Recently Deleted Photos Folder Missing

Pictures you delete from the library go to "Recently Deleted" for 30 days to give you a chance to change our mind.

The "Recently Deleted" folder only appears when necessary. If you haven't deleted any pictures in the last 30 days, then the folder won't be there.

The "Recently Deleted" view only appears when there are pictures that have been deleted recently. Pictures stay in "Recently Deleted" for 30 days, unless you delete them from there earlier. If you delete the the images in the Recently Deleted view, then they are gone, and the folder disappears until the next picture is deleted.

Try the following in order as needed:

1 - As a test launch Photos with the Option key held down and create a new, test library.  Import some photos and test to see if the same problem persists. Then open your current library and test to see if the problem persists.

2 - boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

Are you perhaps running low on iCloud Storage? If you have used up all cloud storage, the deleted photos will not be saved in recently Deleted, but instantly deleted permanently to help you free your iCloud storage. In that case you have to solve the iCloud storage problem first to get iCloud working again properly.

My folder is also missing - I placed my photos in a folder and try to delete them from the recent photos. They ended up being deleted in both places and I can’t find a folder called recently deleted anywhere. Definitely not under utilities. Under utilities I only see imported photos.

My recently deleted folder is missing too. I just had Google photos back up my photos and delete them. It says to go to the recently deleted folder and empty it, but it doesn’t exist.

You deleted what, exactly? You were in an album and you clicked on a picture and hit the Delete key? or you hit Command Delete? or you went in to Recently Deleted and clicked on a picture and hit the Delete key?

Can you be explicit in what you did?