Accidents happen. All of us deleted or have lost some important data or, in this exact case, photos, because of a wrong click or tap/software malfunction/hardware meltdown. A couple of years ago that may have been a problem, but nowadays you can back up everything.
And when we say ‘back up’, we don’t mean copy to PC storage or burn to a disk. Every iPhone/iPad user can back up and automatically encrypt complete data to the iCloud online storage. And today we’ll explain how to access and retrieve accidentally deleted photos from iCloud.
How to recover deleted photos from iCloud
Let’s start simple. Take your time and try to remember have you had deleted photos in your Camera Roll when the recent backup was performed. If you’re positive, you can easily retrieve your photos. On the other hand, if you took photos after the latest backup, chances are, sadly, that you won’t be able to recover them.
Have in mind that restoring a backup from iCloud will erase all of your data, so back up your data timely to avoid additional loss. Namely, you can’t use iCloud to restore selective, individual files, but rather for restoring the whole backup. There are a few 3rd-party software solutions for accessing individual files, but we don’t advise you to use those due to security risks. So, to restore a backup from iCloud, follow these instructions:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap iCloud.
- Open Backup.
- Tap Backup Now.
Once you’ve backed up your data, move on to reset and restore.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Choose Reset.
- Tap Erase all content and settings.
- After the procedure is finished, make sure your battery is full and that you’re connected to stable Wi-Fi.
- From the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup and sign in to iCloud.
- Tap Choose backup.
- Select preferred backup. The one with the deleted photo is an obvious choice.
- Once the device is restored, you should be able to access the deleted photo.
Now, to reduce the risk of losing sensitive data again, you may use iTunes for the backup, as well. Having an alternative always comes in handy. True, you still won’t be able to restore individual files, but, next time, you’ll spend much less time retrieving the data.
- Download the iTunes client.
- Connect your device to a PC/Mac.
- If you are prompted with the security check, insert the passcode.
- Highlight your device and click Backup Now. Have in mind that you can either use encryption or not. If you decide to encrypt your files, you’ll need to create a password. Make sure you remember it (or write it down) since you won’t be able to access the backup without it.
- After the process is finished, make sure that the backup was a success in iTunes Preferences > Devices >Your device.
That should wrap it up. We hope you’ve managed to restore your lost memorabilia. In case you have any questions or suggestions, make sure to tell us in the comments below.
