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If you deleted a photo or video recently, check Google Photos Trash using the same Google Account that backed it up, then select the item and choose Restore. Google Photos Help currently says Trash items are permanently deleted after 30 days; items permanently deleted from Trash cannot be restored through Google Photos. If the item is merely missing, check the account, Archive, backup settings and, on Android, device folders and the phone’s gallery Trash.
Restore an item that is still in Google Photos Trash
These steps work only while the photo or video remains in Trash. Confirm the Google Account first: Google says items can seem to disappear when you are signed in to a different account.
In the Google Photos app
- Tap your profile picture and confirm you are using the account that backed up the item.
- Open Collections → Trash. In some locales, Trash may be called Bin.
- Touch and hold the photo or video to select it, then tap Restore.
Google says the restored item returns to your Photos library and its albums. Its Android instructions also say it returns to the phone’s gallery app. See Google Photos’ Android restore guidance.
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On a computer
- Go to photos.google.com and check that the correct Google Account is selected.
- Open Trash from the navigation panel.
- Select the item and click Restore.
For the computer-specific instructions, see Google Photos’ restore guidance for computers.
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How long does Google Photos keep deleted items?
Google Photos Help currently says items in Trash are permanently deleted after 30 days. The current help page does not state a publication date; this is the policy shown when checked in 2026. Older community posts may mention 60 days, but Google’s current official restore guidance says 30. Once an item is permanently deleted, Google states: “Items that are permanently deleted can’t be restored.” See Google’s restore guidance.
If the photo or video is not in Trash
Not seeing an item in the main Photos view does not necessarily mean it was deleted. Check these likely locations and settings before concluding it is gone.
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- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Check other Google Accounts
Tap your profile picture in the Photos app and review the signed-in account. If you used more than one account on the phone, check each one. Also confirm which account is selected for backup; a photo backed up to another account will not appear in the current account’s library. Google outlines this check in its missing photos and videos guidance.
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Archive hides items from the main gallery view without deleting them. Open Archive and unarchive the item if you find it there. Google’s computer guidance for finding missing photos also covers items that are archived rather than deleted.
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Check whether the item was backed up
In Google Photos settings, check whether backup is on and which account it uses. A photo that was never backed up will not be in the cloud library, even if other photos from the same phone are there.
On Android, inspect device folders
Open Collections → On this device and look for folders used by messaging or social apps. If you want those folders’ contents to appear in Google Photos online, check whether the relevant device folders are included in backup. Google explains device-folder management in its Android device gallery guidance.
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Search by another date or keyword
Try a different date or search term. Google says search indexing can take 3–5 days, so if an item was backed up recently and does not appear in search, try again later. This timing applies to search indexing, not the Trash retention period.
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Check the phone’s gallery Trash for a local copy
If the item may have been deleted on the phone before it was backed up, check the phone’s own gallery app Trash. Its location and retention behavior vary by device and gallery app; Google advises contacting the device manufacturer for device-specific help. Also, deleting through Google Photos can remove items from connected devices when backup is on, so a local copy is not guaranteed. See Google’s photo deletion guidance.
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Can you recover an item permanently deleted from Google Photos?
Google says permanently deleted items cannot be restored through Google Photos. Google Takeout should not be treated as a way to retrieve an item that has already been permanently deleted. If you find a separate copy in another account, an Android device folder or a device gallery’s Trash, that copy may still be available there; otherwise, Google’s stated recovery flow does not provide a restore option.
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