6 Quick & Easy Ways to Recover Deleted Videos on Your iPhone

Delete a video by accident? Here’s how to get it back

Co-authored by Andrea Enger and Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: November 22, 2024 Fact Checked

Have you ever gone to find a video on your iPhone and realized you deleted it? This can be a frustrating and worrying thing to deal with, especially if the video is important. While recovering a deleted file can be difficult, we've gathered 6 simple methods to get your deleted video back.

Ways to Get Deleted iPhone Videos Back

First, check your Recently Deleted and Hidden albums in your Photos app. If you don't see your video there, try checking iCloud to see if your phone uploaded the video during a recent sync. Otherwise, you can try checking your social media, texts, or emails if you sent the video to someone else or posted it online.

1

Check Recently Deleted Files

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Look in the "Recently Deleted" album in your Photos app. If you delete a photo or video, it's not deleted permanently right away. Deleted photos and videos are sent to your "Recently Deleted" album and kept there for 30 days in case you decide you don't want to delete the item or did so accidentally.
- Simply go to your Photos app, scroll to the bottom, and select Recently Deleted. Opening this album requires Face ID or Touch ID. Any video you've deleted in the last 30 days will appear here.
- You can also check your recently deleted items on iCloud by going to the Recently Deleted album in the sidebar.^{[1]
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- Looking for more tips on how to recover photos you accidentally deleted? Check out wikiHow’s “How can I recover photos I accidentally deleted (iPhone)?” forum.

2

Check for Hidden Files

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Look in the "Hidden" album in your Photos app. You can mark photos and videos in your Photos app as "hidden," which will send them to the "Hidden" album. While this is a great way to keep certain files secret on your phone, you may forget you saved something to that location and assume you deleted it instead.
- Open the Photos app and scroll all the way to the bottom. The Hidden album is the second to last item and requires Face ID or Touch ID to open.

3

Check iCloud

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Look to see if your video is saved on iCloud. If your video is permanently deleted, you may have saved it to your iCloud, especially if you had iCloud photos turned on in the past.^{[2]
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- Go to your iCloud account and log in, then check your albums to see if your video was saved. If it is, you can download or save the video again.

4

Check Social Media or Messages

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Look at your social media pages, text messages, or emails for the video. If you sent a copy of the video to someone or posted it on social media, you can restore it by downloading or saving the file again. Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube all allow you to upload videos. You may have posted the video as an Instagram reel or sent it through a messaging app like Discord.
- If you posted your video to a social media account you can't access anymore, you can save the video by using a video downloader. Note that if you use a video downloader to save videos you didn't create, you can get in trouble for copyright violation or theft.

5

Restore from a Backup

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Get your video from an iCloud or iTunes backup. If you regularly make backups of your phone's data, an old backup may have the video saved on it. You can use either an iCloud or iTunes backup, but only attempt this method if you're certain the video is saved in an old backup, as this method can lead to data loss.
- Before you attempt to restore an old backup, make a new backup of your phone that you can go back to if you have data on your phone you don't want to lose. After you recover the old video, upload it to Google Drive or send it to your email before you go back to your most current backup.

6

Go to a Data Recovery Service

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Contact a local data recovery service for a quote. Data recovery services have the tools and knowledge on how to get into a hard drive and recover deleted memory. However, because this process is difficult, recovering data may cost you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.^{[3]
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Research source} This may not be a feasible method if you're looking to recover one or two lost videos, but if you lost an important video or a big chunk of your data, it may be worth looking into.
- Not every data recovery service will service iPhones. Search "data recovery service near me" in a search engine to find local companies that can help you get your data back.

Join the Discussion...

How can I recover photos I accidentally deleted (iPhone)?

49

WikiCapybaraTamer317

Hi, so, I deleted a number of photos from Google Photos because I didn't realze they would delete from my iPhone--how do I get them back? I didn'... Read More

WikiIbisFlyer783

If you go to the Photos app, Utilities section, and select "Recently Deleted" you may be able to get them back. Good luck to you.... Read More

WikiCapybaraTamer317

I tried that but couldn't recover all of them, is there any other way? I really don't want to lose these photos!... Read More

See all 7 Replies and

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Expert Q&A

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Question

Where can I save excess photos if I don't have space for them anymore?

Andrea Enger
Photographer
Andrea Enger is a Photographer based in Colorado. Andrea is an Elopement Photographer with nearly a decade of experience, who has photographed hundreds of weddings. She is a premier adventure elopement photographer, focusing on the American Southwest, South America, and Spanish-speaking countries. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including: ABC News, Reuters, Colorado Wedding Magazine, World’s Best Wedding Photos 2024, Zion Brides, Rangefinder, Wandering Weddings, Here Comes the Guide, The Budget Savvy Bride and Revista Chilena Si Acepto.

Andrea Enger

Photographer

Expert Answer

If your device doesn't have enough space for your photos, you can save them on an SD card or a USB drive to free up some space. You can also use free online cloud services like Google Photos or iCloud to sync and store your photos. Using the cloud is also more convenient since you can access your photos as long as you have internet access.

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Avoid programs that promise to recover your data. These programs are spammy at best, and could try to scam you out of money. Only download and use programs you trust, and look up unbiased reviews written by actual users of any program before you try it out.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Once your files are gone, they are gone unless they have been backed up or unless you can recover them from your recently deleted folder (which you can easily do yourself). Anyone trying to get you to pay them to recover your files is lying.
I once deleted all my files on accident because I thought they would stay on the Cloud. Moral of the story: if you delete it from your phone it will delete from the Cloud too. Always back up your files!

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