How to recover accidentally overwritten photo file on iCloud files drive?

celean: Was this file ever on a Macintosh computer even if it is in iCloud files? If so, you can use Time Machine to retrieve it, as with the prior version of any file. For example, for a photo, open it on your Mac with Preview from Finder, go to File from the menu at the top, pick Revert to..., and you will be able to find the previous versions.

If the file was never on a Mac, there is no way to recover prior versions.

LD150: I don't think this is useful, because there is no reason one ought not 1) store images of some sort or origin on your iCloud drive (as one might on their Macintosh) and 2) view them from the Files app on your phone. That the built-in image viewer in the Files app can accidentally edit and overwrite an image just by making the gestures to pan and zoom is a severe defect in the software that Apple must address. I assume celean here as any anyone else did not intend to edit the photo, the Files app merely decided to do so based on confusion about pan and zoom gestures, and there was no option other than "Done", no "Cancel", no nothing.

Apple: PLEASE FIX THIS.

Ok here is the real answer. It's a partial answer.

If you have iCloud on your Mac as well, Time Machine keeps copies of the old versions of files. I was able to recover the file there.

On the iPhone, it looks like you are out of luck. Contrary to how Photos works, Files overwrites your files without warning if you use it to view them and (accidentally) edit them.

[Edited by Moderator] 

LD150 wrote:

Standard tap to view viewer in Files app does not have an edit function but duplicate (before edit) and (easy) save to photos are available.

What app are you using to edit photos in Files app?

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/02b0aae5-1f10-4776-b85a-4571dac8d9cf

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/a4d61e3b-b65c-4e15-8b7a-06869cc1ab6b

Hey I appreciate you trying to help, but as far as I can tell you are completely incorrect. The standard tap-to-view viewer in Files will edit photos given certain gestures (which unfortunately can be trigged when trying to pinch to zoom and pan) without picking anything from a menu. I have never changed any App associated with Files or any other such association on my iPhone.

Also, regarding your prior comment, I didn't say I deleted a file. I said I overwrote a file.

I also said I had resolved this issue twice over. Firstly, I used Time Machine on my Mac to recover the overwritten file last year. Secondly, now, this year, when one(accidentally) edits an image with the image viewer in Files, it saves the modified files as a copy. Something changed about how it works since last December. It will still get into this mode where certain gestures trigger some edits to the file, but it doesn't overwrite your original file anymore, it saves a copy. There's no option but to click "Done" once it's happened though, which is still confusing.

muguy wrote:

iCloud drive works as intended. iCloud does not maintain a version history for files; it is a synchronization service, not a backup or offline storage.

No, iCloud is a cloud service. One of the things it includes is "Drive". Another is literally called "iCloud Backups".

Either the "Drive" was designed by monkeys or the app that views your photo when you touch/click on it in "Files" on your phone was designed by monkeys because it doesn't do any warning or confirmation that it is irrevocably going to overwrite your file.

I really cannot believe the people who will go to any length to say that everything is perfect in lala land when clearly it is not. I hope I never act like this on forums where people go for help and have legitimate concerns about defects or missing features.

If one app (Photos) preserves a version history when you click "Done" but another analogous app (whatever views your photo when you click on it in "Files") does NOT work the same way when you click done, at is at least an inconsistent interface which is automatically wrong.

LD150 wrote:

I share your frustration that no Apple iOS apps allow a "Save, or Revert changes" option when closing whether Pages, Numbers, Files, Notes, Calendar, Contacts...

and I have complained about it since my first iPhone 6

https://apple.com/feedback

Thanks for the acknowledgement.

What's worst here is that these edits to the photo can be trigged by gestures that are mistakenly invoked when trying to pan and zoom on the photo. And then there is nothing to do but click "done" after the change has already been made.

I really like Apple (mostly Mac and macOS) but some things like this are incredibly frustrating. The is no shortage of memory or storage space on an iPhone that it shouldn't have basic functionality.

LD150 wrote:

OK if all you have is an iphone then only a fool would edit a file in Files app without duplicating first.

Fix that practice before asking Apple (who are not here) to fix their design.

Photos app has built-in restore function

I thought we had already come to an understanding is this thread. The viewer in the Files app will edit pictures without the user intending to do so. Certain gestures cause an edit. One can simply be trying to pan and zoom and it will edit the image. Then, as far as I remember, there is only "Done" and no "Cancel". The last time this happened though the behavior had changed from when I created this thread and it saved the modified file to a "Copy" rather than overwriting the original.

I really thought we had come to an understanding. I feel like some of the regular commenters in this forum do not pay attention to the threads. It is unfortunate because this is often where people are left to come for help.