Realize a priceless video is gone—your child’s first steps, a funny blooper, or a once-in-a-lifetime moment? Don’t panic. Deleted videos aren’t always lost.
This guide walks you through every method to recover deleted videos on your iPhone—from Apple’s built-in features to a professional iOS video recovery tool. Follow the steps carefully, and you could see your lost memories back on your device in no time.
Method 1. Check the 'Recently Deleted' Folder in Photos
Before trying any advanced methods, the first step should be to check the Recently Deleted album on your iPhone. Apple provides a safety net by keeping deleted photos and videos in this folder for 30 days before they are permanently erased.
How to Retrieve Deleted Videos on iPhone from 'Recently Deleted':
Open the Photos app.
Tap on Albums at the bottom.
Scroll down and open the Recently Deleted folder.
Look for the video(s) you accidentally deleted.
Tap Select, choose the videos, and hit Recover.
Your videos will now be restored to your main library.
✅ Best for: Videos deleted within the last 30 days.
❌ Limitations: Videos are permanently removed after 30 days.
For comprehensive guidance on this topic, check our detailed guide on how to recover permanently deleted videos that goes beyond the 30-day Recently Deleted timeframe.
Method 2. Restore Deleted Videos from an iCloud Backup
If your video isn’t in the Recently Deleted folder, your next best option is to restore your iPhone from a previous iCloud backup. iCloud automatically backs up your data—including deleted videos, photos, messages, and more from your iPhone—if the feature is enabled. If you don't have an iCloud backup, learn alternative ways to backup iPhone without iCloud to prevent future video loss.
How to Recover Deleted Videos from iPhone Using iCloud Backup:
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
Set up your iPhone from scratch.
During the setup, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
Sign in with your Apple ID.
Select the most recent backup that likely includes your deleted video.
The phone will restore all data from that backup—including your lost videos.
✅ Best for: Recovering videos deleted recently (before the most recent iCloud backup was made).
❌ Limitations: Restoring an iCloud backup erases current data on your iPhone and replaces it with the backup version. Also, if the backup was created after the video was deleted, the file cannot be restored.
Method 3. Use Gbyte Recovery to Recover Permanently Deleted Videos
If the above methods didn’t work—or if the video was deleted more than 30 days ago—you still have a strong chance of recovery using a third-party recovery tool. Gbyte Recovery is a reliable and powerful iPhone data recovery software that can help retrieve permanently deleted videos, even without a backup. Gbyte Recovery is part of comprehensive list of the best iPhone data recovery tools available for different recovery scenarios.
Why Gbyte Recovery Outperforms iCloud/iTunes:
Options Compared | Gbyte iCloud Snapshot Analysis | USB | iTunes | iCloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Recovery of data deleted ≥10 minutes prior | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Multi-time point deleted data recovery | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Preview directly displays deleted data (not fabricated) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
No manual backup required | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
No overwriting of existing data | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Restore only what you want | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
How to Restore Videos on iPhone Using Gbyte Recovery:Download and install Gbyte Recovery on your PC.
Open the software and select the photo data type.
Scan your iPhone for deleted data FOR FREE. Once the scan is complete, preview the list of recoverable videos.
Select the ones you want and click 'Recover to PC' or 'Recover to device'.
The recovered videos will be saved to your computer, and you can then transfer them back to your iPhone.
✅ Best for: Recovering permanently deleted videos without a backup. Ideal when you need to restore multiple videos at once.
❌ Free scan shows recoverable files, but full recovery for batch requires activation.
Method 4. Recover Deleted Videos via iTunes Backup
If you have previously backed up your iPhone to iTunes or Finder on your computer, you can restore the device from that backup to recover your deleted videos.
Steps to Recover Deleted Videos from iTunes Backup:
Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later).
Click on your device when it appears.
Under the Summary tab, choose Restore Backup.
Select a backup that is likely to contain the deleted video and click Restore.
Your phone will reboot with the restored data, and your lost video should reappear in the Photos app.
✅ Best for: Users with regular computer backups.
❌ Limitations: Restores the entire backup, replacing current data. Backup new files first.
Conclusion
Losing a video doesn’t have to be permanent. Depending on when it was deleted and your backup habits, you have multiple ways to recover deleted videos:
Recently Deleted folder for recent deletions.
iCloud or iTunes backups for videos stored in previous backups.
Gbyte Recovery for advanced recovery without backups.
Act quickly, choose the method that fits your situation, and your precious videos could be back in just a few steps. Beyond Photos app videos, you can also recover deleted WhatsApp videos and other media from messaging apps using similar recovery principles.
