How to Recover Erased Photos on Windows 11/10/8/7

Everyone treasures photos of graduations, weddings, and other memorable occasions. Digital pictures are popular among the general public due to their long-term storing capabilities. Most individuals prefer to save them on their PC or in other external storage devices like USB or SD cards.

However, some of you may encounter the loss of these crucial photos as a result of reinstalling the operating system and apps or accidentally deleting them.

However, there is no reason for concern. We will walk you through many strategies for how to recover erased photos. Depending on your device, you will require specialized photo recovery software to help with the procedure.

How to recover erased photos on Windows 11/10/8/7

Let’s explore four effective ways to restore deleted photos on your Windows PC or laptop. Of all the options, utilizing professional data recovery software is the most reliable method for retrieving lost images.

Method 1. Recover erased photos with photo recovery software (Recommended)

Using photo recovery software is the most effective way to retrieve deleted images on Windows. We highly recommend AOMEI FastRecovery, a trusted solution in the market for effective photo recovery.

This software simplifies complex data recovery technology into just three easy clicks for users. Beyond its user-friendliness, it offers remarkable versatility:

✦ Supports various image formats, including JPG, PNG, GIF, CR2, NEF, and more.
✦ Recovers deleted photos from laptops, memory cards, USB drives, digital cameras, and camcorders.
✦ Handles recovery from scenarios like accidental deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attacks, and system crashes.

Now that you know about this powerful recovery tool, let’s dive into the steps to restore your deleted pictures!

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool starts to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first to find your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovery to end.

Method 2. Restore erased photos from Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin serves as a temporary storage for recently deleted images. Files remain there until the bin is emptied. To recover a recently deleted photo, follow these steps:

Step 1. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select "Open".

Step 2. Browse through the deleted files to locate your photo.

Step 3. Right-click the chosen image and select "Restore" to return it to its original location.

If recovery from the Recycle Bin is unsuccessful, consider using professional recovery software to retrieve your deleted images.

Method 3. Recover permanently lost photos from the Previous Version

If you have configured File History to back up your photos, you can restore them easily. Here’s how to do it for Windows users:

Step 1. Open the Start menu, type "restore files" and press "Enter".

Step 2. Navigate to the folder where your deleted files were originally stored.

Step 3. Click the "Restore" button to recover previous versions of your photo folder.

Method 4. Retrieve deleted pictures via Windows Backup

Backing up your computer regularly is essential for safeguarding your important data. The true value of these backups becomes evident in situations involving data loss, such as missing photos. Windows offers a built-in backup and recovery tool. Here’s how to use it to recover deleted images on a Windows device:

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Restore my files.

Step 3. Click Browse for files > select photos you want > Next.

Step 4. Specify the destination to save your recovered photos and click Restore.

Conclusion

As shown, there are various methods to recover erased photos, regardless of the device used for storage. While it's wise to take preventative measures against photo loss, should you find yourself in this predicament, AOMEI FastRecovery can effectively restore your images when other methods fail. It also offers free photo protection tools to help keep your valuable photos secure.