6 Easy Ways to Restore Deleted Photos in Windows 11

Microsoft typically provides users with adequate data loss solutions. Undo changes or checking the Recycle Bin folder are always a good start, especially for recently deleted files. All the deleted photos or other files in Windows 11 will be moved to the Recycle Bin folder.

If you can't find files in the Recycle Bin folder, it may be deleted permanently. Or you empty the Recycle Bin folder. Recovering deleted photos from Recycle Bin becomes useless. But rest assured. And there are 4 other methods to help you.

Method 1: Undo Photo Deletion

If you accidentally deleted photos in Windows 11, but don’t close the picture folder or photo editor, press Ctrl + Z to undo the deletion action quickly. Alternatively, right-click on the blank space within the folder and select "Undo Delete" to recover deleted photos in Windows 11.

Method 2: Restore Deleted Photos from Recycle Bin

Also, the Recycle Bin folder will be another good place to find out the deleted photos in Windows 11. The deleted photos will be retained for 30 days unless you empty it.

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin, either from the Desktop or File Explorer. Locate the photos you accidentally deleted from Windows 11.

Step 2. Right-click the deleted photos and select Restore. It will be restored to its original location. You also select multiple photos at the same time.

Method 3: Get Back Deleted Photos using Data Recovery Software

If you still can’t get the deleted photos back, it may be deleted permanently. Try power data recovery software - MyRecover to recover deleted photos in Windows 11. It has high success rate and fast recovery speed. Meanwhile, it can handle data loss in different scenarios well, such as accidental deletion, disk format, virus infection, etc.

• Support two advanced scanning methods. It helps to find out all the deleted or other missing files easily and quickly.
• Recover Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, photos, audios, videos, emails, webpages, compressed files, and 200+ file types.
• Filter and recover files from specific folders (eg: Downloads folder), internal or external disk, USB drive, SD card, etc during the scanning process.
• Keep the recovered files with their original path, filename, format, and quality.
• Support Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server.

Step 1: Install and launch MyRecover on your computer. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2: It will run two advanced scanning methods - Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically and display all the found files (eg: photos) in the following. You can filter and preview deleted photos in Windows 11.

• Click Filter and select Images. Then, type the file name or file extension (eg: jpg) in the Search for files or folders box.
• Expand the Deleted Files tab and go to the folder containing deleted photos.

Step 3: Select all the deleted photos in Windows 11 and click the Recover x files button. You will then be asked to select a location. Please select a new location instead of the original location.

Notes:  

• The restore button will display the number of selected files and their full size. You can use it to determine the integrity of the recovered photos.
• Saving the recovered photos to original location may cause data corruption or permanent data loss.
• You can recover permanently deleted photos in Windows 11 for free, up to 500MB in total. To recover photos as much as possible, try advanced editions.

Method 4: Recover Deleted Photos from Backup and Restore

Windows 11 also include the previous backup software - Backup and Restore (Windows 7) that backup all the user files as well as other personal data such as pictures. If you set up a backup task using this software, it’s worth trying to restore photos from backup image.

Step 1: Connect the backup drive containing copies of your files including your precious pictures. Search for Control Panel in the start menu and select System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2: Choose Restore my files.

Step 3: Click Browse for files or Browse for folders and select the target files. Then, click Next.

Step 4: Choose the location to restore your photos - original location or new location. Then, click Restore to retrieve deleted photos in Windows 11.

Method 5: Retrieve Deleted Photos from File History

File History is dedicated file backup software to backup specific folders such as Pictures, Documents, Desktop, etc in Windows 11. It also include the option to add a folder and backup any files you want. Try this if enable File History in advanced.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel from the Start menu. Navigate to System and Security and File History.

Step 2: In the left pane, click Restore personal files.

Step 3: It will direct you to the File History window and display the most recent backup. You can click the left or right arrow to find the backup version you want based on the dates. Finally, click the green restore button to retrieve your photos. The images will be restored to their original location.

Note: If you prefer to save deleted photos to a different location, click on the Settings icon and select the "Restore to" option.

Method 6: Recover Deleted Photos from Previous Versions

Instead of directly recovering deleted photos in Windows 11 from File History, you can also try previous versions. It saves copy of your files from File History backup.

Step 1: Right-click on the folder containing deleted photos and select Show more options > Restore previous versions.

Step 2. It will direct you to a previous version window and display all the available previous versions of files and folders. Select the desired previous version based on the backup date.

Step 3: Finally, click Restore to restore deleted photos in Windows 11. You can save the deleted photos either at the original location or a new location.

Quick Tips to Protect Photos on Windows 11

Except for accidental deletion, there are many reasons for deleting photos, such as disk format, virus infection, etc. You can choose to scan your system for viruses regularly, avoid accessing malicious websites, etc to prevent data loss as much as possible.

However, it cannot help you get back the deleted photos in Windows 11. To make it possible, try the best Windows backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. Its File Backup feature is able to back up your photos and allows you to create multiple backup copies.

Open this backup software after installing it on your computer. Click File Backup under the Backup tab and click Add File or Add Folder to select photos. Then, select the local path, share or NAS devices, or cloud drive like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Finally, click Start Backup.

To create 3 copies of your photos, except for the original photos, you still need to set two backup tasks with the help of the File Backup feature. You can choose to save the backup copies on different storage devices, for example, one is on the external disk and the other is on network drive, NAS, or cloud drive.

FAQs

Q1. How can I recover permanently deleted photos for free on Windows 11?

There are many free methods to recover permanently deleted photos for free on Windows 11. The most effective method is to restore photos from backup software like Backup and Restore (Windows 7), File History, or any third-party backup software (eg: AOMEI Backupper Standard) you create a backup copy of your photos.  

Q2. How can I recover photos lost after upgrading to Windows 11?

MyRecover allows you to scan the disk with Windows installed quickly and deeply and find out all the deleted files. It’s worth trying method if you find any photo loss after upgrading to Windows 11.

Q3. Where do permanently deleted photos go on Windows 11?

The permanently deleted photos will bypass the Recycle Bin and be deleted from Windows 11 computers. But the photos are still there. Because Microsoft only removes the file directory instead of blocks actually containing photos.