I deleted a folder with photos, how can I restore it? A guide for beginners: how to quickly and easily recover photos deleted from your computer

Remember, ten years ago we kept photographs in paper albums? Today almost no one does this, because each of us has a smartphone in our pocket, which replaces a whole stack of photo albums. But electronic photos, unlike paper ones, tend to disappear. Very often - due to accidental deletion.

It’s easy to erase a photo from the device’s memory, but getting it back is disproportionately more difficult, even if the deletion occurred recently and the memory was definitely not overwritten. Why does this happen and how do you still recover deleted photos from your phone, if possible?

Why it's better not to store important photos on your device

You've probably already used a computer. And, I'm sure, in most cases you succeeded. If the disk is healthy and the file has not been overwritten, the probability of successful recovery is close to 95-100%. This circumstance slightly discourages and lulls the vigilance of users - many begin to think that restoring deleted data on a mobile device is as easy as on a PC. But it was not there.

Flash memory modern smartphone does not function as it should HDD. When a user deletes files, the drive marks the storage location as unused and begins to consider the data erased. When accessing this block of memory, the drive controller returns zeros, even if the data physically still exists. At this stage, recovery is possible.

However, if a file is marked as deleted, the controller can physically erase it at any time. To do this, go to the operating room Android system, starting with version 4.3, the FSTRIM function is built-in - an analogue of TRIM, which is used to clean SSD drives. The function is activated automatically approximately once a day, and when this time occurs is unknown. After FSTRIM, data recovery is not possible.

What follows from this:

• The chances of successfully recovering data from the memory of an Android mobile device are lower than from a hard drive.
• The less time has passed since the file was deleted, the higher the likelihood of recovering it.
• A day after deletion, it is extremely rare to recover a file. And if it succeeds, then, as a rule, only from a cached copy or miniature, that is, in a lower quality than the source.

And yet, you shouldn’t give up in advance if the necessary photos were deleted a long time ago. Below we will look at several free applications from Google Play recovery graphic files, which helped out a lot of people.

Applications for recovering erased photos on Android

DiskDigger photo recovery

is one of the utilities that can extract data from all types of media used on Android mobile devices without requiring root rights. Of course, without root she will not have access to the entire memory of the device, but often she manages to find necessary files in the application cache.

Using the program is easy. After installation, click the search button to access system directories grant DiskDigger elevated privileges (if presence of root), we mark among the found photos that we want to restore, and indicate the location of saving. It could be a memory card, local custom folder or cloud Dropbox storage And Google Drive. In addition, you can send the recovered photos to yourself via email.

DigDeep

Works much the same as DiskDigger. Does not require root, shows good detection results. After launching the application, scanning begins immediately, the found photos are displayed on the screen in groups by location.

To restore one or more photos, you need to select them in the program window and click " Restore" The data is saved in the /RestoredPictures/ folder in the device memory.

Photo Recovery

The utility uses 2 algorithms for searching and restoring graphic data: “ Method 1" - fast, but superficial, and " Method 2- slow and deep. After scanning, displays a list of folders containing photos.

In terms of feature set and detection quality, the application is more advanced than previous ones, but it only restores what was deleted in another utility from the same developer, which must be installed on the device in advance.

To use Photo Recovery root rights are also not needed.

Restore Image

The capabilities are not much different from the considered analogues. The functions are the same as DiskDigger and DigDeep, but the search quality, in my opinion, is not very high. By the way, in addition to the main functionality, it has something else: a button for permanently erasing deleted files. So that they cannot be restored either in this or in other programs.

RecovMy

The utility is no more labor-intensive to use than its competitors. To start scanning, press the button " StartPhotoScan" After the search is complete, mark the required photos on the screen and press the update button. Recovered files are saved in the same folders where they were located before. No root rights are needed.

Which of these applications is better at restoring photos? Unknown. In each specific case, they give different results, and if one does not help you, use others - both included and not included in today's review. Fortunately, there are a lot of such applications on Google Play.

How to reduce the risk of permanent loss of photos

• Install the client cloud storage and set it to automatic download graphic files to the cloud. For example, . By the way, it has a basket where deleted files and from where it is very easy to restore them.
• If you don't have the opportunity or desire to use the cloud, store your photos on removable card memory. The tentacles of FSTRIM cannot reach her, so the chance of saving the remote one is somewhat higher.
• Install separate application Shopping cart (I don’t provide a link because there are many of them). It will work like a similar one Windows tool, and all deleted files will go to it first.

Good luck with your recovery and take care of your photos!

Also on the site:

How to recover deleted photos from an Android phone updated: January 31, 2018 by: Johnny Mnemonic

A photo mistakenly deleted from a computer or flash drive is an annoying nuisance. Do not despair, because in most cases it is possible to restore photos, but you will have to use specialized programs for this.

What programs exist?

There is a lot of software for recovery procedures, and they differ in the percentage of ability to recover lost files. There are, for example, very powerful programs like or File Scavenger that restore deleted photos even after formatting the media multiple times.

It should immediately be noted that the most better program for photo recovery is RS Photo Recovery, however it is paid, but if you want to save your time and nerves, we highly recommend it. As far as we can remember, no one had any problems with it. You can find information on how to purchase the program and use it.

How to recover deleted photos using Recuva

The free version of Recuva is perhaps the most popular file recovery product, using which we will walk through the entire process as an example. Let us immediately note that all such software is “tailored” not only for jpg formats, raw and other graphic files, but are complex programs for working with lost data. But since we are interested in the question of how to restore deleted photos, let's stop right there popular format– jpg.

Installing Recuva on your computer

This free program has a user-friendly interface and is extremely easy to use.

Installation is standard:

Comment. In the “actions” tab from the settings menu, you should select recovery options from hidden folders, displaying securely deleted items, in-depth analysis, working with damaged media and restoring the folder structure.

Search

Comment. After formatting external media on another file system, restore erased files will be impossible.

Photo recovery

At the end of the search, a list of found graphic files will be displayed on the screen. Recuva will show which options are suitable for restoration (green circle), which may have problems (yellow) and which are lost (red). In the checkboxes, place the checkboxes opposite necessary photos(a preview of them is available on the right) and click the “restore” button, after which we indicate the location for their placement.

Comment. To avoid errors, it is best to indicate the location of the recovered files on the computer’s hard drive, and not on external media.

Some features of Recuva software

The free version of the program, according to the developers, does not have an improved file recovery function, but according to user reviews there are no significant differences. After deep formatting with changing the file system and paid and free version Recovering information is equally problematic, so you may not notice much of a difference.

How to recover photos for users of Mac OS or Linux platforms

Although Recuva is most widely used on Windows, the version for Mac OS works no worse. Both options can be downloaded on the official website, and for Linux users there are no problems at all - the Wine interface easily copes with the latest “windowed” versions.

Phones, cameras, and players have memory cards. They can be stored various files: photos, images, videos, music. Photos can be easily damaged or accidentally deleted. Which photo recovery program for Android will cope with the assigned tasks?

Download the best photo recovery apps for Android, iOS and computer

Tenorshare Android Data Recovery - the application searches for and restores deleted pictures, photos and other graphics on Android phone and others mobile devices. Contains step by step wizard, which greatly simplifies this routine process.

ReclaiMe produces quite effective recovery deleted photos graphics from a flash drive. A simple tool that supports most file systems and photo formats.

PhotoRec- great program to return, in fact, photos, images on phones and tablets, hard drives and other media. Perhaps the most popular solution among recovery applications in this category

Scenarios in which photos are deleted from the phone

Media files such as photos, videos, songs may be accidentally erased. Therefore, you must be careful when operating your device. Never delete files en masse, depending on your mood. As they say, “the morning is wiser than the evening,” and it is better to leave files on your computer or phone until better times, especially since today prices for media have dropped to quite acceptable levels.

Formatting or updating the OS removes entire media files from your device. Therefore it is necessary to create backup copy before formatting or updating your phone.

A virus on your device can easily damage your media files that are stored in the phone memory. You may not be able to access or open photo after viral infection. This requires complex photo restoration, which is what complex is usually used specialized applications. You can check them out below.

We tried to collect the most effective recovery tools for returning images and photos from the Photo folder to your computer. However, the programs will also be useful when scanning flash drives and SD memory cards on mobile devices: tablets, smartphones. In principle, recovery on all devices has common features.

What can cause damage to the camera's file system?

When the device does not have enough power or when the card is removed, the device is in a position where the file system can save data (including photos).

Often, photo restoration on digital cameras It's always possible. Although recovery programs deal with hard drives on users' PCs or, as a rule, on huge servers of large companies, the technology and knowledge are available to perform all types of recovery digital media. Methods are used to find critical data to restore the file system, special tools are used, and even data recovery laboratories are used. With their help, you can find lost data and restore damaged equipment.

Photo restoration must be approached responsibly. After all, deleting photos is not comparable to deleting regular files: These are still more important documents. This type of recovery is different from traditional methods, other specialized applications are used (see below). As a rule, they will help on any OS: Windows, Linux or Mac OS. Supported formats – JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD, PSP, INDD, JP2, PCT & Camera RAW images. Devices on which photographs can be stored include flash drives, SD memory cards, CD/DVDs, digital cameras, and video cameras.

To recover photos deleted from your phone, use one of the specialized applications available in " Play Store" Some of them only work if you have root access on the phone, others do not require the activation of superuser rights. The DiskDigger photo recovery program supports mixed operating mode. When launched without root, a simple search for deleted photos is performed, and with additional rights, a full scan of the file system is performed.

Among the advantages of the DiskDigger program, one can also note that it is free. Go to the application page in the Play Store and click the Install button.

When the download and installation are complete, click “Open” to launch the utility.

Note! One of alternative applications, which have similar functionality: “Restore Image (Super Easy)”.

Searching for deleted photos

Select the search type - simple or full. If you are not rooted, only the first option is available. It is not recommended to gain root access after deleting files. Such actions significantly reduce the chance of successful recovery. This is due to the fact that during the process of activating the superuser, information will be written to internal memory phone. It can overwrite files that were deleted but physically remain in memory.

In the next step, the application will request access to the internal memory of the device. For correct operation grant it by clicking the Allow link. Additional accesses will not be required.

A rather lengthy analysis process will begin. The utility will check both the internal memory and the SD card, if present in the smartphone. The duration of the search depends on the amount of memory and the speed of the phone. The number of image files found will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Recovering deleted photos

If the photos you want to save have already been found, stop searching. This can be done by clicking the “Pause” button on the right top corner applications. Select the required photos and click “Recovery”. For single files, you can use the “Recover this file” item in context menu photos.

Select the application through which you want to export the recovered files. This is required to ensure that data is not saved to the smartphone’s memory. The ability to restore information directly depends on the number of write operations performed after deletion. The fewer there are, the higher the chance of returning data.

Important! You can also use the "Save this file locally" option. It's faster and easier, but the likelihood of successfully recovering all subsequent photos is reduced.

To save a photo to Dropbox, open the folder where you want to save it. Click the Add button in the lower left corner. After this you can open your account and view the saved photo on any device, not just your phone. When writing to the “Public” directory, access to data can be obtained via a link, without authorization.

One ill-considered click, a technical glitch or virus attack- And important photos disappeared? Alas, almost every computer, camera or smartphone user has encountered a similar situation. Important do not panic, do not perform unnecessary actions with files on the storage medium, because then there is still a chance to get the necessary photos back. Today there are numerous programs for recovering deleted photos that literally work miracles. We will focus on the best of them.

One of the easiest to use is the PhotoDoctor program. It is distinguished by its thoughtful and intuitive clear interface, allows you to recover photos from a computer, smartphone, tablet, camera, memory cards and flash drives. It is possible to restore images recorded in all the most common formats, incl. JPEG, JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD, RAW, NEF and some others. Using the program, you can return photos that were seemingly irretrievably lost due to a technical failure, virus tricks, or erroneous deletion.

The developers convince us that their product, while highly effective, is as easy to use as possible. Well, that's what we'll check. Download the program from the site http://foto-doctor.ru/download.php and run it. It should be noted that this process takes a minimum of time, saving nerves that may already be on edge due to the loss of important data.

The user is greeted by a concise and understandable dialog box of the program. As you can see, the program also allows recover deleted photos from phone and a tablet, which is very important.

Let's check how quickly and efficiently the program can cope with recovering deleted photos from a computer: we created a folder with photos in advance, deleted them, and also emptied the trash bin. The only thing that is advisable is to know on which disk the photos were stored so that the whole process takes a minimum of time.

Now you need to select the photo formats and sizes to be restored. In order not to bother, you can check all the boxes possible types and file sizes.

After a short recovery process, we get a list of all found photos; they can be viewed and restored to the required folder.

We were able to completely restore a folder that we had “irretrievably” deleted from the computer the day before. All photos are in place. The speed and quality of the software really pleased me, as well as the nice design and ease of use of the program, not the most advanced user can handle it.

It is better to choose a full analysis, if, of course, you want to get good result and don’t regret spending an extra 10-15 minutes of time.

The program allowed us to recover photos from the camera’s memory card, not only those that were recently deleted, but also frames from almost six months ago. You can preview the file before restoring.

To be honest, we were pleasantly pleased with the result: we never expected to see photos deleted back in July (now December), given that this memory card has gone through several rewrite cycles since then. The fact that the program’s algorithms allow you to recover only image files is a big plus, because its efficiency in recovering lost pictures is noticeably higher than that of utilities that can recover not only photos, but also other data formats. To fully use all the functionality of the program, you need to pay, but the amount is small compared to similar offers - 980 rubles, and there is a high probability of getting a promotion from the developer and getting a discount.

Recuva

The program gained great popularity because it was one of the first to allow free recovery of lost files from a computer, flash drive and memory card. Today it is obvious that the program is a little primitive, but old memory it continues to be actively used. The program can be installed to your computer or use the portable version.

The utility restores different types files, incl. and photographs. The program interface is understandable, but it lacks modernity, but this does not affect the work in any way. It’s not difficult to understand the program, you can also perform recovery, you can choose what type of files you need to restore so that you don’t get all the deleted ones along with the photos. text documents, For example. A file's chances of recovery are indicated by a green, yellow, and red circle.

You will most likely be able to get your photos back if a little time has passed and no more information has been recorded on the media. The disadvantage of the program is that it is practically powerless when the card or disk has been formatted or too much time has passed and the media has been in use.

Bonus from the program – ability to securely erase files, and this is also sometimes necessary. The location where the file was stored is recorded several times so that recovery is not possible in any way.

PhotoRec

Despite the name, this program copes not only with photo restoration, but also with the “resurrection” of files of other formats. It uses completely different operating algorithms than other utilities, and the results can be called quite decent. Initially, the program was presented only in the interface with command line, and with the advent of the usual GUI The popularity of the utility has increased.

This program does not use file system analysis, which allows us to talk about a lot of features of the program. It can recover about 225 files different formats, and is capable of saving some data that other programs, due to different algorithms, simply do not see. Even complete removal file system is not capable of worsening the result, but the utility does not clearly distinguish “garbage” from important data, so among all that it will restore, you will still need to find what is really necessary. If the file was fragmented, then this program will be powerless. Thus, the program is used in cases where the file system is deleted or damaged, and at least something needs to be restored.

The interface of this utility is more complex than in all the options described above, but it also has many more functions. Understand the program to the average user It won’t be easy – this is software for professionals. This tool is, of course, suitable for photo recovery, but if you only recover photos, then pay attention to simpler and cheaper options.

Pandora Recovery

This program for recovering deleted photos and videos has managed to prove itself well and receive a lot of positive feedback. It works quickly, allows you to recover data from different media, but if we're talking about about the destroyed file systems, then the utility will be of little use.

conclusions

You can find a lot of other programs on the Internet with similar functions. At first glance, many utilities are similar, but they are better used to solve different tasks. So, for example, if important photos are lost, then it is better to use a specialized tool for image recovery - PhotoDOCTOR, since with it the chances of returning photos are higher. If you often lose other data formats, then you can pay attention not to Recuva and PhotoRec, but for the most advanced users and system administrators would be better suited R-studio.