Losing music data after syncing an iPhone or iPod with iTunes is frustrating, but thankfully there are ways to try to recover your music if you’ve accidentally deleted or overwritten it during a sync. Here are some quick answers to common questions about recovering music from iTunes after syncing, followed by more detailed steps to attempt recovery.
Quick Answers
Can I recover music from my iPhone/iPod if I synced and deleted music in iTunes?
Yes, it is sometimes possible to recover music from an iPhone or iPod even if you accidentally deleted or overwrote it in iTunes during a sync. Third party data recovery software or previous iTunes backups can help retrieve missing music.
Does syncing iTunes delete all my old music?
Syncing can overwrite your old iPhone/iPod music library, but it does not delete the original files from your computer. So you can recover from an iTunes backup as long as you haven’t deleted the backup files.
How do I restore music after accidentally syncing iTunes?
To restore music after an accidental sync, you can restore from your latest iTunes backup if available. Alternatively use data recovery software to scan your iPhone/iPod directly for missing music files.
Can I get back old music after updating my iPhone/iPod Touch?
Yes, even after updating and syncing, recovery software makes it possible to retrieve previously synced music as long as the files have not been overwritten. An iTunes backup also contains your music library as it existed before updating.
Recovering Music from iPhone/iPod After Syncing
If you’ve accidentally deleted music files on your iPhone or iPod by syncing with iTunes, the files may still be recoverable from one of these sources:
- iTunes Backup – Restore from the most recent iTunes backup containing the lost music
- iPhone/iPod Direct Data Recovery – Scan the device storage directly to find music files iTunes may have deleted
- Cached iTunes Library – Music player caches temporary copies of synced songs that may still be retrievable
Method 1: Restore Deleted Music from iTunes Backup
Before syncing, iTunes automatically creates a backup of the previous iPhone or iPod music library. If you have not deleted old backups, you may be able to restore the music iTunes erased during your last sync:
- Open iTunes and connect your iPhone or iPod
- Under device preferences, click “Restore Backup”
- Select the desired backup from the list – choose the most recent one containing the lost music
- Allow iTunes to restore the iPhone/iPod from the older backup
- The backup music library will overwrite your current library, undoing the sync
This restores your device’s music content to the state before your problematic iTunes sync. All music present in the backup should reappear.
Method 2: Use Data Recovery Software
If no iTunes backup contains the music you need, data recovery software offers another option. It scans the iPhone or iPod directly to find music and other media that syncing may have erased. For best results retrieving synced music:
- Download and install data recovery software onto your computer
- Connect the iPhone or iPod and select it as the target device to scan
- Choose the music file types you wish to recover
- Allow a deep scan of the device storage to locate recoverable music files iTunes may have deleted
- Preview found music files before choosing which ones to restore
- Recover the music back to your computer or a different device
A quality data recovery app maximizes your chances of getting back music and other media, even after syncing and updating. This direct recovery method works even without an iTunes backup.
Method 3: Retrieve from iTunes Cache
Finally, you may be able to find copies of your synced music in the iTunes cache folder. This stores temporary song files from past syncs. To access the cache and look for missing music:
- Go to your iTunes music folder location:
- Windows: \Users\Username\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Download
- Mac: /Users/Username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Download
- Search the Cache folder within for music files from your last sync.
- Recover copies of the synced songs back to your main iTunes library or another device.
The iTunes cache contains only partial temporary song copies from recent syncs. But it offers one last place to check for music iTunes may have overwritten.
Preventing Data Loss from iTunes Syncing
To avoid having to recover lost music after iTunes syncing in the future, there are some best practices you can follow:
- Manage Sync Settings – Turn off auto-syncing and sync only selectively to prevent overwriting.
- Backup First – Manually create an iTunes backup before each sync session.
- Monitor Progress – Watch the sync screen to ensure unimportant or wrong files are not deleted.
- Deauthorize Devices – Deauthorize old computers in iTunes before syncing from a new one.
Being careful when syncing iTunes with your devices can prevent ageing music due to accidental overwrites. But if data loss does occur, remember there are recovery options available.
Recovering from Other Sync Scenarios
Besides the main issue of losing music after an iTunes sync, there are a few other potential sync scenarios that can also result in data loss:
Syncing After Updating
Updating your iPhone or iPod to a new iOS version before syncing can cause music and other media files to disappear if there are incompatibilities between the old library and new software.
To recover from sync data loss after an iOS update, restore from your most recent pre-update iTunes backup. Or run data recovery software to extract music directly from the updated device storage. Just avoid syncing again before recovery, as this may overwrite more files.
Syncing After Restoring
If you restore an iPhone or iPod within iTunes to factory default settings, be very careful when syncing again. The first sync after restoring will completely replace your music library with the content currently in iTunes.
To retrieve music and other data after this first post-restore sync, use iTunes or iCloud backups created before the restore process. Or scan the device storage directly with data recovery software for missing files not overwritten by the sync.
Deauthorized Computers Syncing
If you sync an iPhone or iPod from a new computer before deauthorizing the device in iTunes on your old computer, you can lose music and data. Any computer authorized for a device can sync to it and potentially overwrite files.
To avoid potential sync conflicts, always deauthorize devices properly under iTunes preferences before connecting them to a new computer. If data loss already occurred, restore from an iTunes backup predating the unauthorized sync, or perform direct file recovery.
Best Practices to Avoid Sync Data Loss
Following these best practices will minimize your risk of music library corruption or data loss when syncing iTunes:
- Manage Device Access – Only sync from authorized computers and deauthorize old ones.
- Update Software First – Install latest iOS and iTunes versions before syncing.
- Selective Syncing – Manually choose which media to sync vs. automatic.
- Monitor Syncing – Watch the sync screen rather than allowing it to run unattended.
- Disable Auto-Sync – Turn off auto-sync on connection to prevent unintentional overwrites.
- Create Backups – Manually backup device data and iTunes before each sync session.
No sync method is 100% safe from potential glitches. But careful sync habits can help avoid disasters like mass music deletion. Backup redundantly, restore safely from backup, recover directly when needed, and sync selectively.
Can You Recover Sync-Deleted Photos?
Much like music, it’s also possible to recover photos from an iPhone or iPod after a botched iTunes sync has overwritten or deleted them. As long as the photo files have not been completely overwritten, recovery software can scan the device storage and find recoverable image files.
Photos contained in an iTunes backup from before the problematic sync can also be safely restored. iCloud Photo Library is another option if it was enabled. For maximum recovery capability, utilize both device data recovery scans and backup restorations.
Preventing Photo Loss from Syncing
To avoid unwanted photo deletion when syncing iTunes:
- Enable iCloud Photo Library or Google Photos backup for additional protection.
- Turn on Selective Sync and manually choose which photos/albums to sync.
- Create local iTunes backups before each sync session.
- Pay close attention and do not allow iTunes to auto-sync your photo library.
Carefully managing photos in iTunes, backing up consistently, and not letting iTunes arbitrarily handle syncing is crucial. But should botched syncing still cause photo loss, at least know they are recoverable in most cases.
Recovery Options for Other Synced Data
Along with music and photos, users often run into situations where syncing has affected other iTunes content:
Lost Contacts After Syncing
Syncing iPhone contacts to a new computer can cause contacts to disappear by overwriting. Restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup, or use iPhone data recovery software for direct contact restoration.
Missing Videos from iTunes Sync
Videos mistakenly deleted from an iPhone or iPad during syncing can be restored from a backup or retrieved directly using data recovery tools if not overwritten.
Lost Calendars/Notes After Sync
Calendar events and notes synced from iPhone to iTunes elsewhere can also be recovered from iCloud or local device backups if accidentally deleted.
Disappeared Apps Post-Sync
Apps seeming to vanish from your device after an iTunes sync may occur due to corruption. Reinstalling the affected apps and syncing again typically resolves this.
Key Points on Sync Recovery
To summarize the key points on recovering data after problematic iTunes syncing:
- Music, photos, and other media deleted during a sync can often be recovered, unless completely overwritten.
- An iTunes backup made before the bad sync offers the simplest restore option in many cases.
- iPhone data recovery software provides an alternative way to extract lost data directly from the device storage.
- Manually syncing selectively, monitoring progress, and backing up regularly are the best prevention.
- While syncing can compromise data, restore and recovery options exist in case of data loss.
Losing your treasured music library or priceless photos due to syncing is frustrating. But hopefully this guide has outlined some ways you can attempt to recover data lost during this process and avoid similar issues going forward.