This post mainly gives you three effective methods on how to restore photos if not backed up. If you have accidentally deleted your important photos, you can choose one method to get them back.
“My little son accidentally deleted some of the photos on my laptop. Can I get my photos back if they were never backed up?”
The answer is YES. You’re able to recover deleted files without backup, not only photos. Besides, your photos are recoverable no matter if they are deleted permanently or not, you just need to find the right way.
In this part, 3 options on how to restore photos if not backed up are offered to help you get back your deleted photos.
If you haven’t emptied your Recycle Bin, then in most cases, you are able to recover deleted photos not backed up from the Recycle Bin.
Step 1. Double click Recycle Bin on your desktop to open it.
Step 2. Look for the photos that you just deleted. Restore these files by right-clicking them. Your photos will then be restored to the location where they were before they were deleted.
If you have emptied the Recycle Bin or used Shift + Delete to permanently delete the photos, you can recover them using professional data recovery software such as MyRecover.
Step 1. Download, install and launch MyRecover on your computer.
Step 2. Hover the mouse over the drive, and click Scan.
Step 3. Then the scanning process will start automatically. You don’t need to wait for the process to complete if you find the photos you want to recover.
Step 4. Select the photos you want to restore. Click Recover xx files.
Utilizing Windows File Recovery, a Microsoft command-line tool that enables data recovery via the Command Prompt, is your final option on how to get photos that were not backed up. Please be aware that in addition to these, this tool only works with Windows 10 versions 2004 and up.
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.
In addition, you need to use recovery mode and switches to get back your photos. 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 |
Switches are used to filter the scanning range, thus can 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 |
Step 1. Download and install Window File Recovery on your computer from Microsoft Store and then open it.
Step 2. Open Powershell or Command Prompt (run as administrator). In the Command Prompt, enter commands in the following command format:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
For example, if you need to recover deleted photos from C: drive to D: drive, then the command will be like:
winfr C: D: /n *.png
Is it possible to recover iPhone photos if not backed up? YES! You can first check your Recently Deleted album. If the photos you’re looking for are not there, you are recommended to use an iPhone data recovery tool.
Let’s look at how to recover photos from iPhone if not backed up using the professional iPhone data recovery tool AOMEI Phone Data Recovery.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch AOMEI Data Recovery for iOS on your PC. Connect your iPhone to the computer properly.
Step 2. Then click Scan Now.
Step 3. All recoverable data will be listed in the left column. Go to Photos, and select the photos you want, then click Recover.
If you’re afraid of photo loss, you’d better use AOMEI Backupper, the free professional backup and restore software that allows you to back up all your data in just a few simple clicks and then restore files from backup whenever you want.
Part 1. Data backup
Step 1. Download, install and launch AOMEI Backupper for Windows on your computer.
Step 2. Under the Backup tab, select the Disk Backup option.
Step 3. The Task Name can be set to help you distinguish backups from each other. Click Add Disk to choose the disk.
Step 4. Select a location for the disk image by clicking the folder-shaped button. You can create a disk-to-disk backup, or backup to a USB flash drive, CD/DVD, NAS device, or network drive, among other options.
Step 5. Click Start Backup to carry out disk backup and wait until the operation is complete. Click Finish to exit the interface.
Part 2. Data restore
Step 1. Click Restore and then Select Task.
Step 2. Choose the backup containing all the data you need and then click Next.
Step 3. Select files or folders you want to restore and then click Next to continue.
Step 4. Select Restore to original location or Restore to a new location to store the files. Then, click Start Restore to restore files from backup.
This post mainly gives you advice on how to restore photos if not backed up and recover iPhone photos if not backed up. Besides, a professional data backup tool is also introduced to help you prevent photos from losing again.
