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Missing files in iPad's Files App

I can't access my recently opened files after I updated my iPad to ios 17.1. Those files appear in my "Recents" but can't be opened. I haven't deleted them too. How to fix this bug? I have my notes there and does not have other copy.

Posted on Sep 26, 2023 2:51 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 19, 2024 5:23 AM

WHAT IS GOING ON, READ ALL THE COMMENTS AND NO ONE HAS FOUND A WAY AROUND THIS CLEARLY UNFORTUNATE APP ERROR? ARE WE SUPPOSED TO JUST CALMLY ACCEPT OUR FILES ARE GONE FOREVER? MY FILES SHOW WHEN I GO TO RECENT BUT THEY'RE UNCLICKABLE SO ARE THEY HANGING IN THERE OR SOMETHING? SOMEBODY ACTUALLY HELP FIX THIS!!!

82 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 19, 2024 5:23 AM in response to _gemeaux

WHAT IS GOING ON, READ ALL THE COMMENTS AND NO ONE HAS FOUND A WAY AROUND THIS CLEARLY UNFORTUNATE APP ERROR? ARE WE SUPPOSED TO JUST CALMLY ACCEPT OUR FILES ARE GONE FOREVER? MY FILES SHOW WHEN I GO TO RECENT BUT THEY'RE UNCLICKABLE SO ARE THEY HANGING IN THERE OR SOMETHING? SOMEBODY ACTUALLY HELP FIX THIS!!!

Sep 26, 2023 3:08 AM in response to LotusPilot

hi! yes I did locate where I had put those files, but for some reason it wasn't there, and the only way to locate those files is from recents only. the last time I accessed those file was yesterday only, and I tried opening today, it won't open already and was vanished from its original location. i tried to move it from recents back to its original folder but it will say "... cannot be moved because it either doesn't exist or the folder it is being moved to doesn't exist."

Jan 11, 2024 8:05 AM in response to _gemeaux

Im struggling with the same issue ever since updating to iOS 17, went to the I Store for technical assistance, unfortunately they said they’ve encountered the same issues with multiple devices even belonging to our police services with files missing of ongoing cases.

I have a number pdf files for business purposes with handwritten notes on them and now Im not able to access them.

To think that a company like Apple has not addressed these serious issues since when they were first reported, This thread began in September 2023, (3 Months ago). Is truly shocking and disappointing. I’ve been an Apple fan for over 15 years and today I’ve realised that perhaps it’s time to consider alternative options.

Oct 5, 2023 1:57 PM in response to _gemeaux

Same thing happened to me. My pdf files disappeared from the files app and were not even in the deleted folder or anywhere else. They showed up in recents but I was unable to open it. Then they disappeared from recents also. I have tried erasing iPad and also recovering software by connecting it to Mac but still the same issue keeps happening again. I am not even able to erase the edits in pdfs, they just fade a little on erasing the edits with eraser.

Jan 11, 2024 9:49 AM in response to _gemeaux

I have been in contact with Apple Support since last week, and today they told me that there is nothing I can do (or they can do) but wait for the next update. It is just so disappointing. I have an important exam coming and I lost all my pdf files that I took handwritten notes on, over 5 months! Now I just need to do it all over again, which is time consuming and really demotivating.

Jan 24, 2024 10:11 AM in response to _gemeaux

OK I found solution how to restore files:


We logged to icloud.com site and navigated to icloud drive and data recovery. The files were listed in restore files and available for recovery (only for 30 days).


We are sure we did not delete those files, its clearly IOS error (probably sync errors) as files were not even in deleted files in the ipad.



Feb 27, 2024 11:23 PM in response to _gemeaux

similar thing happened to me as well. I lost 50-60 important documents all of a sudden. I wanted to keep my documents safe so I did not save it to icloud . Documents are visible under “on my ipad” but I cannot access them. I have a really important exam coming up. My biggest mistake was blindly trusting apple with my documents but now I don’t trust it anymore. Absurd and ridiculous.

Jan 30, 2024 8:43 PM in response to _gemeaux

Called Apple support today to speak with their "specialist" and they just told me to make sure to back it up in icloud. I asked her, what if I don't have an internet connection? Do I just let my files disappear? Then she hung up on me lol. Apple's awful service is unreal. At least, with android devices, you can actually find out what's going on instead of just praying that the next update fixes it.

Jan 17, 2024 6:59 AM in response to cinesca

Update: it happened again, on the 30th of December I modified some files with the Apple Pencil, checked again on the 3rd of January and they were gone. Then I purposely edited another file and two days later it disappeared. Now I’m using a third party app to edit my files and I suggest everyone to do so until this bug is fixed.

Dec 11, 2023 7:33 AM in response to _gemeaux

I've had the same issue, I just opened the file app and I can't find my files, they were located in a folder in the local directory, they disappeared from the recent files and in the trash there's nothing (also I did not move the files in another directory). It's a month worth of notes so is there a way for apple to solve this or did apple just erased my work like nothing? I don't know if it's correlated but it happened after the latest update (17.1.2)

Missing files in iPad's Files App

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