How to Recover Data from iCloud Backup?

iCloud is a backup utility that allows iPhone/iPad users to automatically sync their data on a cloud platform. However, there have been instances when users were not able to recover data from iCloud backup, like in the below cases:

Case 1: After the iOS 16 upgrade, Steve found many of his contacts and messages missing from his iPhone 14. He took to iCloud backup to recover lost data on his device. But, to his surprise, none of the lost messages or contacts were saved in the iCloud backup.

Case 2: Susan accidentally deleted her last year’s vacation pictures from her Camera Roll. She restored iCloud backup to recover those photos. Although she did find some of the vacation pictures on her iPhone, many photos and videos were missing.

This post shares how you can efficiently recover deleted or lost Photos, Videos, Camera Roll, Contacts, Call History, Messages, Notes, etc. from iCloud Backup.

The shared methods apply to all iPhones, including 15, 14, 13, and older models.

How to recover iPhone from iCloud backup?

You can recover deleted iPhone data from iCloud in three ways. These are –

• Restore deleted data from iCloud Backup via iPhone
• Recover deleted data from icloud.com via PC/ Mac
• Recover deleted data from iCloud Backup without losing existing data

Performing iCloud backup recovery is a simple way to recover lost or deleted data from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

iCloud data recovery is preferred in situations such as –

• Mistakenly deleted iPhone data
• Lost iPhone data after an iOS crash, iOS update, Factory Reset, Jailbreak attempts
• Broken/lost/stolen iPhone
• Water/liquid damaged iPhone
• Failed jailbreak attempts
• To recover data when iPhone is stuck in recovery mode or at the Apple logo screen, black screen, etc.
• To transfer old iPhone data to a new iPhone

Method 1: Recover deleted data from iCloud Backup using iPhone/iPad

To restore data from iCloud to a new iPhone/iPad, sign in to your iCloud account on your device during initial setup. Here are the steps –

• Turn on your new device. You will see the Hello screen.

Note – If you have already set up your device and want to restore iCloud data or set it up as a new device, you will first need to erase all of your device’s contents. Only then will you be able to follow the steps ahead.

• Follow the on-screen setup steps until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data Screen.
• Tap on From iCloud Backup.

• You will see a box with form fields. Enter your iCloud email ID and password to sign in.
• You will see a list of available backups. Choose a backup to begin the transfer process.

Note – Use a stable Wi-Fi connection as any interruptions can disrupt transfers and cause issues.

Method 2: Recover deleted data from iCloud.com via PC/ Mac

If you don’t have the iPhone or it’s lost or broken, you can recover your lost contacts, messages, photos, etc., from iCloud.com on your PC or Mac. Follow the below steps –

• Open iCloud.com in the browser on a computer.
• Sign in to your iCloud account.

• Click on the Quick Access button at the top-right corner.

• Click on the App from where you want to restore data.

iCloud.com also lets you recover the last 30 days’ deleted items from the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder in iCloud Drive on iCloud.com.

Steps to recover iPhone data from iCloud Drive in iCloud.com

• Open iCloud.com.
• Click iCloud Drive.

• Click Recently Deleted at the bottom-right corner.
• Select the file you want to restore, click Recover.

Method 3: Recover from iCloud Backup Using an iPhone Data Recovery Software

If you want to skip the hassle of going into iCloud and restoring deleted files via iCloud Backup, you can take the help of a powerful iCloud data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. The software helps you recover photos, videos, messages, contacts, voice memos, notes, etc., lost from iPhone/iPad without deleting the existing iPhone/iPad data.

Since iCloud recovery does not allow you to restore individual contacts, messages, photos, videos, etc., Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone remains a far more convenient option. It lets you recover specific files & folders in all iPhone/iPad data loss situations, including deletion, theft, damage, or iOS crash.

Steps to recover deleted data from iCloud Backup without losing existing iPhone data –

• Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your PC or Mac.

Note – You don’t necessarily need to connect your iOS device to recover the iCloud backup. Connect it only when you want to save the recovered data on your iPhone.

• On the main screen, select Recover from iCloud Backup.
• Select what you want to recover and click Next.
• Enter the Apple ID and password.
• The available backup files from iCloud are listed. Select the relevant backup of your iPhone and click Scan.
• After the scanning process ends, preview your data before recovery. If you don’t see the desired data in the list, click Deep Scan.
• Select the items that you want to recover and click Save. You can view iCloud backup and save the recovered data on your iPhone or computer.

Conclusion

iCloud backup is a great way to restore deleted or lost files on your iPhone, iPad, or iMac anytime and anywhere. However, there are some limitations to it. Users can’t restore selected data types directly on an iPhone/iPad. For this, you can use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. It is a powerful utility that helps restore iPhone Contacts and other files from iCloud backup. It ensures that your existing data remains on the device after restoring missing files from iCloud.

Hope the post was helpful. Don’t forget to share your comments in the box below.

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About The Author

Harsha Alamchandani

Harsha is a technical expert who loves Mondays, technology and is a big time Apple fan. She knows her way around the data loss problems and is always looking for ways to help out people.