Looking to recover permanently deleted photos for free? This guide offers several effective methods you can choose from. even without a backup.
I have accidentally deleted my photos. I can’t find them in the Recycle bin. I guess I have deleted them permanently. Can I recover permanently deleted photos? Free options are preferred.”
- Question from Reddit
Here in this section, we’ll introduce 5 methods of how to recover permanently deleted photos for free.
The first method of how to recover permanently deleted photos for free is to use the free data recovery software FastRecovery. There are many good reasons why you should choose it among many other data recovery tools:
Don't download and install FastRecovery on the drive where you store deleted files, as this may cause data overwriting.
Any newly added data or disk formatting can overwrite data. Please avoid these operations after realizing data loss.
Step 1. Open FastRecovery after installing, then click Deleted Files Recovery for fast recovery. You can also choose a more suitable alternative. All of them can help you retrieve data without causing any damage.
Step 2. Hover the mouse over the drive with deleted files, and click Scan.
Step 3. The quick scanning process will start automatically. You won't have to wait long. Scan time mainly depends on disk size and health, especially regarding bad sectors or file system corruption.
Step 4. Wait for the process to complete. To recover permanently deleted photos for free, it's easier to find files by type than by path. You can also combine it with options to sort, search, filter, and preview files.
Step 5. Choose the pictures that you want to recover and click Recover. Please choose a new path to save the restored pictures.
Don’t save them to the original location, as it may cause data overwriting.
The free edition can recover deleted pictures for free, up to 500MB in total. To recover unlimited files, try the advanced editions.
You can also use CMD to restore lost photos if you don’t have a backup. We’ll use a tool called Windows File Recovery, which only supports Windows 10 2004 and above.
Preparation work before using Windows File Recovery:
👉 To use this tool, check out your File System first. Go to This PC > right-click on the drive that contains the photos you want to restore before > click Properties.
👉 To decide which mode to use, refer to this table.
| File system | Scenarios | Mode |
| NTFS | Deleted recently | Regular |
| NTFS | Deleted for a while | Extensive |
| NTFS | Formatted disk | Extensive |
| NTFS | Corrupted disk | Extensive |
| FAT and exFAT | Any | Extensive |
👉 To decide the switches you want to use, which helps filter the scanning range and save the scanning time.
| Switches | Meaning | Supported mode(s) |
| /n | Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. | All |
| /y: | Recover specific extension groups. | Signature |
| /k | Recovers system files. | NTFSSegment |
| /u | Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. | NTFSSegment |
After making a preparation, you can download Windows File Recovery and start photo file recovery.
Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery on your computer from the Microsoft Store and then open it.
Step 2. Open Command Prompt (run as administrator). In the Command Prompt window, enter commands in the following format:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
For example, to recover deleted photos from C: drive to D: drive, then the command will be like:
winfr C: D: /n *.png
If Windows File Recovery failed to create destination folder, please get help.
If you have made backup copies of your files with File History, a built-in Windows backup tool that will regularly back up your files in Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders, as well as OneDrive files on your computer that are available offline, you can get back lost photos for free as well.
Step 1. Search for Control Panel and then open it.
Step 2. Click System and Security.
Step 3. Click File History.
Step 4. Click Restore personal files.
Step 5. Select the files you need to recover and then click the Restore button.
The third option to how to recover permanently deleted photos from laptop for free is to use the Backup and Restore, also a utility provided by Microsoft that could back up your Windows system or other important files and let you restore them in case something unexpected happens.
Step 1. Navigate to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2. Selectively recover lost photos by clicking Restore my files. You can also select Restore all users’ files to recover all photos.
Step 3. Search for your deleted photos by using the Browse for files or Browse for folders option.
Step 4. Choose a location to save the backup, select your photos and click Restore to recover them.
What if you accidentally delete photos from iPhone? Try iPhone data recovery tool - FastRecovery for iOS. It allows you to recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone without backup for free
Step 1. Download, install, and launch FastRecovery for iOS on your PC. Connect your iPhone to the computer using the original Lightning cable.
Step 2. Once your device is detected, click Scan Now.
Step 3. All recoverable data will be listed in the left column. Under the Photos section, select the photos you want, then click Recover.
1. Step-by-step guide to recover permanently deleted photos free
To recover permanently deleted photos free, youo can follow the steps below:
2. How to recover permanently deleted photos from phone free?
To recover permanently deleted photos from phone free, you can check the Google Drive.
3. How to get back permanently deleted photos without software?
To get back permanently deleted photos without software, you can only turn to a reliable backup software, such as File History, Backup and Restore (Windows 7), etc. You must create at least one backup before losing the photos.
This post primarily introduces 5 options on how to recover permanently deleted photos for free. We highly recommend you choose FastRecovery. It is a professional data recovery tool that could help you get back your photos easily and quickly. Using it could save you a lot of time and energy.
Besides, we avoid unexpected photo loss, we advise you to back up your photos via backup and restore tools, for example, AOMEI Backupper. It is the professional backup freeware that assists you in backing up essential images on your computer and then restoring these photos whenever you need them.