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User profile for user: Ceefre
Ceefre Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

ICloud deleted all my contacts and photos. How can I get it back?

All my contacts and photos from my iPhone and from my ICloud webpage are gone.

I have an ICloud backup from yesterday morning so i tried restoring, but my contacts disappeared again after a few seconds. It says that i have 1000 photos, but I can't see them. All the pictures are grey and when I click on one it just says "loading" and nothing happens.


I kept getting a message to enter my ICloud password, so i did and maybe that could be the reason, or maybe it's because I charged my phone on my new macbook and it somehow deleted it all.

I don't have an ITunes backup, but if I have an old ICloud backup, shouldn't it be possible to get it all back?

I hope someone can help. Thanks.


iPhone 5, iOS 8.1.2

Posted on Dec 21, 2014 5:06 AM

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User profile for user: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
User level: Level 10
122,487 points

Posted on Dec 21, 2014 5:19 AM

Welcome to the Apple Community.


Photos don't restore from back up, they restore after back up has completed, so it's quite normal to have to wait a while, especially if you don't have a reliable network.


To restore from a back up made through iTunes, follow these instructions.


To restore from a back up made through iCloud, try the following:

The difficulty in restoring iCloud data from a back up is that the back up is older than the current version on iCloud and anything that is restored gets removed again when an iCloud sync occurs.


  1. Ensure the device is connected to your local network.
  2. Start the restore from iCloud back up.
  3. Allow the devices settings to restore (watch for the confirmation of completion).
  4. As the apps begin to restore pull the connection to your router WAN port (the one that goes to the telephone point).
  5. Wait for the time out confirmation.
  6. Navigate to settings > iCloud and turn off contact syncing (keep contacts when prompted).
  7. Reconnect the router to the internet and let the restore process complete.
  8. Delete any iCloud contacts from iCloud.com on a computer.
  9. Navigate to settings > iCloud and turn on contact syncing (merge contacts when prompted).


May I suggest that you carry out a back up to iTunes before you try anything, that way should things become even worse, you can at least restore back to where you are now.

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User profile for user: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
User level: Level 10
122,487 points

Dec 21, 2014 5:19 AM in response to Ceefre

Welcome to the Apple Community.


Photos don't restore from back up, they restore after back up has completed, so it's quite normal to have to wait a while, especially if you don't have a reliable network.


To restore from a back up made through iTunes, follow these instructions.


To restore from a back up made through iCloud, try the following:

The difficulty in restoring iCloud data from a back up is that the back up is older than the current version on iCloud and anything that is restored gets removed again when an iCloud sync occurs.


  1. Ensure the device is connected to your local network.
  2. Start the restore from iCloud back up.
  3. Allow the devices settings to restore (watch for the confirmation of completion).
  4. As the apps begin to restore pull the connection to your router WAN port (the one that goes to the telephone point).
  5. Wait for the time out confirmation.
  6. Navigate to settings > iCloud and turn off contact syncing (keep contacts when prompted).
  7. Reconnect the router to the internet and let the restore process complete.
  8. Delete any iCloud contacts from iCloud.com on a computer.
  9. Navigate to settings > iCloud and turn on contact syncing (merge contacts when prompted).


May I suggest that you carry out a back up to iTunes before you try anything, that way should things become even worse, you can at least restore back to where you are now.

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ICloud deleted all my contacts and photos. How can I get it back?

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