How to recover deleted photos from Private Photo Vault

You can usually recover deleted photos from Private Photo Vault only from a backup. The app’s own FAQ says that without a usable backup, the developer cannot restore deleted files. The backups that can work are a finished Cloud Vault backup and an iPhone backup made before the photos were deleted.

This page covers Private Photo Vault by Legendary Software Labs LLC (privatephotovault.com). Other apps with similar names are different products. Everything below comes from the developer’s pages and Apple’s support pages as read on 6 Nov 2026. We did not test it on a device.

First, work out what was deleted

The answer depends on which of three things happened.

You deleted the originals from the Photos app after importing

The app’s tutorials page tells you to confirm your files have imported before you remove the originals from Photos and from Recently Deleted. That implies the vault holds its own copies, so the photos in the vault should still be there, and the originals may still be in Recently Deleted.

You deleted photos inside the vault app

The app’s FAQ, support page and tutorial list don’t describe a trash or Recently Deleted folder, so we can’t say whether one exists. Look through the app’s menus and albums. If you don’t find one, ask support (below) before doing anything else.

You deleted the app, reset the phone or lost the phone

The FAQ says deleting the app removes the photos and videos stored in it from your phone. After a reset, it says recovery depends on an existing usable backup, and signing in cannot restore files that were never backed up.

Before you try anything

• Don’t delete or reinstall the app again until you know what backup you have. If you can still open your files on a device, the developer says to keep that access and contact support before you delete the app or change devices.
• Don’t set the iPhone up as new if you want an old iCloud backup. Apple says setting up as new creates iCloud backups that replace your saved ones.
• If you turned iCloud Backup off for this iPhone, Apple keeps the backups stored in iCloud for 180 days, then deletes them.

Option 1: Recently Deleted in Photos

This only helps for originals you deleted from the Photos app. Apple keeps deleted photos and videos in the Recently Deleted collection for 30 days, then removes them from your iPhone, iCloud and other devices on your Apple Account.

1. Open Photos and tap Collections.
2. Tap Recently Deleted (below Utilities), then View Album, then unlock your iPhone.
3. Tap Select, choose the photos, open the menu and tap Recover.

Apple’s page for iOS 26 adds that Recently Deleted is locked by default and opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

Option 2: Cloud Vault

Cloud Vault is the app’s own encrypted backup. It needs Premium and an account, and the developer’s Cloud Vault page says it is not turned on automatically. Three limits decide whether it can help you now:

• Only files that finished uploading are in the backup. A backup that was interrupted holds only what had finished.
• You need your Cloud Vault password. The developer says it is never recoverable, by support or by your app passcode.
• If Premium expires, the app offers to renew or to switch to Basic. The FAQ says that if you tap Switch to Basic, your Cloud Backup is deleted, so renew or check your backup before you choose.

To restore, open the app’s Cloud Vault settings, sign in and sync the backup to your phone. The developer’s page doesn’t list the screens step by step, so follow the prompts in the current version of the app.

Option 3: An iPhone backup

Apple’s iCloud Backup includes app data for apps you’ve downloaded, unless the app keeps its data in iCloud Drive. The developer says that turning on iCloud device backup may store encrypted copies of vault files on Apple’s servers. It also says some users report problems with iCloud device backups, and that you should verify your files before removing them from the old phone.

The restore goes like this, per Apple:

1. If the iPhone is already set up, erase it first. You restore from the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen during setup.
2. Sign in to your Apple Account during setup, or connect the iPhone to a computer and open Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app (Windows).
3. Review the date and size of each backup. Pick one made before the photos were deleted.
4. Keep the iPhone on Wi-Fi and power until it finishes. Photos in iCloud Photos keep downloading afterwards.

The developer warns that a device restore can replace current data. Anything you added to the phone since that backup may go with it.

What about recovery software?

The pages that rank for this search are mostly sold by companies that make recovery software. We didn’t test any of it. The ones we read don’t show any test of Private Photo Vault, and one of them says plainly that recovery isn’t guaranteed. The app’s maker says it cannot restore deleted files without a usable backup. If you try a tool anyway, don’t use it on the only copy of anything you still have.

If none of this works

Email support@privatephotovault.com, the address on the developer’s support page. Say what you deleted and when, whether Cloud Vault was ever on, and whether you have an iPhone backup. If the photos were stored only on the phone with no finished backup of any kind, the FAQ’s answer is that the developer cannot restore them.

Next time: a safer order

The app’s tutorials and FAQ point to a habit that prevents most of this. Import, open the vault and check that your photos are there, and let a backup finish. Only then remove the originals from Photos and from Recently Deleted. Once both are empty, the vault holds the only copy.

One option for the future

Stillmoat is a photo vault app with its own PIN. Its rule is that you never pay to see your own photos. It can’t recover photos from another app. If you stay with Private Photo Vault, the steps above are the ones that apply.

Related: Can the Hidden album have its own passcode?