Photos or Videos Missing From iPhone? Find Them

Common causes

• The photos or videos were deleted and are in Recently Deleted
• They were hidden, or the Hidden album itself is turned off
• Your Library view shows only your Personal Library or only the Shared Library
• They were moved to a Shared Library, and this device hasn’t been updated to a supported version
• iCloud Photos was turned off after the photos were taken
• They were lost from your library, for example through a database corruption issue or a camera app that didn’t save correctly

Step-by-Step Solutions

Work through these checks in order, and look for your photos again after each one.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check Recently Deleted

   Deleted photos and videos go to the Recently Deleted album, where you can recover them for 30 days.

   If you delete a photo or video from Photos, it’s deleted everywhere, including any album you put it in. With iCloud Photos, it’s deleted on all your devices too.

   Open the Photos app and tap Recently Deleted in the Utilities section. Tap View Album, then unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

   Tap a photo or video, then tap Recover. To recover several, tap Select, choose your photos or videos, tap the More button, then tap Recover. Confirm that you want to recover them.

   Good to know

   After 30 days in Recently Deleted, items are permanently deleted and you can’t get them back. If you choose Delete instead of Recover in this album, the items are removed for good.

2. 2

   Step 2: Look in the Recovered album

   In iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, Photos can show items that are on your device but not part of your library.

   If the photos or videos you’re looking for aren’t in Recently Deleted, they may be in the Recovered album. Photos or videos can become lost for reasons including a database corruption issue, photos taken in a camera app that didn’t save correctly to the Photos library, or third-party apps given access to manage your photo library.

   In Photos, tap Collections, then scroll down and tap Recovered under Utilities. Unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID. Tap a photo or video, or tap Select to choose several, then tap Restore to Library.

   Good to know

   The Recovered album only appears if your iPhone or iPad finds such items. Don’t tap Permanently Delete unless you’re sure: items you delete from this album don’t go to Recently Deleted. They are deleted immediately and it can’t be undone.

3. 3

   Step 3: Unhide photos in the Hidden album

   Hidden photos and videos appear only in the Hidden album, so they can seem to be missing.

   Open the Photos app, tap Collections, swipe up, then tap Hidden in the Utilities section. Tap View Album, then use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock it.

   Select the photo or video you want to unhide, tap the More button, then tap Unhide. It reappears in your photo library.

   Good to know

   If you use iCloud Photos, photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.

4. 4

   Step 4: Turn the Hidden album back on

   With iOS 14 and later, the Hidden album can be removed from the Photos app entirely.

   If you’re missing photos or videos, make sure the Hidden album is turned on so you can see it.

   The setting is in the Settings app: tap Apps, then tap Photos. Show Hidden Album is the switch that removes the Hidden collection from view when it’s off.

5. 5

   Step 5: Switch your Library view

   If you use an iCloud Shared Photo Library, some photos might only appear in certain library views.

   Open the Photos app, then tap Collections. Tap the profile button in the upper-right corner, then choose Both Libraries, Personal Library or Shared Library in the Library View Options section.

   In Both Libraries or Shared Library view, photos in the Shared Library are marked with the Shared Library icon, and photos in your Personal Library are marked with the Personal Library icon.

   Good to know

   iCloud Shared Photo Library is available in iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1 and later.

6. 6

   Step 6: Use an updated device for Shared Library photos

   Photos you moved to a Shared Library don’t show on a device that hasn’t been updated to a supported version.

   If you moved photos to a Shared Library, you won’t be able to see them on an iPhone with iOS 16 or earlier or an iPad with iPadOS 15 or earlier. iCloud Shared Photo Library needs iOS 16.1 or later on iPhone and iPadOS 16.1 or later on iPad.

   To see those photos, use a device updated to a supported version.

7. 7

   Step 7: Make sure iCloud Photos is turned on

   If iCloud Photos was on when you took a photo but you turned it off later, the photo might still be in iCloud Photos.

   Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap Photos, then turn on Sync this device.

   After you turn on iCloud Photos, you might need to connect to Wi-Fi and wait a few minutes. Then look for your photos again.

   Good to know

   If iCloud Photos is already on and your photos aren’t showing up on this device, see the guide to iCloud Photos not syncing instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related guides

• Apps & iOSiCloud Photos Not Syncing on iPhone? Try These FixesFind out why iCloud Photos says syncing is paused on your iPhone, what each status message means, and how to get your photos uploading to iCloud again.