Restore Samsung Recycle Bin Deleted Photos & Files

If you deleted photos, files, or recordings on a Samsung phone, you can often restore them from the phone’s built-in Recycle Bin (also called Trash) within 30 days of deletion. The exact steps depend on whether the item was in the Gallery, My Files, or the Voice Recorder app, and this guide covers each one.

How the Samsung Recycle Bin Works

Samsung phones run One UI (Samsung’s version of Android) and include a system-wide recycle bin feature that temporarily holds deleted items. Unlike permanent deletion, items moved to the bin are not immediately erased from storage. Instead, they remain there for a set period—typically 30 days—before being automatically purged. This applies to photos and videos in the Gallery app, documents and other files in the My Files app, and voice recordings in the Voice Recorder app.

The recycle bin is a safety net: it protects against accidental deletion, but it is not a backup. If you delete an item and then clear the bin, or if the 30-day period passes, the space is marked as available for new data, and the original file becomes much harder—often impossible—to recover without third-party data recovery tools.

Restoring Photos and Videos from the Gallery

Photos and videos deleted from the Samsung Gallery app go to the Gallery’s Trash folder. To restore them:

1. Open the Gallery app on your Samsung phone.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the bottom-right corner.
3. Select Trash from the menu.
4. You’ll see thumbnails of deleted items, each with a countdown of days remaining until permanent deletion.
5. Tap and hold an item to select it, or tap the Select all option at the top.
6. Tap Restore at the bottom. The items return to their original album or to the main Gallery timeline.

If you don’t see the Trash option, it may be hidden under Settings > Trash in the Gallery app. Also note that items deleted from the Secure Folder have a separate recycle bin inside that folder.

Recovering Files from My Files

Documents, downloads, APK files, and other non-media files deleted from the My Files app go to its own recycle bin. To restore them:

1. Open the My Files app (often in the Samsung folder on the home screen).
2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
3. Select Trash from the dropdown.
4. Browse the list of deleted files. You can sort by date or name.
5. Tap and hold a file to select it, or tap the three-dot menu and choose Select all.
6. Tap Restore at the bottom. The file returns to its original folder, or to the Downloads folder if the original location is gone.

If you deleted a file from an SD card, the My Files recycle bin still works, but the item is stored in a hidden folder on the SD card itself. If you remove the SD card, the recycle bin for those files becomes inaccessible until you reinsert it.

Restoring Voice Recordings

Samsung’s Voice Recorder app has its own recycle bin, separate from the Gallery and My Files. To recover a deleted recording:

1. Open the Voice Recorder app.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
3. Select Trash from the menu.
4. You’ll see a list of deleted recordings with their dates and durations.
5. Tap the checkbox next to each recording you want to restore.
6. Tap Restore at the bottom. The recording returns to the main list.

Note that recordings made with the phone’s call recording feature (if available in your region) may not appear in the Voice Recorder app’s trash. Those are stored separately and may not be recoverable through the standard recycle bin.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

“I emptied the recycle bin—can I still recover the files?” Once you empty the bin, the items are marked as deleted and the space becomes available for new data. In some cases, data recovery software can still retrieve files if you stop using the phone immediately and the storage hasn’t been overwritten. However, this is not guaranteed and often requires a PC and specialized tools.

“I don’t see the Trash option in Gallery.” This can happen if you’re using a third-party gallery app instead of Samsung’s default, or if the Gallery app is not updated. Make sure you’re using the stock Samsung Gallery app and check for updates in the Galaxy Store.

“The recycle bin is full and older items are gone.” Samsung’s recycle bin has a storage limit (usually around 10% of the available internal storage or a fixed number of items). When the limit is reached, the oldest items are permanently deleted to make room for new ones.

“I deleted files from a cloud service like Google Photos.” The Samsung recycle bin only covers local storage. If you deleted a photo that was only in the cloud, you need to check that service’s own trash (e.g., Google Photos’ trash holds items for 60 days).

How to Prevent Permanent Loss

To avoid losing important files permanently, consider these practices:

• Check the recycle bin regularly—restore items you might need before the 30-day window closes.
• Enable Samsung Cloud or Google One backup for photos and videos. These services keep deleted items in their own trash for a limited time.
• Use the Secure Folder’s recycle bin separately if you store sensitive files there.
• Do not clear the recycle bin unless you are absolutely sure you don’t need the items.
• If you plan to sell or reset your phone, back up everything you want to keep to an external drive or cloud service first.

What If the Recycle Bin Is Not Available?

Some Samsung models or One UI versions may not have a recycle bin for certain file types. For example, files deleted from the “Downloads” folder in My Files might not appear in the Trash if the folder is excluded. In such cases, you can try:

• Check the “Recently deleted” section in the Samsung Gallery app (it’s the same as Trash).
• Use a file manager that has its own recycle bin—but note that this only works for files deleted through that app.
• Try a data recovery app from the Play Store, but be aware that these often require root access and are not guaranteed to work on modern Android versions due to storage encryption.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do deleted items stay in the Samsung recycle bin? By default, items remain for 30 days. After that, they are permanently deleted. You can check the remaining days for each item in the Trash folder.

Can I restore files after emptying the recycle bin? Possibly, but not through the phone’s interface. You would need third-party data recovery software on a PC, and success depends on whether the storage space has been overwritten. Stop using the phone immediately to increase chances.

Does the recycle bin work for files on an SD card? Yes, but the bin is stored on the SD card itself. If you remove the SD card, the recycle bin becomes inaccessible until you reinsert it. Also, if you format the SD card, the recycle bin is cleared.

Why can’t I find the Trash option in My Files? The Trash option appears only if there are deleted items. If you’ve never deleted anything, the option may be hidden. Also, some One UI versions moved Trash under the three-dot menu instead of the hamburger menu.

Are deleted voice recordings recoverable if I used a third-party recorder app? No, the Samsung recycle bin only applies to the stock Voice Recorder app. Third-party apps have their own deletion policies, often permanent.

Does the recycle bin use up my phone’s storage? Yes, deleted items still occupy space until they are permanently erased. If you’re low on storage, you can manually empty the recycle bin to free up space, but that permanently deletes the items.

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