Recover accidentally deleted files from the Recycle Bin or any of the photo folders on the tablet or phone.
Deleted by accident
A file on the PC is quickly deleted, and sometimes it doesn’t happen on purpose, but accidentally. Fortunately, on Windows computers, there is still the Recycle Bin. This is where deleted files end up first, before they disappear permanently. Can’t find a file in the normal folders anymore? First look in the Recycle Bin and restore the lost file.
Retrieve files from Recycle Bin in Windows
- Go to the Desktop.
- Double click on Garbage can.
- The Recycle Bin opens with an overview of all deleted files. The date of deletion is shown in the ‘Deleted on’ column. That might help with the search.
- See if the lost file is among them.
- Found files?
- Click on the file.
- In Windows 10, first click Recycle Bin Tools. Windows 11 users can skip this step.
- Click in the menu bar on Restore the selected items.
The file will be restored to where it was before it was deleted. The file can be found in that folder.
No Recycle Bin on the Desktop?
Is there no Recycle Bin on the Desktop? Then it may have been removed itself. Don’t worry, it’s easy to retrieve:
- Go to the Desktop.
- Right click and click Adjust to personal preference.
- click on themes.
- Click at the bottom Desktop Icon Settings.
In the new window:
- Put a check in Garbage can in the upper part.
- click on OK.
The Recycle Bin is back on the Desktop.
Deleted photos on tablet or phone
Also on the tablet and phone, a photo is sometimes tapped away too quickly. They can still be found (temporarily) in the album ‘Recently deleted’:
iPhone and iPad
iPhone:
- Open the app photos.
- Tap on Albums > Recently Deleted.
- Tap the photo you want back.
- Tap on Put back.
iPad:
- Open the app photos.
- If you are in a photo overview, tap at the top left album.
- Tap on photos.
- Tap on Recently deleted.
- Tap the photo you want back.
- Tap on Put back.
Android phones and tablets
On Android devices, recovering a deleted photo works a little differently:
- Tap the app photos.
- Tap at the bottom Library.
- Tap on Recycle Bin Delete.
- Tap and hold the deleted photo.
- Tap on To recover.
Restored the photo or video.