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Samsung

Samsung: Turn On or Off the Gallery Recycle Bin

Deleted a photo or video by mistake and worried it is gone for good? On Samsung phones, the Gallery app can hold deleted files in a Trash folder before removing them permanently. If that safety net is switched off, one accidental swipe or tap on Delete removes the file immediately with no way back.

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Step 1 of 4: Tap on **Gallery**

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Tap on Gallery

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Android 11 · One UI 3
Turn On/Off Recycle Bin in Gallery – One UI 3: step 1 – Tap on Gallery
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Turn On/Off Recycle Bin in Gallery auf Samsung

Samsung Gallery includes a Trash folder that works like a safety buffer. When Trash is turned on, deleted photos and videos are not removed instantly. They sit in the Trash folder for 15 days, giving you time to recover anything deleted by mistake.

After 15 days, the files are erased automatically and cannot be restored. If Trash is turned off, deletions are permanent right away, which frees up storage faster but removes your recovery window.

How to enable or disable Gallery Trash

Open Gallery, then tap the Menu icon. Go to Settings and find the option to Enable or disable Trash. Switching it on activates the 15-day buffer for future deletions; switching it off makes deletions immediate from that point forward.

This setting only affects how future deletions behave. Files already deleted while Trash was off will not appear in the Trash folder later.

Turning Trash off can make sense if storage space is tight and you regularly clear out large numbers of photos or videos. Keeping it on is the safer default for most people, since it protects against accidental swipes or bulk-delete mistakes.

Frequently asked questions

Files sit in the Trash folder for 15 days after deletion. Once that period ends, they are removed automatically and cannot be recovered.

Compatible devices

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Android 11 · One UI 3

No compatible devices are listed for this version.