HT203512: iCloud: Account troubleshooting

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BertNodules

Q: My wife bought an iPad Air and synced contact from our PC (Outlook), now all our contacts in Outlook have gone and we have to go to iCloud to get them, and even then they are a bit jumbled. How do I get my data back onto my PC?

My wife bought an iPad Air and synced contact from our PC (Outlook), now all our contacts in Outlook have gone and we have to go to iCloud to get them, and even then they are a bit jumbled. How do I get my data back onto my PC?

iPad Air Wi-Fi, PC. Windows 7 64 bit

Posted on Apr 8, 2014 6:52 AM

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Q: My wife bought an iPad Air and synced contact from our PC (Outlook), now all our contacts in Outlook have gone and we have to go t ... more

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  • by fromsouth,

    fromsouth fromsouth Apr 8, 2014 7:05 AM in response to BertNodules
    Level 5 (4,816 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 8, 2014 7:05 AM in response to BertNodules

    You perhaps want to install icloud control panel on your Windows and that will start syncing your Outlook with icloud and ipad without even connecting those. You can get the latest control panel here.

    http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1455

     

    Before download - read what it does.

  • by BertNodules,

    BertNodules BertNodules Apr 8, 2014 11:00 AM in response to fromsouth
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 11:00 AM in response to fromsouth

    I already have iCloud Control Panel to try to cure this total disaster but have just read on the troubleshooting pages that iCloud will grab all contacts in Outlook and then clear them off of Outlook by moving them into Deleted Items folder. This should have come up as a huge warning before it was allowed to happen. I have tried to reinstall them to Outlook but it does not seem to want to work at the moment.

    I do not want to use iCloud for my contacts, how do I get control back. If I close iCloud on my PC and on my wifes iPad and get rid of it I suspect all my contacts will be lost.  

  • by fromsouth,

    fromsouth fromsouth Apr 8, 2014 11:27 AM in response to BertNodules
    Level 5 (4,816 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 8, 2014 11:27 AM in response to BertNodules

    BertNodules wrote:

     

    I already have iCloud Control Panel to try to cure this total disaster but have just read on the troubleshooting pages that iCloud will grab all contacts in Outlook and then clear them off of Outlook by moving them into Deleted Items folder.

    Can you provide me with source of that info so we can figure out what you have done to yourself? And hopefully undo....

  • by randers4,

    randers4 randers4 Apr 8, 2014 11:54 AM in response to fromsouth
    Level 9 (62,874 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 11:54 AM in response to fromsouth

    FYI, this is normal, and is documented under the Microsoft Outlook section of this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3998 (read under Note at the bottom).  It's just iCloud moving the contacts to the iCloud server and deleting the local copy.  If the OP wants to keep a copy locally he/she can select them from the iCloud account, then control drag and drop them to the local My Contacts account within Outlook.  The same can be done with calendars by selecting the iCloud calendar within Outlook, switching to list view, selecting all the events, the contol dragging and droping them to the local My Calendars calendar.

  • by fromsouth,

    fromsouth fromsouth Apr 8, 2014 12:13 PM in response to randers4
    Level 5 (4,816 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 8, 2014 12:13 PM in response to randers4

    Rander's I as always thank you for help. I do understand and am familiar with article, but deleting local copy is not meant to create situation where Bert would not see that information in outlook. Yes it will show up under icloud contacts, but will be just as visible as before. And if signed out he will see it back stored locally. To me it was obvious that somewhere there was step that OP would point me to that created disappearance of contacts. Now I am actually happy that you have interfered, so I can leave it in your more then capable hands, cause I just had lunch and feel sleepy, and I am completely confident that you are way way better then me to get Bert out of that mess if that is possible.

  • by randers4,

    randers4 randers4 Apr 8, 2014 12:18 PM in response to fromsouth
    Level 9 (62,874 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 12:18 PM in response to fromsouth

    I agree that it should not prevent the OP from still seeing the contacts in Outlook.  I'll see what I can do to help.

  • by randers4,

    randers4 randers4 Apr 8, 2014 12:22 PM in response to BertNodules
    Level 9 (62,874 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 12:22 PM in response to BertNodules

    BertNodules wrote:

     

    My wife bought an iPad Air and synced contact from our PC (Outlook), now all our contacts in Outlook have gone and we have to go to iCloud to get them, and even then they are a bit jumbled. How do I get my data back onto my PC?

     

    Are you saying you cannot see your iCloud contacts within Outlook on your PC, even though they appear on icloud.com?

     

    If so, are you sure you are selecting the contacts listed under "iCloud" and not the contacts listed under "My Contacts" on the left sidebar of Outlook?

  • by BertNodules,

    BertNodules BertNodules Apr 8, 2014 2:35 PM in response to randers4
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 2:35 PM in response to randers4

    Yes, I can see the rather mixed up Contacts in iCloud which will take me a long time to sort out item by item but I don't want them on iCloud I want them on my Windows PC as the main storage vehicle as I've had them for decades.

    If Apple demand then in iCloud for my wife's iPad then that is fine as long as it is subordinate to the main PC, and why remove the data from Outlook on the PC at all, and without a huge warning first.

  • by randers4,

    randers4 randers4 Apr 8, 2014 2:49 PM in response to BertNodules
    Level 9 (62,874 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 2:49 PM in response to BertNodules

    If you can see the iCloud contacts in Outlook, you can copy them back to your PC by selecting all the contacts (click one, then press Control-A), then drag and drop the selected contacts to Contacts under My Contacts on the left sidebar of Outlook.

     

    If you want to copy your calendar back to Outlook, select your iCloud calendar on the left sidebar of Outlook, switch to the list view (select View from the ribbon, then click Change View>List), select your events (click on a single event, then press Control-A), then control drag and drop them to Calendar under My Calendars on the left sidebar.

     

    Then you can sign out of iCloud on the iCloud control panel and your local copies will still be there.  If you want to add your iCloud email account back to iCloud, you can do this with these settings: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4864.

  • by BertNodules,

    BertNodules BertNodules Apr 8, 2014 2:59 PM in response to randers4
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2014 2:59 PM in response to randers4

    What I have done on Outlook on my PC ...

    go to iCloud contacts then

    go to Edit

    then Select all

    then Move to Folder

    then Personal Folders then Contacts

     

    This has given my my Contacts back on my PC but the addresses are jumbled with bits missing and it will need a lot of work on my part to sort out and get correct again.

    Guess what I think about Apple and the iPad? I've had no such problems with my Windows 8.1 tablet.