Yes, iCloud backups do restore photos. When you restore from an iCloud backup, it will restore the photos that were in your iCloud Photos library at the time the backup was made. Here’s a more detailed look at how iCloud backups handle photos:
What gets backed up to iCloud
iCloud automatically backs up your iOS or iPadOS device each day when it’s connected to power, Wi-Fi, and has sufficient iCloud storage available. Here’s what gets backed up:
- Device settings – This includes things like your wallpaper, app layout, and other preferences.
- App data – This is the data stored by your apps, like your settings and game progress.
- Home screen and app organization – Your home screen layout, folders, and which apps are installed.
- iMessage, text (SMS), and MMS messages – All messages are backed up.
- Photos and videos – Includes photos and videos in your Camera Roll. We’ll get into more details below.
- Device settings – Wallpaper, settings, and more.
- Call history – Your recent calls.
So in summary, an iCloud backup contains almost everything on your device, including your photos and videos.
How iCloud Photos works
In addition to iCloud backups, there is also a separate iCloud Photos feature. When enabled, iCloud Photos automatically uploads new photos and videos you take to iCloud. This allows you to access your entire photo library on any device signed into your iCloud account.
iCloud Photos works independently from iCloud backups. Even if you disable iCloud backups, your photos will still be uploaded to your iCloud Photos library. And when you restore from an iCloud backup, it will only restore the photos that were actually on your device – not everything in your iCloud Photos library.
Do iCloud backups restore photos?
Putting this all together – yes, restoring from an iCloud backup will restore the photos that were actually on your device when the backup occurred. However, it will NOT restore photos just because they are in your iCloud Photos library. Basically:
- An iCloud backup only contains photos that were physically on your device when the backup happened.
- The iCloud Photos library contains all photos across your devices, but these are NOT stored in your iCloud backup.
So restoring from a backup brings back photos that were on that device, but does not restore other photos only present in your iCloud Photos library.
Examples of iCloud backup restoring photos
Here are some examples to illustrate how photo restoration works with iCloud backups:
- Example 1: You took 500 photos on your iPhone over the last month. They are saved both on your iPhone and uploaded to iCloud Photos. You then do an iCloud backup. Restoring this backup to a new phone will also restore those same 500 photos.
- Example 2: You have 10,000 photos in your iCloud Photos library, but only 100 of them are stored locally on your iPhone. You do an iCloud backup. Restoring this backup will only restore those 100 photos – not your entire 10,000 photo library.
- Example 3: You delete some photos from your iPhone, but they are still available in your iCloud Photos library. If you restore from a backup made before you deleted the photos, they will be restored since they were present in the backup.
The key takeaway is that an iCloud backup contains a “snapshot” of the photos actually present on your device at the time of the backup. It does not contain your entire iCloud Photos library.
What happens if you disable iCloud Photos?
If you turn off iCloud Photos, your photos will no longer be uploaded to iCloud automatically. However, existing photos in your iCloud Photos library will remain there. So:
- New photos will only be saved locally on your device – they won’t go to iCloud.
- Your iCloud backups will continue working normally, backing up your local photo library.
- You can still manually download photos from your iCloud Photos library to your device.
The main risk is that any photos not saved locally will only exist in your iCloud Photos library. If you lose access to your account, those photos could be lost. So it’s best to keep iCloud Photos enabled.
What if you run out of iCloud storage space?
If you fill up your iCloud storage allotment, iCloud will stop automatically backing up your device or uploading new photos until you free up space. Some things to be aware of:
- Existing photos in iCloud will remain available.
- Your device will still attempt to do local backups, but may delete old backups to make room.
- Your iCloud Photo Library will enter an “Optimize Storage” mode, where full resolution photos are replaced with smaller versions if you’re low on space.
So while existing iCloud content will remain available, you may lose access to some backups and full resolution photos. That’s why it’s best to upgrade your iCloud storage if you start getting warnings about low storage.
What gets deleted when you reset your iPhone?
If you reset your iPhone to factory settings, here’s what happens to your photos:
- Locally stored photos on your device are deleted.
- Photos in your iCloud Photos library remain untouched.
- You can still restore a backup from before resetting to get your photos back.
Resetting deletes all local data, but doesn’t affect your iCloud content. Just remember to either backup first, or be prepared to re-download photos from iCloud.
Tips for managing photos before restoring a backup
Here are some tips around photos to consider before restoring an iCloud backup:
- Review your local photo library – Delete blurry photos, duplicates, screenshots, or other images you no longer need to save space.
- Download important photos – If you have photos not stored in iCloud that you want to keep, transfer them to a computer or external storage.
- Give Photos app time to upload – If you recently took new photos, give your device time on WiFi to fully upload them before doing a backup.
- Consider using photo management apps – Apps like Google Photos give you expanded free storage for photos and videos.
Taking steps like this helps ensure you don’t lose any photos in the restore process.
Do erased photos come back during an iCloud restore?
If you manually deleted photos from your device or iCloud Photos library, restoring a backup will not bring them back. The deleted photos would not have been included in the backup. But here are cases where deleted photos can reappear:
- Recently deleted photos: iCloud keeps deleted photos for up to 40 days in the Recently Deleted folder. If you restore a backup during this window, those photos may still be present.
- Photo Stream: The My Photo Stream feature uploads your last 30 days of photos. If you restore a backup from the same time period, it will include those Photos Stream images.
So in summary, if you restored a backup shortly after deleting photos, some of those deleted photos could potentially come back. But restoring an older backup will not bring back manually deleted photos.
Can you restore individual photos from an iCloud backup?
There is no direct way to restore only one or a few photos from an iCloud backup. When you restore from a backup, you get everything that was in the backup. However, there are a couple options to retrieve individual photos:
- iCloud Photos: If the photo still exists in your iCloud Photos library, you can log into iCloud.com and find it there.
- Photo Stream: The Photos Stream folder contains your last 30 days of photos. You may be able to retrieve deleted photos from there.
- Local device backups: Connect your iOS device to a computer and browse its local backups for individual photo files.
So while full iCloud restore is an all-or-nothing proposition, you may have other options to find certain photos if needed.
Can you choose which photos to restore from iCloud?
Unfortunately there is no option to selectively choose which specific photos to restore from an iCloud backup. Your options are:
- Restore everything – Fully restore your device from the iCloud backup, getting all photos.
- Restore nothing – Set up your device as new instead, not restoring any photos.
- Hybrid approach – Restore your device first, then manually sync just certain photo albums from iCloud.
So if you want to be selective about which photos to bring back from iCloud, you’ll need to handle that manually after doing the full restore to your device.
How to preview photos in an iCloud backup
Apple does not provide a way to directly preview the photos contained in an iCloud backup. However, here are some options to see those photos:
- View recently deleted photos – The “Recently Deleted” folder shows photos deleted within the last 40 days, including those from your latest backups.
- Check Photo Stream photos – The My Photo Stream album contains your latest 30 days of photos, which likely overlap with your backups.
- Browse local iTunes backups – Connect your device to a computer and explore its local iTunes backups, which mimic your iCloud backups.
- Check your iCloud Photos library – View photos at iCloud.com to see most of what’s in your backups.
While not a perfect solution, using a combination of these options can give you an idea of the photos within your iCloud backups.
Common questions about iCloud backups and photos
Here are answers to some common questions people have about iCloud backups and photos:
Do iCloud backups include all photos?
No, iCloud backups only include photos stored locally on your device when the backup happened. It does not contain your entire iCloud Photos library.
Can you access iCloud backups online?
There is no way to directly view the contents of an iCloud backup through iCloud.com or any other online interface. You need to actually restore a backup to view what’s inside.
How far back do iCloud backups go?
iCloud will store as many backups as will fit within your iCloud storage amount. It deletes the oldest backups first as new ones are created. So you may have backups going back months or years.
If I delete a photo on my iPhone, is it deleted from iCloud?
No, deleting a photo locally does not remove it from your iCloud Photos library. It remains available in iCloud unless you manually delete it there.
Can you restore a single app’s data from iCloud?
No, iCloud backups can only be restored in full to a device. You cannot pick and choose to restore only certain apps’ data.
Can you move photos from an iCloud backup to a computer?
There is no direct way to export photos from an iCloud backup. However, you can download the photos to your device first, then transfer them to a computer.
Summary
To recap key points about iCloud backups and photos:
- iCloud backups contain copies of photos stored locally on your device.
- They do not contain your entire iCloud Photos library.
- Restoring from a backup brings back photos present at that point in time.
- Deleted photos remain in your iCloud Photos library until removed there.
- Preview backup contents using options like Recently Deleted folder.
- Enable iCloud Photos to keep all photos accessible across devices.
So in general, iCloud backups are a snapshot of the photos physically on your device. To backup your entire photo library, you need to use iCloud Photos in addition to iCloud backups.
Conclusion
iCloud backups and the iCloud Photos feature give you powerful tools to keep your photos protected. Backups create regular checkpoints to revert your device to if needed. iCloud Photos keeps your entire library available on all devices.
Using these iCloud capabilities together provides comprehensive photo management and recovery. Just be aware that iCloud backups only contain photos present locally at backup time. For your whole photo library, enable iCloud Photos as well.
With smart photo management, you can feel confident your photos are safe thanks to robust iCloud tools.