How to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos in 2026
-
Written By Somdatta De
Approved By Nischal
-
Updated on January 14, 2026 -
Min Reading 6 Min - Share
Losing photos or videos hits differently. That accidental deletion, the hurried quick format, or even a failed transfer—and suddenly years of your memories or critical work files are gone. It’s 2026, and with most of our photos and videos stored on multiple devices, you can lose data in more than one way!
The good news is: deleted photos and videos can be recovered. The bad news: what you do immediately after deletion matters more than anything else.
We’re going to explain exactly what happens when you delete photos and videos and what you need to do immediately to recover deleted media (whether it be from PCs and memory cards or Android devices and iPhones). We’ll also tell you when to use recovery software and when it’s time to stop those DIY attempts and seek professional help.
What Happens When Photos or Videos Are Deleted (and What to Do Immediately)
Your file isn’t erased permanently right away when you delete a photo or video. Your system instead removes its reference from the file system and marks that storage space as “available for reuse.” So, until and unless new data overwrites that free space, you can recover your deleted files.
Do note, since video files are much larger, they can get overwritten faster than photos (which is why video recovery is more time-sensitive). Also, recovering an deleted old video is trickier as the storage space is more likely to have been reused for newer recordings.
🧠 Note: Even if you think you aren’t using the drive, most modern systems will run background tasks (like indexing, optimization, and cleanup), and this can overwrite your deleted data sooner than expected.
What You Should Do Immediately
If your photos or videos were deleted recently, make sure to do these right away.
- Stop using the affected device as much as possible.
- Do not take any new photos or videos.
- Don’t install recovery software on the same storage.
- If your data was on an SD card, USB drive, or a camera, just disconnect it safely and store it in an anti-static pouch.
Get this: every single new write operation you do reduces your chances of recovery. Because once deleted data is overwritten, it’s gone for good. If you’ve followed till here, let’s see how you can recover your deleted photos and videos from different devices.
How to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos From Different Devices
The most important takeaway for this section: photo/video recovery depends less on the file type and more on how your device stores and manages the deleted data. Instead of thinking in terms of devices alone, it’s more useful that we understand the recovery method that applies to each storage environment, so let’s dive in.
Method 1: File System-Level Recovery on Computers (Windows and macOS)
Your Windows and macOS systems remove deleted photos and videos at the file system level first. As we mentioned above, the OS deletes directory entries and marks the space as free, but the actual data remains intact until overwritten.
This is why recovery works well on computers, especially when the data was deleted recently. Stellar Photo Recovery software scans unallocated space, reads residual metadata, and reconstructs your photos and videos using known file structures and signatures.
One important technical distinction here is the storage type. Traditional hard drives retain deleted data longer, while SSDs can trigger TRIM, which proactively clears deleted blocks. Still, most recovery attempts can succeed on desktops and laptops if you stop using the device immediately after deletion.
Method 2: Direct Media Recovery From External Storage
We’re talking about external storage devices like SD cards, USB drives, CFexpress cards, and camera memory cards. These too have high recovery success rates.
These devices usually rely on FAT or exFAT file systems, which remove file references during deletion or formatting but leave your underlying data untouched. Since cameras and card readers don’t actively run background cleanup processes, your deleted photos and videos often remain recoverable (until new data is written). The key here, again, is minimal handling. Writing even small amounts of data can overwrite recoverable media blocks.
Method 3: Limited Recovery From Android Devices
Android recovery depends entirely on the storage location. If your media was stored on removable SD cards, it can be recovered effectively once the card is scanned separately. Internal storage is a different beast, though. Many users searching for how to recover deleted photos from gallery on Android first check trash folders or cloud backups before attempting recovery.
Modern Android devices use file-based encryption and aggressive block reuse. In simpler terms, this means when photos or videos are deleted, storage blocks are reassigned very quickly (especially on UFS-based systems), narrowing the recovery window significantly.
In smartphone data loss cases, recovery is also possible through cloud backups or trash folders. If that doesn’t work, instead of using a third-party delete photo recovery app, you should use Stellar Data Recovery for Android.
Method 4: Backup-Based Recovery on iPhones
iPhones and other iOS devices do not allow meaningful storage-level recovery because, well, it’s Apple. Full-disk encryption and strict access controls mean that once your photos or videos are deleted and removed from the “Recently Deleted” folder, iCloud, iTunes, or Finder backups that were created before deletion are your best recovery paths.
Without them, your best resort is to use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.
Here’s a quick table explaining different device-based recovery techniques and your chances of success.
| Device/Source | Where to Check First | Recovery Approach | Recovery Likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows PC / Laptop | Recycle Bin, File History | Use Stellar Photo Recovery software if permanently deleted | 🟢High if drive not reused |
| Mac | Trash, Time Machine | Software recovery if backups are unavailable | 🟢High to medium |
| External HDD / USB Drive | N/A | Software recovery works well after deletion or formatting | 🟢High |
| SD Card / Camera Memory Card | Camera recycle (rare) | Remove card, scan separately with recovery software | 🟢Very high |
| Android Phone (SD Card) | Gallery Trash, Google Photos | Remove SD card and recover via PC | 🟢High |
| Android Phone (Internal Storage) | Google Photos backup | Limited software recovery due to system restrictions | 🔴Low to medium |
| iPhone | Recently Deleted, iCloud backup | Restore from backup only | 🟡Medium if backup exists |
How Stellar’s Photo Recovery Software Helps Recover Deleted Photos and Videos
If you can’t find your deleted photos and videos in the recycle bin, trash, or backups, choosing a reliable recovery software is your next safest step. Stellar Photo Recovery is designed specifically to recover deleted photos and videos from PCs and external storage devices in 2026.
Instead of using unreliable free tools or a random video recovery app, choosing a professional-grade solution ensures deeper scanning and better recovery results.
Our engineers have designed Stellar Photo Recovery to scan your storage devices in a read-only mode, which means it never writes data back to the source during recovery (thus completely eliminating any chance of permanently erasing deleted photo or video data).
These features set Stellar Photo Recovery apart as the most reliable photo recovery tool.
✅ Recovers deleted photos and videos after permanent deletion, formatting, or file system corruption
✅ Allows preview before recovery so you can verify files first
✅ Supports photo recovery for PC internal drives, external hard drives, USB drives, and SD cards
✅ Restores standard image formats as well as RAW photo files from DSLR and mirrorless cameras
✅ Recovers deleted or lost video files affected by transfer or storage errors
✅ Uses a safe, read-only recovery process to protect remaining data
Stellar Photo Recovery can recover both photos and videos in a single scan so you can easily recover entire folders or memory cards that were affected.
Your data deserves the best shot at recovery, so if you need a practical, software-based recovery option when the storage device is still accessible and data hasn’t been overwritten, download and install Stellar Photo Recovery and let us do the heavy lifting!
When Recovery Software Won’t Work (and When to Consider Professional Recovery)
In certain situations, recovery software alone won’t be enough. Even powerful recovery software like Stellar Photo Recovery may not work if:
❌ deleted data has already been overwritten.
❌ the storage device is physically damaged.
❌ the drive isn’t detected by the system at all.
❌ the file system or controller has failed.
At this point, it doesn’t make sense to continue your DIY attempts, and in fact, they could reduce your recovery chances further.
In cases involving severe corruption, corrupted video file repair often requires specialized tools that go beyond standard recovery software. This is where Stellar data recovery services come in. For physically damaged drives, unreadable memory cards, or devices with severe corruption, Stellar’s in-lab experts can recover your photo and video data using proprietary specialized tools that software cannot replicate.
💡 Pro Tip: Knowing when to stop DIY recovery often makes the difference between a successful recovery and permanent loss.
Common Mistakes That Reduce Your Chances of Photo and Video Recovery
We’ve seen many recoverable cases that fail because our clients make these avoidable mistakes.
- They continue to use the same device after deletion.
- They install recovery tools on the affected drive.
- They save recovered files back to the original storage location/device.
- They try to run multiple aggressive scans or “repair” utilities.
- They format the device again out of panic.
For the best chances at recovery, you need to be calm and try a minimal-intervention approach. A calm, minimal-intervention approach always improves the chances of successful recovery photos and videos from affected storage devices. This almost always leads to better results, trust us!
For a deeper understanding of photo recovery, from old deleted images to the best tools available in 2026, explore these related articles below:
Explore these related articles to learn more about video recovery, including device-specific cases and advanced repair scenarios:
About The Author
Somdatta is a professional content writer and analyst focused on the storage technology sector, with expertise in both magnetic and flash storage, as well as cloud computing and virtualization concepts. She translates technical concepts into clear, engaging content to sensitize readers toward a multitude of data loss scenarios and help them gain insights into the nuances of data recovery.
