Where Samsung stores your deleted photos and how to get them back
Deleted photos on a Samsung phone usually sit in the Trash or Recycle Bin folder for 30 days before permanent removal. This gives you a window to restore them without special software. The exact location and name of this folder depends on which Samsung phone model you own and which gallery app you use — Samsung Gallery, Google Photos, or the default Android gallery.
The fastest way to recover a photo is to open your gallery app, look for a Trash or Recently Deleted folder, find the photo, and restore it. If you deleted the photo more than 30 days ago, or if you emptied the trash, you will need to use Samsung Cloud or Google Photos backup — if you had either one turned on before the deletion. If neither backup was active, recovery becomes much harder and may require a computer tool.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung Gallery and Google Photos both keep deleted photos in a trash folder for 30 days, and you can restore them directly from there without any special steps.
- If you had Samsung Cloud or Google Photos backup turned on before you deleted the photos, you can restore them from your backup even after the trash folder empties.
- Photos deleted more than 30 days ago and not backed up cannot be recovered through the phone's built-in tools.
- Turning on automatic backup now will protect future photos, though it will not recover photos already deleted.
Restore photos from Samsung Gallery trash
Open the Samsung Gallery app on your phone. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner, then select Trash. You will see all photos and videos deleted in the last 30 days. Long-press the photo you want to restore, then tap Restore. The photo returns to your main gallery.
If you do not see a Trash option in the menu, your version of Samsung Gallery may not have this feature — this is common on older Samsung models. In that case, move to the Google Photos method below.
Restore photos from Google Photos trash
Open the Google Photos app. Tap your profile picture in the top right, then select Photos settings. Scroll down and tap Trash. You will see photos deleted in the last 30 days. Tap the photo you want, then tap Restore. The photo goes back to your main library.
Google Photos keeps deleted photos for 30 days, the same as Samsung Gallery. If your photo is not in the trash, it has been more than 30 days since deletion. Check your backup status in the next section.
Recover photos from Samsung Cloud backup
If you turned on Samsung Cloud backup before you deleted the photos, you may be able to restore them even after the trash folder empties. Open Settings, then tap Accounts and backup. Select Samsung Cloud, then Restore. You will see a list of backup dates. Choose the date before you deleted the photos, and Samsung Cloud will restore photos from that point.
This method only works if Samsung Cloud was actively backing up your photos before the deletion. If you never turned on Samsung Cloud, or if your backup does not include the photos you need, this route will not help. Check whether backup was on by going to Settings > Accounts and backup > Samsung Cloud > Backup and looking at the backup history.
Recover photos from Google Photos backup
Google Photos automatically backs up photos if you signed into a Google account on your phone and gave the app permission. To restore from backup, open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, select Photos settings, then Backup and sync. If the toggle is on, your photos have been backed up. Tap Manage storage to see your backup status and restore options.
If you want to restore all photos from a specific date, you may need to use the Google Photos web version at photos.google.com. Log in with the same Google account, search for photos by date, and read them back to your phone. This is slower than using the app, but gives you more control over which photos you restore.
Turn on automatic backup to protect future photos
To prevent this problem in the future, turn on automatic backup now. In Google Photos, tap your profile picture, select Photos settings, then Backup and sync. Turn on the toggle. Choose whether you want original quality (uses your Google storage) or compressed quality (unlimited storage). Google Photos will now back up every new photo you take.
For Samsung Cloud backup, open Settings, tap Accounts and backup, select Samsung Cloud, then Backup. Turn on the toggle for Gallery. You will need a Samsung account and enough Samsung Cloud storage. Samsung Cloud offers 5 GB free; additional storage requires a paid plan.
What to do if photos cannot be recovered
If the photo was deleted more than 30 days ago, neither trash folder has it, and you did not have backup turned on, the photo is no longer on your phone. At this point, recovery requires a computer tool that scans your phone's storage for deleted files. Tools like Dr.Fone, EaseUS MobiSaver, and PhoneRescue can sometimes find deleted photos, but success is not may provide — it depends on whether the storage space has been overwritten.
These tools are paid software (usually $30 to $80 for a one-time license) and require you to connect your phone to a Windows or Mac computer. They work by looking for traces of deleted files in the phone's storage. The longer you wait after deletion, the less likely recovery becomes, because new photos and data overwrite the old storage space.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do photos stay in Samsung Gallery trash?
Photos stay in the Samsung Gallery trash folder for 30 days. After 30 days, they are permanently deleted from your phone. If you had backup turned on, you may still recover them from your backup account.
Can I recover photos deleted more than a month ago?
Only if you had Samsung Cloud or Google Photos backup turned on before the deletion. If backup was not active, the photos are gone from your phone's storage. Third-party recovery software may find traces of them, but success is not may provide.
Does Samsung Cloud cost money?
Samsung Cloud offers 5 GB of free storage. If you need more, you can buy additional storage through a paid plan. Google Photos offers unlimited compressed-quality backup for free, or original-quality backup that counts against your Google storage limit.
What if I see "Restore" but it does not work?
Make sure you have enough storage space on your phone — restoration fails if your phone is full. Also check that you are logged into the correct Google or Samsung account. If the photo is still not restoring, try closing the app and opening it again.
Will turning on backup now recover my old deleted photos?
No. Turning on backup protects photos you take from this point forward. It does not recover photos that were already deleted before you turned backup on.