User profile for user: MartinF103
MartinF103 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Photos missing from iCloud

Back in September 2022 ( 4 Sept to 10 Sept) while on a trip to BudapestI took quite a large number of photographs using my iPhone 8. I have just noticed that all the photographs are missing from my Photos on both my IOS Devices, My MacOS laptop and also the iCloud.com app. Photos from 30 Aug and 12 Sept are all present and correct.


Has anybody any idea why this might have happened, there is probable 30 to 40 photos involved.


Also, does anybody know if Apple might have some miraculous backup system where they may have ended up. Due to the time-lapse my own TimeMachine backup is missing them as it had to be rebuilt in January 2023.


More in hope than expectation I hope for help


Martin


In case it makes any difference I am running IOS 16.6


iPhone 8

Posted on Aug 22, 2023 11:06 AM

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User profile for user: Grace2211
Grace2211
User level: Community Specialist

Posted on Aug 23, 2023 12:33 PM

MartinF103,


Since you're certain that the photos were not deleted from any of your devices, you may also want to verify that they are not hidden as well:


"Unhide your photos

If you hide photos and videos, you'll see them only in your Hidden album, so it might seem like they're missing. But you can unhide your photos and videos whenever you want. With iOS 14 and later, you can hide the Hidden album so it doesn't appear anywhere in the Photos app. So if you're missing photos or videos, make sure the Hidden album is turned on so you can see it.

If you use iCloud Photos, the photos that you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.


On your iPhone or iPad

  1. In the Photos app, go to the Albums tab.
  2. Tap Hidden under Utilities.
  3. In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock your Hidden album.
  4. Select the photo or video that you want to unhide.
  5. Tap the More button , then tap Unhide.


The Hidden album in Photos on iPhone


On your Mac

  1. Open Photos and in the menu bar, click View, then select Show Hidden Photo Album.
  2. In the sidebar, select Hidden.
  3. In macOS Ventura or later, use Touch ID or your login password to unlock your Hidden album.
  4. Select the photo or video that you want to unhide.
  5. Control-click the photo, then choose Unhide Photo. You can also choose Image > Unhide Photo from the menu bar, or press Command-L."


More details here: If you're missing photos or videos in the Photos app


If the photos have not been hidden, we suggest that you reach out to Apple directly. They will be able to assist you further to determine why iCloud Photos is not working as expected. Click here to connect with them: Get Support


Best wishes!







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4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Grace2211
Grace2211
User level: Community Specialist

Aug 23, 2023 12:33 PM in response to MartinF103

MartinF103,


Since you're certain that the photos were not deleted from any of your devices, you may also want to verify that they are not hidden as well:


"Unhide your photos

If you hide photos and videos, you'll see them only in your Hidden album, so it might seem like they're missing. But you can unhide your photos and videos whenever you want. With iOS 14 and later, you can hide the Hidden album so it doesn't appear anywhere in the Photos app. So if you're missing photos or videos, make sure the Hidden album is turned on so you can see it.

If you use iCloud Photos, the photos that you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.


On your iPhone or iPad

  1. In the Photos app, go to the Albums tab.
  2. Tap Hidden under Utilities.
  3. In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock your Hidden album.
  4. Select the photo or video that you want to unhide.
  5. Tap the More button , then tap Unhide.


The Hidden album in Photos on iPhone


On your Mac

  1. Open Photos and in the menu bar, click View, then select Show Hidden Photo Album.
  2. In the sidebar, select Hidden.
  3. In macOS Ventura or later, use Touch ID or your login password to unlock your Hidden album.
  4. Select the photo or video that you want to unhide.
  5. Control-click the photo, then choose Unhide Photo. You can also choose Image > Unhide Photo from the menu bar, or press Command-L."


More details here: If you're missing photos or videos in the Photos app


If the photos have not been hidden, we suggest that you reach out to Apple directly. They will be able to assist you further to determine why iCloud Photos is not working as expected. Click here to connect with them: Get Support


Best wishes!







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User profile for user: srbwanderer
srbwanderer
User level: Community Specialist

Aug 23, 2023 10:38 AM in response to MartinF103

Hello MartinF103,


If your devices were set up to use iCloud Photos, then if the photos were deleted from one device, they are deleted from all devices.


You can check on your iPhone by tapping on Settings > [your name] > iCloud. If Photos is toggled on, then iCloud Photos is active.


If iCloud Photos is not toggled on, then the missing photos may be in a backup of the iPhone data.


You can find iOS backups by following these steps: Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


If you believe the data you are looking for is included in a backup, here is how to restore the backup back to the iPhone: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support


Keep in mind that restoring a backup does remove any data that has been added to the device since the date of that backup. 


Have a good day. 

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User profile for user: MartinF103
MartinF103 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Aug 23, 2023 12:19 PM in response to srbwanderer

srbwanderer!


Thanks for answering unfortunately it does not really help.

All photos are shared between my various apple devices all of the time successfully and my current library consists of approx 26,000 files uploaded to the cloud over as many years as iCloud has been in service. The problem is only with the approx 40-50 photographs during that one week early September Last year. As only I add or remove photographs from this cloud store I am pretty sure that they were not deleted . Unfortunately due to unknown reasons my Time Machine wasn't functioning during September last year, I think my MyCloud had a hiccup.


So it looks like I've lucked out and will have to make another trip to Budapest


Thanks for taking the time to answer


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Photos missing from iCloud

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