how to get a deleted video back

If a video was deleted more than 30 days ago and it is not in iCloud, recovery options are unfortunately very limited. Apple permanently removes items from the “Recently Deleted” folder after 30 days, and if the video was not backed up elsewhere, it is usually unrecoverable. That said, there are still a few last-chance options worth checking.

One possibility is restoring from an older backup. Even if the video is not visible in iCloud Photos, it may exist inside an iCloud or computer backup that was created before the video was deleted. You can check for iCloud backups by going to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Manage Storage → Backups, or by checking Finder (on newer macOS) or iTunes (on Windows or older macOS) for local backups. Keep in mind that restoring from a backup requires erasing your phone and will replace all current data with what existed at the time of that backup.

Another step is to check places where the video might still exist outside the Photos app. Look in the Hidden album, message threads where the video may have been sent, email attachments, or third-party apps such as WhatsApp, Google Photos, OneDrive, or Dropbox. If the video was ever shared or uploaded, there may still be a copy stored in one of those locations.

You should also check other devices that use the same Apple ID. An iPad, Mac, or older iPhone that had iCloud Photos turned off—or was offline at the time of deletion—may still have a local copy of the video. Be careful not to reconnect that device to iCloud before checking, as syncing could remove the file.

Data recovery software is another option people often consider, but success rates on modern iPhones are very low. Current iPhones use strong encryption, which usually prevents recovery of deleted files unless they exist in a backup. Many recovery tools simply scan backups rather than the phone itself, so paying for software without a confirmed backup is rarely worthwhile.

Finally, Apple Support can help you confirm whether any backups exist, but they cannot retrieve photos or videos once they are permanently deleted and no backup is available. This limitation is part of Apple’s privacy and security design.

In short, if the video was deleted more than 30 days ago, is not in iCloud Photos, and no backup from before the deletion exists, the video is permanently gone.

Unfortunately, if you don't keep your own backups to an external drive, then there really isn't any other place to look.