Recover Deleted Pictures in Windows 10 Free [6 Methods]

Accidentally Deleted Pictures in Windows 10?

How to Recover Deleted Pictures in Windows 10 [No Backup]?

Don't panic if you've permanently deleted photos from your Windows 10 computer. Even without backups, there are several effective ways to attempt recovery.

Method 1: Check the Recycle Bin First

When photos go missing or are deleted from your Windows 10 computer, the Recycle Bin should always be your first stop for recovery. This built-in safety net often preserves deleted files when they haven't been permanently erased.

1. Locate and double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop to open it

2. Click the "Date deleted" column header to sort all files by deletion date, making it easier to find recently removed photos

3. Carefully browse through the contents, paying special attention to files deleted around the time you noticed your photos were missing

4. When you locate your photos, right-click on them and select "Restore" from the context menu.

This method only works if you haven't emptied the Recycle Bin since deleting the photos Restored files will return to their original locations on your computer

Method 2: Use Windows File Recovery (Microsoft's Free Tool)

When photos are permanently deleted from your Windows 10 computer, Microsoft's official Windows File Recovery tool offers a powerful solution. This command-line utility can rescue lost files even after they've removed from or bypass the Recycle Bin.

1. Visit Microsoft Store and search for "Windows File Recovery". Download and install the application on your system.

2. Press Windows+X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Terminal (Admin)". Alternatively, search for "cmd" in Windows search menu, right-click and choose "Run as administrator"

3. In the elevated command prompt window, type the following command exactly:

winfr H: D: /extensive /n *.png

This scans your H: drive for all PNG images and saves recovered files to your D: drive (must be different from source drive)

• H: = Source drive where photos were deleted
• D: = Destination for recovered files
• /extensive = Deep scan mode (for thorough recovery)
• /n *.png = Filters search for PNG files only

4. After completion, navigate to D:\Recovery_[date] folder by pressing Y on your keyboard. The tool organizes found files by original folder structure when possible.

Method 3: Try Professional Recovery Software [Free]

When built-in Windows tools fail to recover your precious photosdue to some errors like "No recoverable files were found with this mode", "There was an error parsing your command", etc, professional data recovery software like MyRecover offers a powerful workaround. This user-friendly solution specializes in retrieving deleted pictures from Windows 10 systems, even in challenging cases of permanent deletion.

It is able to recover different types of images including jpg/jpeg/jpe, png, tif/tiff, hevc/heic/heif, gif, psd, svg, arw, x3f, etc. Moreover, apart from permanent deletion, this tool can restore missing pictures after partition format, drive corruption, virus attack, Windows update, system crash, and other common data loss situations.

1. Download and install MyRecover from the official website.

2. Launch the software and select the drive containing your deleted photos. Click "Scan".

3. Browse through all found types and filter pictures by filter. Check target picture and click "Recover".

To preview the pictures before recovery, please upgrade to Professional.

4. Save them to another different location (not the original drive).

How to Recover Deleted Pictures in Windows 10 [Backup Available]?

If you have a backup available, recovering deleted pictures in Windows 10 is more straightforward. Here are the methods you can use:

Method 1: Restore from File History (Built-in Backup)

If the Windows built-in File History is turned on and the deleted picture folder is added to the backup plan (check how to add specific folder to File History), you can easily restore deleted pictures from a backup. Follow these steps:

1. Press "Win + I" to open "Settings". Go to "Update & Security > Files Backup".

2. Click "More options" and scroll down to "Restore files from a current backup".

Alternatively, search for "Restore your files with File History" in the Start menu.

3. Navigate to the folder where your deleted pictures were stored (e.g., Pictures). Browse different backup versions and select the files or folders you want to recover.

4. Click the green "Restore" button to recover them to their original location. If you prefer a different location, right-click "Restore" and choose "Restore to..." to select a new folder.

Method 2: Restore from OneDrive Backup (If Synced)

If your deleted pictures were synced with OneDrive (this cloud app is pre-installed on Windows 10 and 11 computers), you can restore them easily using OneDrive's built-in recovery features. Here's how:

1. Go to OneDrive official site and sign in with your Microsoft account.

2. Click "Recycle Bin" in the left sidebar.

3. Locate your deleted pictures, select them, and click "Restore" to recover them to their original location.

Method 3: Recover Deleted Pictures Using Windows Backup and Restore

If you previously created backups using the "Windows 7 Backup tool" (still available in Windows 10), you can restore your deleted pictures.

1. Press "Win + R" and type "Control" to open the Windows Control Panel. Then click "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" in "System and Security" to open the tool .

2. Click "Restore my files".

3. Choose one of these options:

• Browse for files: Select individual pictures.
• Browse for folders: Recover entire folders.
• Search: Find files by name.

3. Select the backup version containing your deleted pictures.

4. Choose a recovery location (restores files to where they were, or pick a new folder safer option).

5. Click "Restore" to recover your deleted pictures folder.

Final Thoughts

To recover deleted pictures in Windows 10, there are 6 different methods to choose from, based on whether you have backup or not. For Windows 10 users needing reliable photo recovery without backups, MyRecover provides an optimal balance of power and simplicity. Its specialized algorithms excel at restoring digital memories when other methods fail.Moreover, it is able to recover other types of data. For example, recover music files, pdf files, video files and more.