Losing videos from your iPhone can feel like a disaster, especially if they hold sentimental value or capture important life events. Fortunately, there are several free methods you can use to attempt recovery of these precious memories without spending a dime. Here, I’ll walk you through three practical ways to recover deleted videos from your iPhone.
1. Recover from Recently Deleted Album
The first place to check for any deleted videos is right on your iPhone. Apple understands that accidents happen, which is why they’ve included a safety net:
- Step into the Photos App: Open your Photos app and navigate to the ‘Albums’ tab.
- Find Recently Deleted: Scroll down to find the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. This is where any photos or videos you’ve deleted in the last 30 days will be.
- Recover Your Videos: If your deleted videos are there, simply select them and tap ‘Recover’. They will be restored to your main photo library.
This method is quick and straightforward, but it only works if the videos were deleted within the last 30 days.
2. Restore from an iCloud Backup
If your videos aren’t in the Recently Deleted folder, the next option is to check if they’re available in an iCloud backup. Before proceeding, ensure that the backup date is prior to when the videos were deleted:
- Check Your Backups: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. Here, you’ll see a list of available backups. Note the date of each backup.
- Erase and Restore: If a suitable backup is available, you’ll need to erase your iPhone and restore it from that backup. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. After the phone restarts, choose to restore from iCloud Backup during the setup.
Remember, restoring from a backup will replace all the data currently on your iPhone, so make sure to backup any new data you don’t want to lose.
3. Use iTunes/Finder Backup
If you regularly back up your iPhone to your computer, you may be able to recover your deleted videos this way:
- Connect Your iPhone to Your Computer: Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to the computer you normally sync with.
- Open iTunes or Finder: If you’re using a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, open Finder. Otherwise, open iTunes.
- Select Your Device: Click on the device icon in iTunes or Finder.
- Restore Backup: Look for the ‘Restore Backup’ option and select it. Choose a backup that predates the deletion of your videos and proceed with the restoration.
Just like with iCloud, this method will replace the contents of your iPhone with the contents from the backup, so be sure to save any new data elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
Losing videos can be stressful, but with these three methods, you have a good chance of recovering them. Start with the simplest method—the Recently Deleted folder—and then move on to iCloud or iTunes backups if necessary. Remember, the key to successful data recovery is acting quickly before new data overwrites the old. Good luck, and may your memories be restored!