Restore deleted photos on iPhone after iCloud backup erased them

I used to have photos in the iPhone and backed up to iCloud. I didn't have enough iCloud storage so I was downloading photos from the iCloud account to my PC then deleting from the iCloud to make storage space available for more iPhone pictures to be uploaded. At some point, I noticed no more photos were in the iPhone, just a few (same from the iCloud). Is it possible that when I erased from iCloud, an automatic backup ran and replaced photos in the iPhone, deleting whatever was there? If so, is there a way to restore them? Found some options on internet that don't seem safe (Photos+, iRecovery - all showing to download from sites like Taptweak.com, appgeeker.com or Plugineasy.com).

thanks!

iPhone 13

Posted on Feb 25, 2026 7:43 AM

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 7

20,410 points

Posted on Feb 25, 2026 7:56 AM

If you delete from iCloud, then those same pictures will be deleted from every connected device. Cloud is a synchronization service, and its purpose is to allow you to access your Photos Library from any connected device, trusting that what you do there will be done everywhere. iCloud is not a backup service. The important part of a backup is that it doesn't change, but iCloud immediately copies every change. This is why, when you delete a picture at iCloud Photos, you see this:

You can see this:

If you're missing photos or videos in the Photos app

Basically the above says to look in Recently Deleted and in Hidden. Be sure to check your Library thoroughly-- the pictures may not be where you expect, as dates may have changed. And remember, you can sort the Library by date captured or by date added. Also, your Library view now has filters, and you may not have your filter set to "All Items.”

Unfortunately, if you don't keep your own backups to an external drive, then there really isn't any place else to look.

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Restore deleted photos on iPhone after iCloud backup erased them

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