups on external hard drives or another device, now’s the time to check them.

• Look in your manual backup folders.
• Use Time Machine (Mac) or File History (Windows) if enabled.
• Regular backups can save hours of stress.

4. Photo Recovery on Mobile Devices

On iPhone:

• Go to Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted.
• Select images and tap Recover.

On Android:

• Open Google Photos → Trash → Select & Restore.
• You can also try data recovery apps like DiskDigger (root may be required for full scans).

Limitations of Photo Recovery

While recovery tools are powerful, they have limits:

• Permanently overwritten data is usually unrecoverable.
• Free versions of tools may have limitations on file size or number of recoverable items.
• Downloading unknown software from untrusted sites can introduce malware.

Always use well reviewed, trusted tools. 

Top 15 Photo Recovery Software 

Below is a curated list of the top 15 photo recovery software tools, complete with platform compatibility and key features.