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Updated on July 13, 2026
Simon Teal
Participant
July 13, 2026 at 4:37 am
Q:

Accidentally removed important files while freeing up storage. Any hope?

I accidentally deleted a bunch of photos and documents from my Android while trying to free up storage. I realized it a couple of hours later, and unfortunately they aren’t in the Recycle Bin or Google Photos trash.
The phone is still working normally and I haven’t factory reset it. Is there anything I should or shouldn’t do before trying to recover the files? I’d rather avoid making things worse.

Android recovery

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Viewing 4 replies - 16 through 19 (of 19 total)

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Ezra Flint
Participant
July 13, 2026 at 4:41 am

Before trying recovery software, double-check Google Drive, Google Photos, Samsung Cloud (if it’s a Samsung), and any app-specific backups. You’d be surprised how often people find their files there.

Nina Calder
Participant
July 13, 2026 at 4:40 am

Definitely don’t clear cache or run any “phone cleaner” apps. Those can sometimes remove temporary data that might still be useful.

Simon Teal
Participant
July 13, 2026 at 4:39 am

Thanks. I’ve already put it in airplane mode for now. Hopefully that helps.

Jace Elric
Participant
July 13, 2026 at 4:38 am

First thing, stop using the phone as much as possible. Every new photo, app install, or download can overwrite deleted data.

Viewing 4 replies - 16 through 19 (of 19 total)

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