Recover Deleted GIFs from PC & Mobile: Simple & Effective Methods

Can I Recover Deleted GIF Files?

GIF is a very old but still extremely popular bitmap image format. Although it has obvious shortcomings in color representation and file size, with the rise of social media, GIF files are becoming a popular way to express emotions and reactions due to their animated nature. Whether you're a GIF enthusiast or an ordinary user, it's common to collect your favorite stickers on your devices.

Sometimes, when managing these stickers, you might accidentally delete them. The loss of your favorite stickers can be frustrating and upsetting. When a deletion happens, you might want to ask: Can I recover the deleted GIF? The answer is yes. Whether you lost them on a Windows PC or a mobile device, there are several proven methods to help you bring them back.

How to Recover Deleted GIF on Windows

This section will provide 6 proven methods to recover deleted GIF images from Windows. From simple recovery methods to professional data recovery tools, you can choose the one that best suits your situation based on your actual needs. Let's explore them one by one.

Method 1. Check the Recycle Bin

No matter the situation, checking the Recycle Bin immediately after the file loss is the simplest and most effective method. Files deleted (not permanently deleted) from a Windows are retained in the Recycle Bin until it is emptied or the files exceed its storage limit.

Step 1. Double click the Recycle Bin icon to open it.

Step 2. Browse through and select the GIF files you wish to recover.

Step 3. Right click on them and choose "Restore" to recover them to their original location.

If the deleted file does not appear in the Recycle Bin, it means it may have been permanently deleted. Please try the other methods below.

Method 2. Restore from File History

If you have previously enabled File History on Windows and backed up the folder containing the GIF files, you can use the "Restore previous versions" feature to revert the folder to its state before the GIFs were deleted.

Step 1. Locate the folder with lost GIF files in File Explorer.

Step 2. Right click on it and choose "Restore previous versions" from the context menu. Then a list of versions will be displayed.

Step 3. Select the version before GIF files loss and click "Restore" to return it.

Method 3. Restore from Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore is another backup tool bult-in Windows which allows you to create a full system image and restore files from the backup when you need. Here's how to restore GIF files from Backup and Restore.

Step 1. Open "Backup Settings" and click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

Step 2. Click "Select another backup to restore files from" and choose a created backup including the deleted GIFs.

Step 3. Select "Browse for files/folders" to choose the files you want to restore and click "Next".

Step 4. Choose a destination folder to save the recovered files and click "Restore" to start the process.

Once the process is completed, the message "Your files have been restored" will pop up. You can check the recovered GIFs by clicking "View restored files".

Method 4. Recover from Cloud Backup

If you synced GIF files to cloud backup tools like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, your deleted GIFs including permanently deleted may still exist in the cloud. Simply log in and restore the deleted files from the OneDrive Recycle bin (take OneDrive as an example here).

Step 1. Sign in to OneDrive with your account.

Step 2. Select the "Recycle bin" section, choose the deleted GIFs.

Step 3. Click "Restore" in the upper left corner to recover them.

Method 5. Run Windows File Recovery Command

If you don’t have any backups available, Windows also offers a command-line data recovery tool—Windows File Recovery. It can recover permanently deleted files from various types of hard drives. However, it requires familiarity with basic Windows File Recovery commands and is only compatible with Windows 10 and 11.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft official channel.

Step 2. Open Windows File Recovery and run it as administrator.

Step 3. Type the following command "winfr H: F: /extensive /n *.gif" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letters "H" and "F" with your actual drive letters.

★Tips:

H: the source drive letter.

F: the destination drive letter.

Extensive: the scan mode. Preform a comprehensive scan for the source drive letter.

/n *.gif: the filter command.

Method 6. Recover Deleted GIFs with MyRecover

If none of the above methods work, MyRecover offers a professional and user-friendly option. It can scan all the drives on the computer and provided a chance to recover deleted files from these devices. It not only supports the deleted GIF files recovery but also over 1,000 other file types, including documents (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, etc.), images (PGN, JPG, PSD, etc.), videos (MP4, MOV, WMV, etc.), audios (MP3, WAV, APE, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, BZA, etc.), emails, and webpages.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store, avoid installing it on the drive including lost files.

Step 2. Run it and select the drive with lost GIF files to scan, then click "Scan".

Step 3. Choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a destination folder to save the recovered files.

When the process finishes, you'll see the message "Files have been recovered successfully". Click "Browse" button or the destination folder path to check your recovered GIFs.

How to Recover GIF Images from Mobile Phone

GIF file loss isn’t limited to computers, mobile users often lose GIFs due to accidental operations as well. Below are two methods to recover lost images, tailored for Android and iPhone users respectively.

Restore from Trash Bin (For Android)

If you saved the GIFs to your phone's Gallery and deleted them from it, the gallery usually has a "Recently Deleted" or "Trash bin" folder that allows you to recover photos deleted from Gallery within the last 30 days.

Step 1. Open "Gallery" and go to "Recently deleted" or "Trash bin".

Step 2. Select the GIF files and click "Restore" to recover them.

Recover with MyRecover for IOS (For iPhone)

For iPhone users, if you saved the GIFs to your Photos app, you can also restore them from the Recently Deleted folder. If the GIFs were deleted from another app, you can try using a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover for iOS. It can restore 10+ types of iPhone data, including photos, videos, contacts, call history, WeChat history, etc.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover for iOS on your computer.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to the computer with a charging cable.

Step 3. Trust the computer on your iPhone and click "Scan Now" to scan your iPhone.

Step 4. Select your desired files from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Conclusion

Losing GIFs can be frustrating, especially if they were personal creations, treasured memories, or your favorite reaction sticks. Fortunately, whether on Windows PC or mobile devices, there are multiple ways to bring them back. If you need a more reliable and comprehensive solution, MyRecover is worth considering.

Even if you have more advanced needs, such as unlimited data recovery and the ability to preview file contents, MyRecover's Professional version can meet them. Next time you lose your GIFs during an app cleanup or accidental click, you’ll know how to retrieve them.