Free: How to Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from Gallery on Android

Permanently deleted photos from your phone's gallery can feel like they're gone for good—but recovery is still possible. This guide walks you through how to recover permanently deleted photos from the gallery, whether you're using Huawei, or other Android devices.

By @Emma
Last Updated May 20, 2025

Preface

Losing precious photos from your phone gallery can be frustrating—especially if they seem permanently deleted. Whether it's a mistaken tap on the "Delete" button, emptying the Trash Bin, or a failed system update, the fear of losing irreplaceable memories is real. Thankfully, permanently deleted photos from gallery can often be recovered, even without a prior backup.

In this guide, you'll learn how to recover permanently deleted photos from gallery, with or even without backup. Same methods can applied on Android devices such as Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, and others.

Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Photos?

The short answer is: "yes", but with a few conditions. When a photo is deleted from your phone, it's not immediately wiped from memory. Instead, the space is marked as available for reuse. Until new data is written over it, recovery is still possible. That's why it's crucial to stop using your phone once you notice the loss and begin recovery as soon as possible. Now, let’s get started to recover permanently deleted photos from Gallery free.

✅ Method 1: Check the "Recently Deleted" Folder (If Available)

Most modern Android phones like Huawei include a "Trash" or "Recently Deleted" folder that stores deleted items for a limited time (typically 30 days). If it is not emptied by yourself or the system, check it before other recovery methods.

1. Open the "Gallery" or "Photos" app.

2. Tap on "Albums" > "Recently Deleted" or "Trash".

3. Browse the list and select the photos you wish to restore.

4. Tap "Restore" to move them back to your gallery.

If your photos were deleted over 30 days ago or the Recently Deleted folder was manually cleared, they may be gone from here—but not from your device entirely.

✅ Method 2: Recover from Google Photos Backup

If you use "Google Photos" on the Android phone and sync pictures from your local phone storage to the cloud, your pictures might have been backed up automatically. In such situations, you can restore the permanently deleted photos from Gallery using Google Photos app or through the website.

1. Open the "Google Photos" app or visit photos.google.com(choose one convenient in your situation).

2. Sign in with your Google account that has synced your Android gallery.

3. Open the Trash folder, and search for the missing photo.

4. Tap on the photo and select "Restore".

Then the photo will be saved to your phone's internal storage and appear in the Gallery app. If the photo doesn't appear immediately, restart your phone or open it manually from a file manager.

⚠️Note:
  • Deleted items stored in Google Photos Trash will be permanently deleted after 60 days.

✅ Method 3: Recover Using Huawei Cloud Backup (For Huawei Users)

Huawei devices often use "Huawei Cloud" to sync and back up gallery content. If you've enabled cloud sync, your deleted photos may still be recoverable.

1. Go to "Settings" >" Log in to HUAWEI ID" > "Cloud".

2. Tap on "Manage backup data" and then "Cloud Backup".

3. Touch "Restore dat"a, select a backup copy, and touch "Restore".

✅ Method 4: Recover Deleted Photos from Gallery Via MyRecover (Not Require Prior Backup)

The above method 2 and method 3 are based on the pre-condition that you have made a backup before deleting the photos permanently. What if you did not make any backup via cloud or Recycle Bin? Can you recover permanently deleted photos from Gallery without backup? Yes, you can recover them via a professional data recovery software like MyRecover (Free).

MyRecover is a powerful, free file recovery program designed for all kinds of data loss on Windows computers. Whether your photos were deleted from Android memory card, you can remove it from your mobile device, connect it to a Windows computer and use MyRecover to bring them back.

⚡ Common Gallery Photos Loss Scenarios Where MyRecover Helps
Accidental deletion: Including Shift+Delete or emptying Trash Folder.
Formatting errors: Lost files due to drive formatting or factory reset.
Virus or ransomware attacks: Files hidden, deleted, or encrypted by malware.
System crash or update failure: Lost photos after Android OS failure.
RAW or inaccessible drives: SD card suddenly unreadable or corrupted.
Power failure during transfer: Photos lost while copying or moving files.

1. Download and install MyRecover from the official website.

2. Connect your Android SD card to your PC.

3. Launch MyRecover and select the drive or device to scan.

4.  A "Quick Scan" will first performed. If this mode fails to find your lost photos, switch to "Deep Scan".

5. Use the Filter or Search box to find pictures quickly.

6. Select what you want to recover and click "Recover".

7. Save them to a secure location. (Don't save recovered files to the same location where you lost them to avoid overwriting.)

After the completion, you will see a mini window to tell how many files have been recovered, along with the new path.

See? No complex setup, no technical skills required with beginner-friendly interface. Works with popular brands like Huawei, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and more

Summary

Permanently deleted photos don't have to be lost forever. Whether you rely on backup tools like Google Photos or need to go deeper with professional software, there are effective ways to restore permanently deleted photos from Gallery. For the fastest and most reliable solution, we highly recommend MyRecover, a powerful, free recovery tool that makes photo retrieval simple for everyone.