Where do deleted files go on Android? Available recovery methods

Without a doubt, nowadays smartphones and tablets play an increasingly important role in our daily lives. We use smartphones and tablets to check email, Facebook & Twitter, send & receive messages, make phone calls, read news, check weather, play games, listen to music, take photos and videos, watch movies, locate, access on the Internet, etc. Smartphones and tablets are becoming integral parts of our daily lives. We almost use them anywhere at any time and can feel like a fish out of water without them.

Like most of the time we use mobile phones and tablets, more important data is generated and stored in the device's memory. It is generally a good idea to back up files on mobile phones and tablets regularly. For backing up iPhone, iPad and iPod without iTunes, iPhone PC Suite is usually a good choice; to backup Android phones and tablets, Android file transfer Highly recommended. Most people know regular backups are necessary, but not all of us will have time to do the work in a timely manner due to busy family, work, study and life, so data loss happens sometimes. What should we do if we have lost important data on our mobile devices? This tutorial comes to solve the problem.

With Android phones and tablets becoming more and more popular and more and more market share among rich mobile devices, in this tutorial how to recover deleted files on Android phones and tablets will be introduced.

To recover deleted files from Android, in general, there are 2 methods: using Android file recovery software and using Android SD card recovery software.

If you want to recover deleted contacts, text messages, call history and WhatsApp messages on Android, Method A is the only choice. For an Android device that does not have any memory card and on which all content is stored in the internal memory, Method 2 will also not work, only Method 1 can be used. With method 2, you can only recover deleted files (except contacts, SMS, WhatsApp chat history, call logs) from a memory card (usually MicroSD card, also called T-Flash or TF) in Android phone or tablet. And 2 methods can be used to retrieve deleted files from Android to any PC or Mac.

Method A:

Recover Deleted Files on Android Using Android File Recovery Software

After downloading, launch it and start recovering deleted files in Android by following these steps:

1. Activate USB debugging on the Android phone or tablet you want to recover deleted files from:

2. Link from Android device to computer. Please make sure your device's battery life is more than 20% to ensure complete Android file recovery. It is suggested to connect one Android phone or tablet at one time.

3. When the Android file recovery software detects the device, select the file types you want to recover from the Android device and click the "Next" button.
At the moment, there are 8 supported file types for you to choose from:
Contacts, Messages, Call History, WhatsApp Messages & Attachments, Gallery, Audio, Video and Documents

4. Select the scan and storage mode and click "Next".
If you want to scan only deleted files, select the "Scan deleted files" mode, and it takes the least time in all modes;

Selecting "Scan for all files" will scan all files on your Android device, including deleted files and files currently on the device;

If above 2 modes cannot find the deleted files you are looking for, try "Advanced Mode", However, it takes longer compared to other types.

5. The software will begin to analyze and scan the files on your Android device, and after scanning, the found files will be listed by category. Deleted text messages (SMS), MMS, contacts, call logs and WhatsApp chat history will be shown in red. Preview and select the files you want to recover from your Android device and click "Recover". The selected files will be saved to your computer.

Recovered Contacts, Messages, Photos, Audios and Videos can be transferred back to Android phone and tablet again using Android File Transfer.

Method B:

Recover Deleted Files on Android Using Android SD Card Recovery Software

Once you have done this, follow these steps in the given order to recover deleted files from Android phones or tablets memory or SD cards:

1. Connect your phone or tablet to your computer using the USB cable provided when you purchased your device.

2. After the device has been connected, pull down the notification panel on the device, set the USB connection mode as “USB Mass Storage” or “Media Devices (MTP)”. Potions may be different in different Android phones and tablets.

3. Launch the Android file recovery software, click "Next" button to enter "Wizard" mode.

4. Select the type of files you want to recover from your Android. If you want to recover all deleted files on Android, select "All" File Types.

5. Provide your Android's volume name or select "External Removable Devices" directly.

6. Click the "Start" button and the Android file recovery software will start scanning for deleted files on your Android. The "Enable Deep Scan" check is highly useful for retrieving deleted files from formatted SD card or phone memory. By checking "Enable Raw File Recovery", you can find files lost long ago for various reasons. It will take longer to scan if you check the 2 option.

Now, deleted files on Android have been successfully recovered. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to recover deleted files on Android, please feel free to contact us. We will try our best to solve your problems about Android file recovery.

Loss of information on your favorite gadget... This cup has probably not passed over anyone. And the point is not why this happened - personal carelessness, a virus attack or a software failure, but what to do next to fix it. There is no need to despair; it is difficult to recover deleted files on Android, but it is possible, despite the fact that there is no recycle bin on Android.

There are two not very different methods for recovering deleted data - using a PC and without it. They are based on the use of special resuscitation programs that find deleted information on media. There are a great many such programs, but the principle of their operation is approximately the same, so we will consider only the most common and proven ones.

To do this we need:

Laptop or personal computer with Windows OS installed;
USB cable for connecting your tablet or phone;
software to recover deleted files. There shouldn’t be any problems with this - there are a huge number of them on the Internet and they are distributed mostly free of charge.

Let's look at two of the most popular applications: 7-Data Android Recovery (Download from the developer's website) and Dr.Fone (Download).

7-Data Android Recovery

This program has gained its popularity because it can be used to recover any type of information, be it texts, photos, audio, or video files. Also, unlike many similar utilities, it allows you to work not only with the memory card, but also with the system partition of the device itself.

So, we connect to the PC in USB debugging mode and launch the installed application. The next step is to select the partition where the files that need to be recovered were located.

7-Data Android Recovery itself will start scanning the partition for search, as a result of which a sign will appear containing the deleted information. Let me make a reservation that this procedure can take considerable time, since it directly depends on the size of the memory occupied by the folder.

Select the desired file and click Save.

Simple, fast, not complicated, works with system partitions.

Dr.Fone

For this utility to work, you need to do a little configuration of the gadget itself, namely, enable root rights (rights that allow you to change system settings and work with system program settings) and connect in USB debugging mode.

After launching the program, it immediately begins searching for deleted files on Android. Let me remind you again - this may take some time. As a result, we get a table of files available for recovery.

Select the deleted file and click the Recover button. We indicate the path to the folder where it can be restored.

As a result of the above steps, the information received is saved to the computer’s hard drive.

Restore directly to an Android device

Unfortunately, a computer may not always be at hand, but this is absolutely no obstacle to recovering deleted files on Android. You can get by with one device by downloading the utility directly to it. The Dumpster program (download) copes well with this task. It is installed in the same way as all other applications for Android and plays the role of a kind of recycle bin for storing deleted files. By the way, in the settings you can specify which types of data are preferably stored and which can be deleted immediately.

It will not be difficult for the user to recover deleted data, since after launching the application will independently scan the internal memory of the device and provide a list of all deleted data. After which you can select a file that will be restored to the folder where it was located before deletion.

As you can see, deleting information is not always irreversible. But it still happens that despite all efforts, lost information cannot be saved.

If you couldn't restore it?

If all of the above methods are unsuccessful, you will most likely not be able to recover your data.

But, you can still try logging into photos.google.com using your account. This record is requested from the user when the device is turned on for the first time and can subsequently be used to store and retrieve information from various resources. So there is always a chance that your photos are synchronized and will be found on this resource.

In the same way, you can try to restore contacts using the link contacts.google.com. But what may be a surprise here is a list of contacts collected from all devices and applications mixed together.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that no matter what miracles modern applications for data recovery work, the most reliable and reliable option is to synchronize all data with your account, or create archival copies on other storage media.

There can be many reasons for losing files from your phone memory or microSD card. Almost any person who has lost valuable electronic information has wondered how to recover deleted files. Regardless of the reason for deleting files, be it a forced system update, a system failure, or simple carelessness, lost data can be returned, and in more than one way.

Recovering files from SD card

SD is a removable storage device that can be removed from your smartphone at any time. If files that were stored on the memory card are lost, you can restore them in several ways:

Using the CardRecovery utility.

This is the most convenient program that, in addition to regenerating files from a microSD card, will also recover data from a USB drive or SD card. The program only works with the following file types:

images (JPG and RAW formats);
audio and video files (MPG, MP3, WAV, AVI, MOV formats).

When scanning a memory card, the program does not affect other documents, some types of images, for example, PNG, archives and other common formats. The program is available online for download, although its free version is designed to work only with images. For the full version, the user will have to pay about $30.

After downloading to your PC, the program must be installed and launched. Use the adapter to insert the microSD card into the appropriate slot on the computer.

At the initial stage, when starting the program, select the removable disk connected to the PC. Then designate a directory on your computer where the recovered information will subsequently be saved.

After this, enter the total volume of the card being restored in the program. The program will then start the scanning process. After the search is completed, the program will notify you of its completion and display a total with the number of files found.

As a result of all operations, the user will be able to view and sort the found files. After pressing the “Preview” key, you can start previewing. After that, check the boxes for the required photos and click “Next”. You can terminate the program with the “Finish” button. The recovered files will be saved in the previously selected directory.

Using the R Saver utility.

The utility is considered one of the best for recovering lost data. The program interface is simplified as much as possible specifically for the convenience of users. Similarly, as in the case of the previous program, you need to connect an adapter with a memory card to the PC, and then click on “Update”. Among all the disks found and displayed on the screen, you need to find yours and click on “Scan”.

The length of scanning time depends on the amount of information on the card. After this operation, the program will list what it was able to find, and the user will only have to select the required file, select it and click on “Save selected”. Having selected a folder to save on your PC, click on “Save”.

These are the 2 most common ways in which you can recover at least some of the data lost from a microSD card. However, even these methods cannot provide a 100% guarantee of a complete result.

Recovering files from the internal memory of a smartphone

If the deleted file was not stored on the microSD card, but in the internal memory of the smartphone, you can also restore it:

Using the 7-Data Android utility.

This method also involves using a PC. You can install the program from the official developer resource. After installing the program on your computer, connect your smartphone to it. Select it from the list of connected devices.

This program also allows you to work with deleted data on a memory card. After scanning the device, a list with the data that was found will be displayed on the screen. By clicking on “Save”, select a folder on your computer where the files will be saved.

After finishing the program, you can transfer the files via USB cable back to your phone or leave them stored on your PC.

Using Wondershare Dr. Fone for Android.

The program is installed on the PC. Unfortunately, it is paid. A free version is also available, however, with it you can only view the files available for recovery.

The mechanism of the program is similar to those already described. You need to install it on your PC and connect your phone via USB. Afterwards, the program will try to detect your device and install root access on it. If this operation is successful, file recovery is possible. But for some devices this fails.

Without using a computer, using the Undeleter for Root Users application.

The application only works for users with root rights. Working with it is quite simple: you need to download it to your Android device, launch and activate the program. After scanning, a list of deleted programs will be displayed. After clicking the “Restore” button, the files will be restored and saved on the device.

Using the GT Recovery for Android application.

The application is free and effective, however, it also requires root rights on the device to work. Reviews left by users on the Play Market indicate the effectiveness of this application in terms of working with the recovery of deleted video files, photos and other data. According to reviews from people who have already used the application, it allows you to return at least some of the lost information.

Using the Recuva program.

The program does not require root rights, unlike the 2 previous applications. It is advisable to download the Russian version of the program. You can install its free version.

When you start the program, you need to select the type of files you want to recover - videos, pictures, music, documents, and more. It is possible to restore files from a specified location, so if you do not know what exactly you would like to restore, but remember the folder where the files were stored, then you need to specify it. Follow the program prompts. It will indicate the places where it is possible to recover data and begin the recovery.

The probability of success in recovering files from the internal memory of a smartphone is lower than from a memory card. After recovering deleted files, it is better to first save them on a different device than the one where they were previously located. You can save the recovered data to the original folders, however, this may lead to a conflict.

It’s best if you have recovered lost files from a smartphone, rewrite them on your PC, and only then transfer them again to the gadget.

Root rights

The Undelete for Root Users and GT Recovery for Android applications require root rights. What is it? Translated into Russian, this means “superuser rights”. In other words, these rights give the user complete control of the system, which allows them to change and edit all system folders and files and install applications that require these rights.

There are several possible ways to obtain them. Let's look at the simplest one, which will help you get rights in “1 click”. The program is called Kingo Android Root, it is suitable even for beginners.

Important! Using the program may result in the device being inoperable and making it impossible to turn it on. So you must use it at your own responsibility.

You can download the program from the manufacturer's official website. You need to install it on your PC and connect your phone to it via USB by clicking “USB debugging” on your device. After starting the program, driver installation will begin. The process may take some time. After installation, you will be prompted to obtain root rights on the device. After you click the consent button, a warning about a possible error will appear. If this happens, your phone may have trouble booting. If you are convinced that the operation is necessary, click “OK”.

After this, the device will begin to reboot and install root rights. During this you need to do:

after the message “Unlock Bootloader” appears, use the volume keys to go to “Yes” and confirm the selection by pressing the power button;
You may have to restart the device yourself: this can also be done by selecting the appropriate item in the menu that opens while using the volume keys.

After completing the work, a message indicating that root rights have been successfully obtained will appear in the program window.

If data recovery fails

It is quite possible that none of the proposed recovery methods have coped with their task. In this case, the following is possible:

If photos have been deleted.

If your smartphone is on Android OS, then you should go to photos.google.com using your own account on the device to log in. It may well turn out that the photos that need to be restored were previously synchronized with the account. If so, they will be found safe on this site.

When deleting contacts.

If you lose contacts, you should go to contacts.google.com in the same way. There is a possibility that lost contacts will be found there mixed with the e-mail addresses you used.

Conclusion

If none of the proposed methods was able to recover lost files, and they contained information important to you, then you can try contacting a specialized service that provides phone repair services. Naturally, the price of this operation may not be small, and no one can give a 100% guarantee of data recovery.

Is it possible to recover data without resorting to third-party programs and applications? With the exception of the described recovery methods without programs, such methods, unfortunately, practically do not exist.

No one is immune from data loss, and in order not to be upset in the future by the loss of important information, you should use Google storage or other cloud storage, for example, One Drive.

Android OS users often experience accidental deletion of important files. However, few people realize that this is a reversible process and deleted files can be restored, even after resetting to factory settings. What is required for this, as well as the procedure, is described in detail below.

How to recover deleted data on a smartphone or tablet?

Use this method if you need to return deleted files, but you don’t have a computer and the appropriate programs at hand. To do this, use one of the special applications: DiskDigger, Undeleter or GT Recovery.

DiskDigger

The application allows you to return lost files erased from an internal or external disk drive. The program is available in free and paid versions on Google Play. The first allows you to recover lost photo and video files. While the second one also contains musical compositions, spreadsheets, documents, books, archives, etc. It is worth noting that for the application to function fully, you must provide root rights.

The launched application will offer two scanning options: basic and full. The latter is only available for smartphones and tablets with superuser rights. Next, you need to select a partition of the internal memory or MicroSD card and start scanning. In the window that appears, select the file formats to search for and wait until the end of the result. Then select the necessary files and restore.

Undeleter

The program is designed to recover deleted files from internal and external flash drives. The free version of the application saves deleted photos, as well as the history of SMS, calls and correspondence from instant messengers. The purchased program recovers all file types - 32 extensions. Superuser rights are also required for full operation.

After launching the application, you need to select a disk drive partition. In a new window, select the types of files to search and wait for the operation to complete, then save the necessary data. To restore the history of calls, SMS and messages from instant messengers, the procedure is the same.

GT Recovery

The application allows you to restore phone book contacts; recover photos, SMS, texts and calls. Also lost data for connecting to wireless Wi-Fi points; recovery of correspondence from WhatsApp, Messenger and Kik.

Searching for deleted data is carried out in three stages. The first one requires you to provide superuser rights. On the second, select the data category item. And at the last one, mark and save the necessary files. If necessary, the user will be able to pause at any phase of the search and then view accidentally deleted files.

Ways to recover data using a computer

This recovery method is suitable if the mobile device does not have super user rights or applications cannot cope with searching for deleted files. iSkysoft or Dr.Fone programs are suitable for these purposes.

Conclusion

Apps for your smartphone or tablet help you quickly recover lost files. They allow you to do without a computer, which is useful when away from home. In this case, a prerequisite is the presence of superuser rights. It is also worth considering that the free versions have a number of limitations, but are cheaper than their desktop counterparts.

If you do not have root rights or applications do not find the required file type, then it is recommended to use desktop utilities for your PC to recover data. At the same time, basic versions allow you to recover only certain types of files: deleted contacts or SMS correspondence. To remove restrictions, you need to purchase the full version of the programs.

It is also important to remember that the described methods do not provide a 100% guarantee of restoring contacts, photos, etc. Recently deleted files may be permanently erased to allow new information to be recorded, or they may become corrupted when the data is deleted. To prevent the loss of important information, it is recommended to resort to backup in advance. Do not rush to delete from your mobile device without making sure that the files are copied to a safe storage location. In addition, restoring the Android OS after resetting it to factory settings will take less time if you back up applications in Titanium Backup in advance.

It will be useful to those users who accidentally deleted a document, formatted a flash drive, or did a Hard Reset.

Why do Android require specialized tools?

Previously, devices with Android OS on board, after connecting to a PC, were identified as a USB flash drive. This made it possible to use the same applications for data recovery as on a PC, for example R-Studio or Recuva. Today, file transfer to smartphones is carried out using the MTP protocol. In rare cases, you can find the usual type of access.

Because of this, on Android the old methods are ineffective or even impossible. After a Hard Reset operation, it is almost impossible to get data back. When clearing memory after a reset, complex algorithms are used. Sometimes encryption, which is enabled on some models by default, makes matters worse.

EaseUS Mobisaver

The Mobisaver application is distributed free of charge. The download link is on the developer's official website. The program supports all popular editions of Windows, starting with XP. Today Mobisaver is the best utility in its class. Before you can restore files deleted from the Recycle Bin, you must install the utility. Although all installer messages are displayed in English, anyone can understand the process. Just click on Next. There is no additional or adware built into the installer.

Main features of Mobisaver

The following options are listed on the program's official website:

Support for popular phone brands.
Recover documents from internal memory and SD card.
Providing a detailed report on deleted files and restoring only those selected by the user.
Supports Android OS versions from 2.3 to 5.0.
Recovering call logs, contact books, messages and saving information in HTML, CSV, VCF containers.

There is also a paid version of the application on the site, but information about additional options is not provided.

Preparatory operations

For all functions to work properly, the application requires installation on a root mobile device. Before restoring files to Android, you need to activate the “Debugging mode” switch in the phone configuration. It is located in the developer settings of the main menu. If you cannot enable debugging mode, read the official instructions or reviews from other users about your phone model.

Launch Mobisaver and then connect your smartphone to your PC. When the Start button in the main area of the utility lights up, click it. A request for access will appear on your phone screen. Answer yes. After which the smartphone will offer to grant root rights to the utility. Answer that you agree. After this, scanning will begin immediately. During this, a search for deleted documents, contacts, and messages will be performed.

How to recover a deleted file on Android?

Scanning time depends on the memory capacity of the device. If the phone includes more than 15 GB of storage, this process will take 20 minutes or more. The scan result will be displayed on the PC display. All documents will be shown in a conveniently sorted list. To view only deleted files, click on the button with the text Only deleted items.

How to recover a deleted file on Android? Select the required documents and click on the Recover button. As a result, the application will copy the files to the computer’s drive.

GT Recovery

GT Recovery is a completely free product. Its functionality is absolutely identical to EaseUS Mobisaver. The main difference between GT Recovery is that the application is installed on the smartphone itself. FAT and EXT file systems are supported. Root rights are required to operate. You can download the program from the Google app store.

7-Data Android Recovery

7-Data is another program that allows you to recover deleted files for free. The utility can work with SD cards and internal memory of mobile devices. Installation will only require the user to click Next a few times and, if necessary, change the installation folder.

Enable "Debug mode" on your phone, run the utility and connect the device to the PC.
Answer yes to the question in the pop-up window on your smartphone screen.
Click on "Next" in the main window of the utility.
Select which drive will be scanned (internal or SD).
Wait for the scan to finish.
Select the files you want to restore and click "Save".

How to recover a deleted file on Android and why is this possible?

All modern file systems do not erase information when you delete a file, but simply mark the drive's sectors as unoccupied. This approach allows you to extend the life of flash memory, and at the same time restore documents.

Therefore, if you accidentally deleted an important document, it is advisable to turn off your smartphone. If this is not possible, try not to delete, copy, move, or write new files in the smartphone’s memory. Such actions will increase the likelihood of overwriting sectors in which deleted information was stored.