How to Restore Photos from iCloud in a Few Steps (2026)

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By Jenefey Aaron

2026-07-30 / iCloud

How can I retrieve my old photos from iCloud? ”

- from Apple Community

Since iOS devices come up with high-resolution and top-notch cameras, people love taking a lot of memorable and amazing pictures. While storing the images into the iPhone, you might have deleted the photos unintentionally, and then it could be realized after a few months that the images weren't meant to get deleted. Learn the best way to get back these images through iCloud, and we'll help you know how to restore photos from iCloud.

how to restore photos from

How to Restore Photos from iCloud to iPhone

Regardless of how long it's been since you've deleted the photos from the iOS device, get into this part to know how to restore photos from iCloud to iPhone.

Solution 1: Restore Photos from iCloud via iCloud Recovery Software

The best way to learn how to restore photos from iCloud is with UltData iPhone Data Recovery. This powerful tool helps you recover various types of data from iCloud, including photos, messages, iCloud contacts, and more.

Unlike the traditional iCloud restore process, which requires erasing your iPhone and restoring the entire backup, UltData allows you to recover data from iCloud backup without resetting your device. With its Recover from iCloud Backup feature, you can preview available backup data and selectively restore the photos you need instead of restoring the whole backup. Whether you lost recent photos or need to recover older iCloud data, UltData provides a simple and efficient recovery solution.

Here's the step by step guide to know how to restore photos from iCloud to iPhone.

  • Install the Tenorshare UltData on the computer and select the ''Recover Data from iCloud'' icon.

    install the tenorshare ultdata
  • Log in with the Apple ID credentials to begin the proceedings.

    log in with the apple id
  • In this phase, you can see available file types, select the most appropriate one and choose the Download button.

    select the most appropriate one
  • After selecting the data type you want to get back to, click on the Recover to PC icon.

    click on the recover to device

If you have enabled iCloud Backup before losing your photos, UltData also provides a simple way to recover data from your iCloud backup. Unlike Apple's traditional restore process, you don't need to erase your iPhone or restore the entire backup. You can preview the backup content and selectively recover the photos you need.

  • Choose the "iCloud Backup Data Recovery" option in UltData.
  • choose icloud backup data recovery
  • Sign in to your iCloud account and select the backup file you want to scan.
  • select icloud backup to scan
  • Choose the specific data types you want to recover.
  • select file types to recover
  • Preview the backup data, select the photos you need, and start the recovery process. Once the scanning process is complete, you can recover the selected photos to your computer. The scanning time may vary depending on the size of the backup file and the amount of data being scanned.
  • preview and recover data

Solution 2: Restore Photos from iCloud.com on Your iPhone

If you've backed up all the images into the iCloud, you can retrieve the lost photos from iCloud.

However, you'll need to ensure that you've enabled the iCloud sync to retrieve the lost data.

Here's "how to recover permanently deleted photos from iCloud"

  • Launch the web browser and navigate to the iCloud.com website. Proceed ahead by entering the Apple ID credentials.
  • From the iCloud homepage, click the Photos button and select the videos and photos you'd like to recover.
  • Press the Download button after choosing the photos you want to get back on the iPhone.

    press the download
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Limitations

This method only works for photos that are still stored in iCloud Photos. Permanently deleted photos cannot be recovered, and photos must be manually selected and downloaded.

Solution 3: Restore Photos from iCloud Photos

If you've saved all the photos on the iCloud, you can get them back into the iOS device through iCloud photos. Before restoring the iCloud photos to your iPhone, you'll need to ensure that you've backed up the iCloud images into the iOS device. Follow the guide below to learn how to restore deleted photos from iCloud via iCloud photos.

  • Launch the iPhone settings and press the profile button afterwards. Click on the Photos button after choosing the iCloud icon.
  • On the new page, select the ''Download and Keep Original'' button. This will save all the photos to the iPhone storage, and you'll be able to access the images quickly.

    select the download and keep
  • warning icon
    Limitations

    This method requires iCloud Photos to have been enabled before your photos disappeared. The recovery process depends on your internet connection and the syncing speed of iCloud Photos. Photos that were never synced to iCloud Photos cannot be restored.

Solution 4: Restore Photos via iCloud Backup

Another efficient way to learn how to restore photos from iCloud to a new phone is by restoring from an iCloud backup. However, this method only works if you have previously enabled the iCloud Backup feature and created a backup before losing your photos. Unfortunately, Apple's official restore process requires you to factory reset the iOS device, which may cause existing data loss.

Before restoring an iCloud backup, make sure you have backed up any important data currently stored on your device. After the reset, you can sign in with your Apple ID and restore your iPhone from the available iCloud backup.

  • To begin with, open the iOS device settings and click on the General button. Click the Reset button before selecting the ''Erase All Contents and Settings'' icon from the window.
  • Once the factory reset operation is completed, the iOS device will get started again.

    Navigate to the ''Apps & Data'' icon and choose the ''Restore from iCloud'' button afterwards.

    choose the restore from icloud
  • Log in with the iCloud account credentials and choose the most recent backups from there. After choosing the backup of the photos you'd like to recover, you'll need to press the Restore button to recover the lost data.

    choose the most recent backups
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Limitations

This method requires an existing iCloud Backup that contains the missing photos. Apple’s official restore process requires erasing your iPhone first, and you cannot preview or selectively restore individual photos from the backup. Restoring an iCloud Backup may also overwrite the existing data on your device.

Final Thoughts

Recovering the deleted photos from iCloud could get difficult but this guide has other ideas. We have revealed some of the most spectacular and reliable ways to help you know how to restore photos from icloud.

Of all the options we've come up with in this post, UltData iPhone Data Recovery prompts the highest recovery rate, allowing you to recover the multiple data types. It prompts the fast scanning speed and enables you to preview the data before getting it back on the iOS device.

FAQs about iCloud Deleted Photos Recovery

Q1. Can Apple recover permanently deleted iCloud photos?

Apple doesn't remove the iCloud photos permanently, as you can recover the deleted data within the 30 days time. If the deletion operation exceeds 30 days, you won't be able to get back the lost data.

Q2: How do I back up photos to my iCloud?

Backing up the photos on iCloud is fairly simple. To do it, you'll need to launch the settings and click on the iCloud icon. Press the Photos button and enable the Sync Switch on the device.

Q3: Will I lose my pictures if I log out of iCloud?

When logged out of the iCloud account, all the photos stored on the iOS device will also be deleted. Hence, before logging out of iCloud, you'll need to prepare a backup of the important photos.

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