Level 1 (4 points)

Recovering accidentally deleted videos from iCloud Photos

I deleted around 4 thousand videos (thinking they were duplicates) from my photo library and then from recently deleted thinking I was free up space! Later realised they were important videos! I later found out my MacBook hadn’t connected to the iCloud so still had all the videos but they can’t be downloaded since they were only stored on the iCloud not locally. Is there anyway to recover these videos. Or does apple keep a version of the videos stored for a certain amount of time. Thanks

Posted on Nov 10, 2026 11:31 AM

2 replies

Limnos

Level 10 (462,771 points)

Nov 10, 2026 5:03 PM in response to JAIMADD

Read this article about deleting and recovering photos and videos on iCloud.com

Delete and recover photos and videos on iCloud.com - Apple Support

And this support article —> Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support which notes, "If you want to permanently delete your photos or videos, you can remove them from the Recently Deleted album. When you delete a photo from this album, you can't get it back."

"Permanently" means "permanently", with no chance of recovery. If you kept them on a separate backup device then have a look there.

This post by ASC contributor Lawrence Finch includes a list of places you can check where you may still have copies of photos.

Recovery permanent deleted photos - Apple Community

Mac Jim ID

Level 10 (105,996 points)

Nov 10, 2026 11:36 AM in response to JAIMADD

Sorry, they are gone if you did not store them in another location yourself. They remain in the Recently Deleted album for only 30 days in case you change your mind, and will be permanently deleted before that time if you choose to delete them from the album. Could you imagine the Privacy concerns that would be raised if Apple kept a users photos after they were instructed to delete them?

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256392136