iCloud hidden folder content gone...

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iCloud hidden folder content gone...

I have updated my iphone to the ios 26.2.1 and I have a visible hidden folder however all the content has been deleted. I went to recently deleted and the folder had 4,000 items I had not deleted myself. Restored all of them and none of them were from my hidden folder. Restarted my phone-Synced with icloud photos and they are still all missing. Any feedback on what is going on and how I can get these back. I cannot find the option to backup from icloud prior to the update. Please let me know if anyone has gotten any help with this.

iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Feb 17, 2026 12:36 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 18, 2026 8:46 AM in response to Flizbang92

Flizbang92 wrote: … I cannot find the option to backup from icloud prior to the update.

I haven't had stuff in my Hidden folder disappear--well, except the way it's supposed to. I wonder what happened.

If you don't use iCloud Photos, but you have Settings>Apple ID>iCloud Backup turned on, then you may be able to recover picture data. You should look here:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

“Restore” is what you do when you buy a new phone, so this safety, if you have it set, requires you to erase everything on your phone and replace it with the backup.

But it sounds like you do use iCloud Photos, so the iCloud Backup won't have Photos' pictures-- that would be doubling up the data.

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