My Photos Didn't Restore from iCloud? Quick to Know Why

by Jenefey Aaron   Updated on 2020-11-17 / Update for  iPhone Data

  • 1. Photos aren't being restored from iCloud backup. How can I manually extract the photos myself?
  • 2. Why didn't my photos go back when I restored my phone with my iCloud backup?

We have discovered some users had the problem that photos didn't restore from iCloud backup as expected. This problem can actually be easily resolved.

Why Are My Photos not Restoring from iCloud

There are many reasons which could result in "my photos didn't restore from iCloud backup". Before we taking below methods, there are a few things you should check first:

  • Are you using the same iCloud account?
  • Is your iPhone or iPad connected to a strong Wi-Fi?
  • Does iCloud backup include photos you want to restore?
  • ...

If all the answers are Yes, keep reading and learn how to fix iCloud won't restore photos.

Solution 1: Check Whether iCloud Photos Library is Turned on

Check if your have enabled iCloud photo Library via clicking Settings > Your name > iCloud > Photos on your old device. If it is on, photos not restoring from icloud backup as your photos and videos has been already synced to iCloud instead of your iCloud backup.

my photos didn't restore from icloud

To solve this problem, you just need to turn on iCloud Photo Library on after restoring your new device, and the photos will begin to download if connected to Wi-Fi network.

Solution 2: Fix My Photos Didn't Restore from iCloud: Restore Photos from iTunes Backup

1. Extract Photos from iTunes Backup with UltData

For users who want to restore deleted photos from iCloud backup, we now offer you a better choice, that's Tenorshare UltData - iTunes Backup Extractor, which supports to access iTunes backup files. With it, you will not be bothered by photos missing after restoring from iCloud backup.

  • Preview before recovery
  • Select the data you want to recover
  • Without data overwritten
  • Quick to recover

Below I will show you steps by steps on how to use iPhone Data Recovery.

  • Download and install this software on your PC or Mac and connect with iPhone/iPad. Select Revoer Data from iTunes Backup on the top menu.

    my photos didn't restore from icloud
  • Choose a backup file on the showing list.

    my photos didn't restore from icloud backup
  • It starts to scan the file and choose the Photos.

    why didn't my photos restore from icloud
  • It takes a while to extract your backup file and when it finishes, you can see all the images, whether deleted or still existing, are displayed for further recovery.

    why didn't my photos restore from icloud
  • Now choose the photos you want to restore and export them.

    why didn't my photos restore from icloud

Similarly, you can resort to Tenorshare iCareFone or any other tools to get photos back on iPhone.

Fix #2. Restore Photos Backup Using iTunes

If the photos are included in the iCloud backup, and you cannot find them on your iPhone after restore, you have alternative solution to restore with iTunes, which works the same.

If you are setting up new iPhone/iPad, choose Restore from iTunes backup from App & Data screen, and then connect your device with iTunes. Make sure you choose a correct backup that contains your wanted pictures.

icloud backup not restoring all photos and contacts

For used device, connect your device with iTunes and go to Summary > Restore Backup and select a backup file. Wait for the whole restore process finishes.

icloud backup not restoring all photos

Solution 3: Fix Photos not Restoring from iCloud: Download iCloud Photos to iPhone

If photos are not restoring from iCloud and you are sure they have been uploaded to iCloud, here is an easy trick to add iCloud photos to your iPhone.

Open icloud.com on your computer and sign in with the same Apple ID as your iOS device. Then select Photos from the displayed menu. You will see all the synced images.

photos didn't transfer to new iphone

From the right corner you can find a Download icon, which allows you to download the photos from iCloud to computer. After that, you can either use Airdrop or some third-party transferring software like Tenorshare iCareFone to transfer files back to your iPhone/iPad.

why are photos not downloading from icloud

In the End

After reading this post, you should learn how to deal with iCloud backup not restoring photos? Actually you don't have to wrestle with iCloud all the time when it's not working, other alternatives like iTunes or iPhone Data Recovery can also do the job perfectly. Just give them a try!