5 Methods: How to Restore Photos from iCloud [2024 Update]

iCloud is a helpful backup tool provided by Apple, which will automatically store iPhone's data when the device is plugged into power, locked, and connected with WiFi.

If you have enabled iCloud Photos, all your photos and videos on your iPhone/iPad will be stored in iCloud. And you can view them on all Apple devices that are signed in with the same iCloud account.

If you mistakenly delete photos or your iPhone is damaged/lost, you can easily restore photos from iCloud. Read on this post to find out 5 simple ways to download photos from iCloud.

Method 1. Recover Photos from iCloud Recently Deleted Folder

If you accidentally deleted photos from iPhone and want to retrieve them backup, you can check the Recently Deleted Folder in iCloud. Here's how to do it;

1. Go to iCloud official website and sign in with your Apple ID and password.
2. Click on "Photos" on the homepage and then in the sidebar, you will see the "Recently Deleted" album.
3. Click on it to check all the recently deleted photos and choose those you need to get back, then click "Recover".

Note

Please note that iCloud Recently Deleted folder only saves deleted photos for 30 days. And you can only select and recover 1000 photos at a time.

Method 2. Download Deleted Photos from iCloud to Computer

If you wish to download photos from iCloud to your computer, you can follow these simple steps;

1. Log in to iCloud.com with your iCloud credentials. If this account is set with 2-factor authentication, you will need to enter the verification code before you can log in.
2. After logging in successfully, you can see all the backup data on iCloud, find the data icon of Photos and click on it to view the photos.
3. Then select the photos you need to recover and click the download icon in the upper right corner to save them to your computer.

Method 3. Download Photos from iCloud to iPhone via Photos App

If you have automcatically saved the photos to iCloud Photos, you can easily download photos from iCloud to iPhone via the Photos app;

1. Open the iPhone Settings, tap your name and choose "iCloud".
2. Click on "Photos" and choose "Download and Keep Originals."
3. Go to the Photos app and you will find that your deleted photos are back.

If you don't see the download progress for photos or videos, just plug the iPhone in a power source and connect it with WiFi.

Method 4. Restore Photos from iCloud Backup [Full Restore]

If you have created a backup of your iPhone data with iCloud, then you can restore photos from iCloud backup. However, please note that this method requires resetting your iPhone and erasing all data and settings. You're not allowed to preview and restore only photos from iCloud backup selectively.

1. Open the iPhone Settings and go to General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, then wait for the device to restart.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the iPhone and select "Restore from iCloud Backup" on the "Apps & Data" interface.
3. Log into your Apple ID and select the iCloud backup that needs to be restored and wait for the process to complete.

Method 5. Restore Only Photos from iCloud Backup without Reset

What if you don't want to reset your iPhone and erase data? Don't worry, there are other ways to get them back! You can make use of FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery - a professional data recovery program for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

Why Choose FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery to Restore Photos from iCloud:

• Selectively extract and recover photos from iCloud/iTunes backup without resetting your iPhone.
• Supports to recover data directly from iPhone or iPad if you haven't made a backup of your data before.
• Not only recover photos and videos, but also recover 20 more data such as text messages, contacts, call logs, WhatsApp, WeChat, notes, memo, Safari history, etc.
• You can preview data before recovery and choose to recover the files you need only.
• Works well with all iOS devices and iOS versions, including the newest iPhone 15/14/13 and iOS 17.
• The recovery rate of FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery is much higher than other data recovery tools.

Here's how to access and recover deleted photos from iCloud:

Step 1. Download and install FoneGeek iPhone Photo Recovery tool on your computer. Launch it and choose "Recover from iCloud".

Step 2. Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID and password. After that, select the data types that you want to scan and recover, then click "Scan" to begin downloading iCloud data.

Step 3. Wait for the program to scan and download iCloud data for a while. After that scanning, the deleted photos and other data will be listed in order. Check the photos you want and click "Recover" to save photos to your computer.

Note

If you don't fine the photos you deleted in iCloud, it is probably because they are not saved in the backup. You can try to directly scan your iPhone and recover deleted photos without backup.

Conclusion

After reading the solutions above, you will not only learn how to download photos from iCloud, you will also get an FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery to recover photos, contacts, call logs, etc. from iCloud/iTunes backup or directly from iPhone/iPad.