Recovering photos from iCloud that are older than 30 days can be challenging, but is possible with a few steps. iCloud only keeps photos stored for up to 30 days before deleting them, so if you need to restore photos older than that, you’ll need to retrieve them from a backup.
Check Recently Deleted Folder on iCloud
When photos are deleted from iCloud, they are moved to the Recently Deleted folder where they are stored for 40 days before being permanently deleted. So the first thing to check is the Recently Deleted folder in iCloud.com or the Photos app to see if your photos are still there and can be restored.
Restore from Local Backup
If the photos aren’t in the Recently Deleted folder, the next step is to check if you have a saved local backup of your photos. Connect your device to your computer and open the Photos app. Check if there is a backup available that contains the photos you need.
To restore the photos, click on the backup and choose the option to restore to your device. This will recover the photos from that backup.
Use Third Party Software
If you don’t have a local backup available, your next option is to use third party software to scan iCloud and recover deleted photos. Some programs that can help include:
- FoneDog Toolkit – iCloud Recovery
- iMyFone iBypasser
- Tenorshare iCareFone
These tools scan your iCloud storage and caches to find photos that may still be recoverable. Follow the steps in the software to recover and save the deleted photos to your device or computer.
Recover from iTunes or Finder Backup
If you previously backed up your iOS device to iTunes on a PC or Finder on a Mac, you may be able to restore deleted photos from there. Connect your device to the computer and open iTunes or Finder.
On Windows, go to the Summary page for your device in iTunes and click Restore Backup to select the backup you want to restore from. On Mac, open Finder, select your device, click Manage Backups, then click Restore from the backup containing your photos.
This will restore your device from the iTunes/Finder backup and recover the deleted photos in the process.
Retrieve from iCloud Website
The iCloud website stores backups of your photos for up to 30 days. You can login to iCloud.com and see if any backups containing your deleted photos are still available.
Go to the Photos section and click on Manage Storage. Here you’ll see backups available to restore from. Click on a backup and choose Restore to Device to download that backup to your device and recover deleted photos.
Use iCloud For Windows
If you have iCloud for Windows installed on your PC, it maintains backups of your iCloud photos which can be used to restore. Open iCloud for Windows and go to Photos. Click on Manage Storage to view backups.
Select a backup that contains the photos you need and click Restore to download and recover the photos to your Windows PC.
Retrieve from Time Machine Backup
If you’re using a Mac, you may be able to retrieve deleted iCloud photos from a Time Machine backup. Time Machine automatically backs up photos stored in iCloud Drive. Connect an external hard drive containing your Time Machine backups.
On your Mac, open Finder and click on Time Machine in the menu bar. Search through your backups until you find one containing the photos you need. Select the photos and click Restore to recover them to your device.
Use iPhone Data Recovery Software
If the above options don’t work, you may need dedicated iPhone data recovery software to retrieve deleted iCloud photos. These advanced tools work directly with your iPhone or iPad to scan for residual data left behind and recover photos.
Some top data recovery apps include:
- FoneDog iOS Data Recovery
- EaseUS MobiSaver
- MiniTool Mobile Recovery
Follow the instructions in the software to connect your device, scan it, and restore iCloud photos that have been deleted.
Contact Apple Support
If you’ve exhausted all self-service options, one last resort is to contact Apple Support. Explain your situation and specify that you need to recover photos older than 30 days from iCloud.
Apple may be able to assist with options like restoring from an iCloud backup or searching logs on their end to recover deleted photos. However, there is no guarantee of success, so try all other options first before contacting support.
Prevent Future Photo Loss
To avoid dealing with this issue in the future, be sure to regularly backup your iCloud photos locally so you have multiple copies:
- Back up to computer with iTunes (PC) or Finder (Mac)
- Save copies with iCloud for Windows/Mac
- Use backup software like Time Machine on Mac
- Manually export your Photos library
Also enable the iCloud Recovery setting in iCloud preferences. This will keep deleted photos stored for an extra 30 days, giving you more time to restore them if accidentally removed.
Following these tips will help ensure you have multiple backups of photos over 30 days old, so they aren’t permanently lost if deleted from iCloud.
Recover Old Photos on iPhone
If you need to restore photos older than 30 days that were stored directly on your iPhone (not in iCloud), you still have several options to retrieve them.
Restore from iTunes or Finder Backup
Connect your iPhone to your computer and restore from a previous iTunes or Finder backup that contains the photos. This recovers the iPhone to the state it was in when the backup was made.
Use Phone Data Recovery Software
As mentioned earlier, advanced iOS data recovery tools like FoneDog and EaseUS can scan your iPhone and find deleted photos that aren’t in backups. This should retrieve photos older than 30 days stored on the device.
Recover from iCloud Backup
Even if the photos were only stored locally on your iPhone, restoring your device from an iCloud backup can retrieve them. The backup contains a copy of data from your iPhone when it was created.
Check Other Devices Synced to iCloud
If you had another device signed into the same iCloud account, it may have downloaded the missing photos at some point. Check older backups and storage on other synced devices that could potentially have copies of the photos.
Extract from iTunes Sync Data
When your iPhone syncs with iTunes on a computer, it stores sync data on the device containing metadata about photos, contacts, etc. Data recovery software can scan this information and extract copies of photos no longer on your phone.
Key Takeaways
- iCloud only retains photos for up to 30 days before deletion
- Check iCloud Recently Deleted folder for missing photos within first 40 days
- Restore from local iTunes or Finder backup if available
- Use data recovery software to scan and restore missing photos
- Retrieve from iCloud website or Windows app backups
- On Mac, restore from Time Machine or Finder backups
- Contact Apple Support as a last resort option
- Regularly back up photos to prevent permanent loss
Conclusion
Recovering photos over 30 days old that have been deleted from iCloud requires using backups and recovery software. Always maintain multiple backups of irreplaceable photos in different locations to avoid permanent data loss. With an understanding of the options covered here, you can restore treasured photo memories even months or years later if they are accidentally removed from your iCloud storage.