How to Revert an Edited Photo to Original

Don't like your image edits? Use this simple tip to restore the original photo.

By Rheanne Taylor Updated 01/13/2022

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Need to revert a photo to its original state? If you find you've accidentally over-edited an otherwise great image in the Photos app and then saved it—no worries! This tip will allow you to restore the original photo like the changes never even happened. Here’s how to revert an image back to its original form.

Related: 6 Easy Ways to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC or Mac

How To Revert Edited Photo to Original

Regardless of what photo edits you've made and saved, such as cropping or adding filters, you can always revert the photo to its original version. To learn more about editing images in the Photos app and what to do with them after (like how to add multiple pictures to your Instagram story), check out our Tip of the Day newsletter. The steps below show you how to restore edited photos to the original version after you've initially (or accidentally) saved your photo edits. 

  1. Open the Photos app.


     
  2. Locate the photo you want to return to its original state.


     
  3. Tap Edit at the top right corner of the image you want to revert.


     
  4. Tap Revert.


     
  5. Tap Revert to Original and your image will be restored to the unedited version.

While you cannot undo changes once you revert back to the original photo, you can always re-edit the photo if you change your mind. 

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Topics

How-To
iPad
iPhone
Apps
Apple Apps
Photos
Photo & Video

Author Details

Rheanne Taylor's picture

Author Details

Rheanne Taylor

Rheanne Taylor is the Video Production Manager of iPhone Life. Before discovering her love for video production, Rheanne was the Managing Editor. In her 6+ years at the company, Rheanne has helped produce 19 issues of iPhone Life magazine, edited countless podcasts, and produced over 1,000 educational videos showing people how to get the most out of their Apple devices. She continues to be a regular contributor to iPhone Life magazine, using her 10+ years of photography experience to create content primarily covering photography tips and photography gear. Rheanne is a passionate photographer both in and outside of work and loves to remind people that they don't need a fancy camera in order to capture beautiful shots—her most recent photography show featured work mainly shot on an iPhone!

Rheanne holds a bachelor's degree in Literature & Writing from Maharishi International University. When she isn't overseeing video content, she loves drinking tea, holding up traffic by taking entirely too many photos of bugs, and hanging out with her Instagram famous cat Wesley (IG: wesley_the_pirate_cat).