How to get your old photos back from icloud

Reading Time: 10 minutes read

For many people, photos are the most important files stored on theiriPhones. Losing them would be catastrophic. The good news is that even if some (or all) of your iCloud photos are deleted, there are a few ways to recover them.  The recovery methods vary slightly depending on which device you’re using, so if you’re looking to learn how to retrieve deleted photos then keep on reading!

How to Recover Deleted Photos from the Cloud, iPhone or Mac

To recover iCloud deleted photos, open Safari and connect tothe iCloud website. Log in with your Apple ID and make sure the account is associated with the iCloud Drive that hosts the files to restore. 

• Once signed in, click the “Settings” button.
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen, below the “Advanced” section. Click “Restore Files.”
• The file restoration window will appear. If there have been many files deleted in iCloud within the last 30 days, the site may need time to load and list them. Once a list of deleted files appears, you’ll be able to see their previous location in iCloud Drive. You will also see file sizes and the time remaining until they expire.
• To restore a file, click the checkbox next to it and click “Restore.” Select multiple files, if needed.
• When completed, iCloud will display a message confirming that the file was successfully restored.

Thankfully, photos aren’t gone forever when they’re initially deleted from an iPhone. It is possible to also recover deleted photos right from the iPhone Photos app and thanks to our blog you’ll find out how to get back deleted photos in no time.

Where do deleted photos go?

“Recently Deleted” folder/album is the “trash can” for the Photos app. When the iPhone trash can is tapped, deleted iPhone photos are first stored in that location. They are saved for 30 days before permanent deletion.

Check your Recently Deleted folder on iPhone or iPad

Photos can be immediately recovered while still located in the Recently Deleted album on an iPhone. Here’s how to recover deleted photos from the iPhone camera roll through the Photos app:

• If you realize your mistake within 30 days, your deleted photos will be held temporarily in your Recently Deleted album. Restoring them from here is simple.
• Scroll down to the “Recently Deleted” album (listed under “Utilities”).
• Select “Recently Deleted.”
• Choose “Select” from the top right of the screen.
• Tap on the images you’d like to restore. You can also tap “Recover All” to mark everything in the folder. A pop-up appears to confirm the action. 
• Tap “Recover” on the bottom right of the screen.
• Select “Recover Photo.”

Once recovered, the photos return to the Photos library folders where they lived before deletion.

How to recover deleted photos from iCloud with Backup Recovery

An iCloud backup comes to the rescue if data is permanently lost, deleted, or if an iPhone is damaged or broken. The disadvantage of this is that all deleted files will need to be reinstalled from the recovered backup on iCloud Drive. This includes not only the photos but all apps, data, text messages, etc. It may be worth a try, however. Here’s what to do if you want to learn how to restore photos from iCloud:

• Back up the phone to iCloud. If something goes wrong during the backup or you don’t like the older backup’s content and don’t mind giving up the photos, you can return to the current configuration. 
• After the backup is complete, perform a factory reset. Then restore the phone from a backup that’s old enough to include the lost or deleted photos.
• When the restore is complete, check the Photos app to see if the deleted photos have been recovered. If not, repeat the process and restore an older backup.
• If the older backup has the photos, but you don’t like the rest of the older version, email the images to yourself or upload them onto an external cloud service, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. Then, return the phone to its later version.

Recover deleted photos from iTunes backup

If you sync your iPhone with iTunes now and then, you’ll be able to restore your iPhone to a previous backup. This means you might be able to save your photos, even if you deleted them over 30 days ago.

It’s worth noting, however, that restoring your iPhone to a previous version will remove anything that’s been added in the time since your last backup – including contacts, images and mail. Simply put: your phone will be reverted to the version of your last backup, so before going ahead with this method, it’s worth weighing up if recovering your images is worth it for you.

1. In iTunes, Click View and then Show Sidebar.

How to recover deleted photos from iCloud with Backup Recovery

An iCloud backup comes to the rescue if data is permanently lost, deleted, or if an iPhone is damaged or broken. The disadvantage of this is that all deleted files will need to be reinstalled from the recovered backup on iCloud Drive. This includes not only the photos but all apps, data, text messages, etc. It may be worth a try, however. Here’s what to do if you want to learn how to restore photos from iCloud:

• Back up the phone to iCloud. If something goes wrong during the backup or you don’t like the older backup’s content and don’t mind giving up the photos, you can return to the current configuration. 
• After the backup is complete, perform a factory reset. Then restore the phone from a backup that’s old enough to include the lost or deleted photos.
• When the restore is complete, check the Photos app to see if the deleted photos have been recovered. If not, repeat the process and restore an older backup.
• If the older backup has the photos, but you don’t like the rest of the older version, email the images to yourself or upload them onto an external cloud service, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. Then, return the phone to its later version.

Recover deleted photos from iTunes backup

If you sync your iPhone with iTunes now and then, you’ll be able to restore your iPhone to a previous backup. This means you might be able to save your photos, even if you deleted them over 30 days ago.

It’s worth noting, however, that restoring your iPhone to a previous version will remove anything that’s been added in the time since your last backup – including contacts, images and mail. Simply put: your phone will be reverted to the version of your last backup, so before going ahead with this method, it’s worth weighing up if recovering your images is worth it for you.

1. In iTunes, Click View and then Show Sidebar.

2. Right-click on your device and select Restore from Backup…

3. Choose your latest backup and proceed. Your iPhone will now be restored to this last backup.

Please note that all of your other files on the device will be restored to that specific version of the backup, including contacts and mail.

How to recover Mac photos that aren’t in the trash

If it’s been more than 30 days and your images aren’t in your Trash folder, you can try Apple’s Time Machine software instead. This method helps you to retrieve lost photos by restoring your Mac to a previous version when the photos hadn’t been deleted.

1. Open Time Machine by clicking Command + Space and searching for Time Machine. Hit Enter.

2. Select a date when you know you still had the photos on your device.

3. In the Finder, go to your Home drive.

4. Click on Pictures.

5. Find the file named Photos Library.

6. From here, you can Recover the entire Photo Library, but note this will overwrite your current library, so you may lose your most recent images.

7. Alternatively, copy the images you need from the Photo Library.

8. Paste these images back into your current Photo Library.

When photos are easy to find, whether on an iPhone, Mac or through iCloud, it’s easy to access your photos. Secure images mean you don’t have to worry about losing birthday party or once-in-a-lifetime family getaway memories – they’ll always be on hand, however, and whenever you want. For even greater security and accessibility of your most precious photos, create a printed photo book – check out our selection of different styles here at Motif

3. Choose your latest backup and proceed. Your iPhone will now be restored to this last backup.

Please note that all of your other files on the device will be restored to that specific version of the backup, including contacts and mail.

How to recover Mac photos that aren’t in the trash

If it’s been more than 30 days and your images aren’t in your Trash folder, you can try Apple’s Time Machine software instead. This method helps you to retrieve lost photos by restoring your Mac to a previous version when the photos hadn’t been deleted.

1. Open Time Machine by clicking Command + Space and searching for Time Machine. Hit Enter.

2. Select a date when you know you still had the photos on your device.

3. In the Finder, go to your Home drive.

4. Click on Pictures.

5. Find the file named Photos Library.

6. From here, you can Recover the entire Photo Library, but note this will overwrite your current library, so you may lose your most recent images.

7. Alternatively, copy the images you need from the Photo Library.

8. Paste these images back into your current Photo Library.

When photos are easy to find, whether on an iPhone, Mac or through iCloud, it’s easy to access your photos. Secure images mean you don’t have to worry about losing birthday party or once-in-a-lifetime family getaway memories – they’ll always be on hand, however, and whenever you want. For even greater security and accessibility of your most precious photos, create a printed photo book – check out our selection of different styles here at Motif

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A natural born storyteller based in NYC and the Catskills. Pairing stories with photos for safe keeping and telling.