Recovering Recently Deleted iCloud Documents

Question

Level 1

7 points

Recovering Recently Deleted iCloud Documents

Hi all,

After speaking with a number of advisors and senior advisors at Apple, I'm desperate for some clarity and help in resolving an issue my girlfriend is having.

She uses an iPhone and a MacBook Pro and has iCloud, iDrive and Desktop and Documents sharing all enabled. She was under the false impression that this setting was an additional backup of the data on her desktop/documents, not just the same file synced in multiple locations. Another unfortunate fact is that she did not have Time Machine backups set up.

Two days ago, she followed these steps on her iPhone to clear out her iCloud storage space wrongly thinking her files were safe:

Apple ID -> iCloud -> iCloud Drive -> Manage Storage -> Delete from iCloud

This unfortunately deleted all of the files in a folder on her desktop filled with her creative writing over a span of many years.

We first checked the "Recently Deleted" section of her iCloud/iDrive storage, only to find nothing there. We also checked the trash bin on her MacBook and then tried to recover the files via Data Recovery on iCloud.com to no avail.

I've done a ton of research and found many people with similar situations who were able to have their files successfully recovered by a Senior Advisor at Apple without the use of Time Machine backups, even when they were nowhere to be found and seemingly permanently deleted.

After contacting Apple support and talking with 4+ junior advisors and 2 senior advisors, I've been assured Time Machine would've been the only way, but I find it really hard to believe.

If the files were on iCloud, shouldn't they have gone to the "Recently Deleted" section and be eligible for restoration? Alternatively, if they were also on the hard drive of her MacBook, shouldn't they have gone into the trash? I just can't believe these files vanished with one button that has no indication of permanent deletion and are irrecoverable.

Am I just at the end of the road as far as getting these files back is concerned? Or is it worth trying to contact Apple support again and speaking with a more senior member to get this resolved? Surely these files are not permanently deleted.

I should also mention she never emptied the trash on her Mac or permanently deleted any files from the "Recently Deleted" area of iCloud.

I'm at a loss and hoping for some clarity and information. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro (2021)

Posted on Jan 10, 2024 7:35 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

muguy

Level 10

94,316 points

Jan 10, 2024 7:46 PM in response to LostCaravan

Correct, she deleted the files permanently when she elected: Apple ID -> iCloud -> iCloud Drive -> Manage Storage -> Delete from iCloud. Managing storage in that way deletes all content permanently. There is no "second stage" as there would be in "normal use." In other words, if she had simply deleted an individual file (or multiple files) from iCloud Drive in finder or online, then it would be in the Recently Deleted folder/trash on the Mac and could be recovered unless emptied.

iCloud is a synchronization service, not a backup. Files are backed up using Time Machine (or something similar) from the Mac or by exporting and storing files somewhere offline. Generally the 3-2-1 rule is best. Three copies of your data, made 2 ways, with 1 copy kept offsite.

Reply

Answer 2

smwebb21

Level 1

9 points

Jan 12, 2024 12:32 AM in response to LostCaravan

Yes it happened through my iPhone. I was trying to manage my full iPhone iCloud storage and had decided that I did not need to synch my documents to my iPhone so I switched off documents availability through iCloud. This was OK until I decided that there was a couple of documents that I still wanted access to on my iPhone so I switched synching back on temporarily (or so I thought). I then went back to my Mac and realised that all my documents had gone. I had also thought that these documents were all downloaded and freely available on my Mac. I also thought that they should have appeared in trash but not so.

Note that somewhere in Mac links there is a statement that you have 28 days to restore accidentally deleted files so I hung on this one. .

I was still on the chat session with this person who had already reinforced 3 times that it was impossible. I was in shock and did suggest that there must be some method of fixing it. Eventually he asked if I wanted some one to call me. I said yes and it went from there - a call to me within a few minutes around 9pm: the worked on for some time late last night. Try asking for Isabelle in the Philippines. I could also give you my case ID if this would help.

She also had one extra tip which she walked me through to ensure that all documents are saved only to my Mac.

Make a folder in desktop and put all your files there safely away from iCloud.

Reply

Answer 3

smwebb21

Level 1

9 points

Jan 11, 2024 9:08 PM in response to LostCaravan

I have just had exactly the same thing happen to me. Several chats later from Apple Support and I was seriously upset, having lost my entire documents folder. The last person on chat assured me that I could do nothing but finally asked did I want someone to call me. Well, it worked - a call within a couple of minutes. I spent a long time with someone called Isabelle in the Philippines who was able to resurrect all my missing files via iCloud Drive. I had already tried icloud drive but somehow she did a better job than me penetrating it and hey presto, it worked. In the end it was easier for her to be admitted to my computer to work on it in conjunction with me.

This only happened to me last night.

All this was through Apple support.

Reply

Answer 4

LostCaravan Author

Level 1

7 points

Jan 10, 2024 9:02 PM in response to muguy

Thanks for the quick reply, Muguy.

She definitely made a mistake and didn't understand the service. I still find it quite shocking that there wasn't any mention of permanent deletion anywhere around this button.

Is there a chance they're able to be recovered from Apple's end given how recent it was? I've heard from many people who deleted files, then went into "Recently Deleted" and manually permanently deleted them and they were still recovered. Doesn't seem like much of a difference between that and what she did.

Reply

Answer 5

LostCaravan Author

Level 1

7 points

Jan 11, 2024 9:16 PM in response to smwebb21

Wow this is very interesting to hear. Thank you for the reply! Do you remember how you deleted the files originally? Was it through these steps on an iPhone or something similar?

Apple ID -> iCloud -> iCloud Drive -> Manage Storage -> Delete from iCloud

If so, did you say or do anything special while talking with support that prompted them to be able to help you in this way? Every single advisor I've spoken to said it's impossible, and I'm just not sure how to get past that point. It always ends with Time Machine would've been the only way.

Reply

Answer 6

Apr 11, 2024 1:29 AM in response to smwebb21

Hi! Not the OP but struggling with a similar issue. Struggling with multiple Apple support advisors rn, could I have your case ID please?

my situation is My iCloud drive had been full for a few weeks, but it didn’t bother me too much so I didn’t do anything about it. I noticed that on my MacBook, a lot of folders had a dashed cloud icon next to them for a while, saying that they were waiting to upload to iCloud. I assumed this was due to my full iCloud Drive, but I had the Optimize Mac Storage feature toggled off, so I thought it was fine since I was okay with just a local copy of my documents on my MacBook. I used my MacBook on March 28 as normal. Then when I turned on my MacBook on March 30, all of the files on my Desktop and Documents were missing, but the folders/pathways in my documents folder remained intact. On April1, I turned on my iPad which is connected to my iCloud account and had been turned off since March 26 without connecting to the internet, and I could still see all of my missing files when I navigated my iCloud drive with the Files app, but I couldn’t download any of them because I wasn’t connected to the internet. Once I reconnected to the internet the iCloud Drive synched and the files disappeared. However I am pretty sure I didn’t delete them with the Delete iCloud Drive data but I am desperate at this point

Reply