Bring it back from Recently Deleted.
You can do this directly in Apple’s Photos app. Follow these steps for the photos or videos you want to recover.
Find Recently Deleted
Open Photos → Collections, then look under Utilities for Recently Deleted.
Unlock the collection
Tap View Album and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode if prompted.
Choose what to bring back
Tap Select and choose your items. Open the More (…) menu, tap Recover, then confirm. They return to your library.
A window to change your mind.
Recently Deleted keeps items for 30 days. After that, they are removed permanently. Deleting them from this collection yourself ends the recovery window sooner.
iCloud Photos stays in sync.
With iCloud Photos enabled, deleting an item also removes it from your other devices using the same Apple Account. Another synced device is not a separate backup.
Swiped left on the wrong photo?
- Before confirming deletion
- A left swipe marks a photo for deletion. Check the review screen and keep any photos you selected by mistake before you confirm.
- After confirming on iPhone
- Photos deleted through Swipewipe go to Recently Deleted. Use the steps above while they are still available there.
Not there? Look for another copy.
Photos cannot restore an item that has been permanently deleted. You may still have a separate copy saved elsewhere.
- A copy you exported
- Check folders on your computer or external drive where you previously saved your photos.
- A photo you shared
- Look in conversations or apps where you sent it. You could also ask the person you shared it with for their copy.
- A separate backup
- Check any backup service you used before the deletion. A copy will only be available if it was saved and is still retained there.
For the future, keep a separate backup of the memories you cannot lose, and take a moment to review each cleanup before confirming.
Questions & answers
A few things worth knowing
Can I recover videos too?
Yes. Select videos in Recently Deleted and use Recover, just as you would for photos.
Can Swipewipe restore a permanently deleted photo?
No. Swipewipe is a photo sorting app, not a recovery tool. On iPhone, recovery happens in Apple’s Photos app while the item is still in Recently Deleted.
Does the same recovery process work on Android?
No. Swipewipe removes Android items from the phone without moving them to a trash folder. If you previously backed up a photo to Google Photos, check there for the backed-up copy.