How to Get Photos Back from iCloud

Photos help us capture and preserve memories for sharing in the future. Losing important photos can make us feel sad and depressed. In the modern era, where people take photos with their phones, it’s easier to lose photos by accidentally deleting them. Luckily, most phones come with cloud storage solutions.

The iCloud backup service allows iPhone users to save all their photos. Apps like Spynger make it easier to recover photos to iCloud and can even help in situations of concern, such as Facebook Messenger screenshots of important information being deleted, where recovering deleted images can be very important.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to restore photos from iCloud.

Why Restoring Photos from iCloud Matters?

Accidentally deleting or losing your phone through theft or damage can lead to the loss of precious photos. This means the loss of cherished memories for family members and income for professional photographers. Additionally, restoring photos saves time and money that would otherwise be used to re-capture the photos.

These situations reiterate the importance of recovering deleted messages. Luckily, iPhone users can back up their photos on iCloud. When enabled on the target device, this backup service stores your photos and other files automatically and allows you to restore them once you get a new iPhone.

How to Restore Photos from iCloud on iPhone

If your photos have been backed up on iCloud, you can restore them on another iPhone using the settings method. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Tap on the Settings icon, then go to General, then Reset, then Erase All Content and Settings.

2. Let the iPhone restart and select the option that allows you to set it up as a new device.

3. Under App & Data, select Restore from iCloud Backup.

4. Using your credentials, log into your iCloud account.

5. Select the right backup from the options presented and tap Recover.

Once the process is complete, you can see your photos in your iPhone’s camera roll.

Common issues and fixes

Many people who restore photos from iCloud often experience challenges that hinder them from recovering all their photos from the cloud. For most users, the process often stops after recovering only a few photos. First, it is important to ensure your device is connected to stable Wi-Fi. Do not connect it to iTunes by USB. Additionally, log out of iCloud and log back in. You also need to leave the phone charging overnight while restoring your photos.

How to Recover Photos from iCloud on a Mac or PC?

Besides restoring photos to your iPhone, you can also restore them to your Mac or PC. This is particularly useful for those who want to transfer photos from their iPhone to a Mac or PC without using a USB or any other method. Here are the best methods to use.

1. Use iCloud Website

Using the iCloud website, icloud.com is the easiest method on how to recover photos from iCloud. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Log into icloud.com using your credentials.

2. Click on the Photos tab.

3. Find the Recently Deleted folder and click on it.

4. Select the photos you want to recover and click Recover.

2. Use iCloud Backup on Mac/PC

For Mac, follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app.

2. Click on Photos, then Preferences, then iCloud. Enter your login credentials to sign into your iCloud account.

3. Enable the Download Originals to this Mac option and close Preferences.

4. Click Photos and choose the photos you want to recover.

5. Click on File, then Export, then Export Unmodified Original.

6. Choose where you want to save the photos.

For PC, follow these steps:

1. Download the iCloud for Windows app on your PC.

2. Launch the app and click on Options next to Photos.

3. Select iCloud Photo Library and check the box next to Download new photos and videos to my PC.

4. Click Done and then Apply.

The major downside of this method is that the recovery process takes time and can easily get stuck.

How to Get Photos Back from iCloud Backup After a Reset?

In this section, you’ll learn how to get photos back from iCloud after a reset. If your photos have been backed up on iCloud, you can restore them after performing a reset by following these steps:

1. Once you’ve recent your iPhone, open iCloud and go through the setup process until you get to Apps & Data.

2. Tap Restore from iCloud Backup and sign into your iCloud account using your login credentials.

3. Select the back you want to recover your photos from the options provided, and then tap Restore.

iCloud Photos Restore: Best Practices to Prevent Future Loss

Ensure your backup is always enabled – Check your backup settings to ensure the backup option is always enabled.

Avoid permanently deleting photos—Instead of permanently deleting photos, back them up in your cloud storage solution so you can perform an iCloud photo restore when needed.

Frequently check recently backed-up photos—Be sure to check photos that were recently backed up to ensure they were indeed backed up.

Conclusion

Backing up photos on the cloud is essential for future use and helps preserve precious memories. It’s also important to ensure the backup feature is always enabled on your iPhone. However, recovering photos from iCloud can be challenging. Apps like Spynger are designed to make this process seamless. The app can help you recover all your photos within a short time.

How to Get Photos Back from iCloud was last updated April 16th, 2025 by Alexander Granville