Is It Possible to Recover Deleted Videos from iPhone?
When you delete a video from your iPhone, the file is not immediately removed. iOS temporarily marks it for deletion, keeping it in a hidden database until the system cleans up unused data. This temporary status makes it possible to recover deleted videos directly from your device.
Additionally, backups play a crucial role, as they can preserve a copy of your data even if it’s permanently removed from your iPhone’s active storage.
The possibility of recovering deleted videos depends on various aspects:
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If you try to recover a video immediately after deleting it, you have a better chance of finding it. The system might erase the file completely when it does regular maintenance. To get the most from this, turn off your internet access, then activate airplane mode. This stops your device from synchronizing and receiving new information.
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Regular backups to iCloud or through Finder/iTunes significantly enhance the chances of recovering a video, as these backups may contain deleted files.
How to Recover Deleted Videos from iPhone
If you want to recover deleted videos from your iPhone, there are several ways to retrieve them. The method you choose depends on where the deleted video might be — either still on the device in a temporary folder or in a backup created before deletion. Below, we outline the most effective ways to help you recover your videos.
1. Check Recently Deleted Album for Deleted Video
Your iPhone has a built-in safety net for accidentally deleted photos and videos. The Recently Deleted album in the Photos app holds all deleted media for up to 30 days before they are permanently erased. Here’s how to find deleted videos on iPhone in this album:
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Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
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Open the Collection tab from the bottom menu.
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Scroll down and locate the Recently Deleted album under the ‘Utilities’ section.
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Tap on it, unlock it with passcode or Face ID to view all the recently deleted media.
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If you find the video you want to recover, tap on the video and then tap Recover at the bottom-right of the screen.
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Confirm your choice to restore the video to your main album.
This method is simple and should be your first step to recover deleted videos on iOS, as it requires no additional tools or backups.
2. Recover Deleted Videos with Disk Drill
We’ve listed this method second because not everyone has backups, and even if they do, there’s no guarantee the missing videos are included. In such cases, you can use a third-party recovery tool like Disk Drill.
Disk Drill can create a complete iTunes backup of your iPhone and scan it for recoverable files, including recently deleted videos that are still stored in the iPhone’s database before permanent deletion.
To perform the scan, you’ll need free space on your Mac or an external drive that is at least twice the size of the used storage on your iPhone. Disk Drill can also scan existing iTunes backups, allowing you to restore individual files instead of the entire device.
Disclaimer: Disk Drill lets you scan and view unlimited files for free, but you’ll need the Pro version to actually recover the videos.
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Download and install Disk Drill on your Mac.
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Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and trust the computer if prompted on your iPhone. You can also scan your iPhone over Wi-Fi if your phone connects to your Mac via the corresponding function in Finder.
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Launch Disk Drill and select your iPhone from the list of available devices in the iPhone & iPad section.
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Click on Search for lost data to initiate scanning. It may take a while, depending on the amount of content you have on your iPhone.
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Once the scan is complete, browse through the found data and locate any videos you wish to recover. Disk Drill categorizes files by type, making it easier to find specific items.
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Select the videos you want to recover and choose a location on your computer to save them.
3. Review Deleted Video in iCloud
The next fast move to make is to investigate iCloud Photos—especially if, as part of an earlier tip, you’ve switched off the internet and placed the iPhone in airplane mode. Sometimes, the synced video deleted from your device is not removed from iCloud, despite not being able to see it on the device anymore, so you may have one more chance to recover it before it is completely gone once the sync process runs, which may not have happened yet due to low power mode or lack of internet connection.
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Access iCloud by visiting www.icloud.com from a web browser on a different device (not from your iPhone).
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Log in with the Apple ID associated with your iPhone.
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Once logged in, select the Photos icon to enter the photo library.
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Go to the Albums tab and look for the Recently Deleted album. Then, check the main library to see if the video is still available there.
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If you find the video in the main library, download it to your device. If you find it in the Recently Deleted album, select it, click Recover to restore it, and then download it, too.
4. Restore iTunes/Finder Backup with Deleted Videos
Restoring a deleted video with an iTunes or Finder backup is possible if the backup was created before the deletion. But, as we noted earlier, a backup doesn’t always guarantee the video will be there. If iCloud Photos was turned on, the media library isn’t saved in the backup to save space. You can preview your Finder/iTunes backup for the videos you need in Disk Drill, which is absolutely free, and then restore your iPhone from the backup if necessary.
Note: This process will replace the current data on your iPhone with the data from the backup, which may result in the loss of any recent data not included in the backup.
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Connect your iPhone to the computer you usually sync with Finder (or iTunes on older macOS).
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Open Finder/iTunes and select your device.
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Click on the ‘General’ tab, then choose ‘Restore Backup.’
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Look through the available backups in Finder/iTunes, paying attention to the date and size of each backup to select the one that most likely contains your deleted video.
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Click ‘Restore’ and wait for the process to complete. Make sure your iPhone stays connected throughout the entire process.
5. Recover Videos from iCloud Backup
Another way to retrieve deleted videos from your iPhone is by restoring from an iCloud backup. This approach is similar to using Finder or iTunes backups, but it relies on data stored in iCloud.
Keep in mind, if your media library was synced with iCloud at the time of the backup, those videos might not be included. You should only choose this method if you have an iCloud backup that predates the video deletion.
Restoring from iCloud will replace the current contents of your iPhone with the backup data, which may result in the loss of any recent files or changes not included in the backup.
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Check your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.
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Go to Settings > General > Reset and select Erase All Content and Settings.
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Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your iPhone. When you reach the Apps & Data screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
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Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
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Select the backup that predates the deletion of your video. Pay attention to the dates of the backups to verify that you choose the correct one.
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Wait for the restoration process to complete. Keep your device connected to Wi-Fi during this time.
Can Data Recovery Services Help Recover Deleted Videos from iPhone?
If you’ve tried all the methods above and are considering professional data recovery services, it’s important to understand the limitations of the iPhone’s architecture. iPhones store data in encrypted databases, and unlike traditional hard drives or SSDs, they don’t allow direct access to memory blocks to search for deleted files. Additionally, the iPhone’s garbage collection process, which permanently clears data, can make recovery impossible once it has run.
As a result, professional recovery centers usually cannot retrieve deleted videos if they’ve already been erased by the iPhone’s internal processes. However, these services can be extremely valuable in cases of physical device damage, as they may be able to repair or bypass hardware issues to access lost data.
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If the iPhone has sustained physical damage that prevents it from being recognized by recovery software.
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When internal components need repair or replacement to regain access to data.
While these services can be costly and do not guarantee success, they remain a main option for accessing data when damage rather than deletion causes data loss.