How to Recover a Cropped Photo

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

Have you accidentally incorrectly cropped an image, saved, and want to get back the original photo? With many apps and programs, like Google Photos, any edited versions are saved as different files than the original files, so you should never run into this problem.^{[1]
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Research source} However, there are some applications like Preview on Mac and Photos for iPhone and iPad that let you rollback edits. This wikiHow will teach you how to revert photos you've cropped back to their original versions on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Photos App on iPhone and iPad

1
Open Photos
. You'll see this app icon on one of your Home screens.
- You can only use this method using the default Photos app on iPhone and iPad. You can revert any edits you've made to a photo even after you've saved it and closed the app.
2
Tap the edited photo you want to reset. If you can't find your photo in the timeline, you can tap the "Albums" tab at the bottom of the screen.

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3
Tap Edit. You'll see this in the top right corner of your screen.
4
Tap Revert. You'll see this in the lower right corner of your screen, and then some more options will slide up from the bottom of your screen.
5
Tap Revert to Original. All your edits will be removed and you'll be left with the original photo.^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Preview on Mac

1
Click File. You'll see this in the horizontal menu that runs along the top of your screen.
- You'll need to have the edited image open in Preview to do this. If you didn't edit the image in Preview, you cannot use this method.
2
Hover your cursor over Revert To. A menu will pop out to the right.
3
Click Browse All Versions. A few windows will open with different versions of the photo.
- Click the arrows to cycle through the versions.
4
Click Restore. When you find the original photo, you can click the restore button that you'll see below the thumbnail.^{[3]
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