How to recover data on iPhone with/ without backup

Deleted or lost data files on iPhone? There is nothing to be worried about. In this article we show a few solutions to get around this problem and recover data from iPhone even if you haven't got the iTunes & iCloud backup beforehand. For Android users, read our How to recover lost data from Android phone guide.

Scenarios

• Signed in with another iCloud account and wiped out the previous data files
• All current data were lost after iPhone restoring to old data in backup
• Deleted files on iPhone by mistake, or losing data after factory reset
• Erase all contents and settings after failed login attempts
• iPhone stuck on recovery mode, Apple logo, white screen, headphone mode, etc.
• iPhone won't turn on, disable, or with a broken screen. More...

It goes without saying that the data stored in iPhone are of great importance that we cannot afford to lose them. But sometimes disaster happens unexpected and makes your data lost on iPhone. Thankfully, All is not lost, though, and it still might be possible to recover lost iPhone data files.

1. Without Backup? Use the iPhone Data Recovery Software

In reality, iPhone doesn't overwrite the data until new files needs that memory space. This give you a big chance to recover data from iPhone storage without backup. There are countless of iPhone data recovery apps out there that claim to handle the task, and our choice is iOS Data Recovery.

As its name implies, this program is specifically designed to recover lost data from iPhone, iPad and iPod devices. It can scan your iOS device's memory directly and recover up to 18 types of data, or extract a ton of valuable data from backups stored in iCloud or iTunes. What sets this program apart, however, is that it does a deep scan of your device—which makes it very effective even your files are lost for a long time, and allows you to choose what you want to get back selectively.

The following will walk you through the process of retrieving lost files on iPhone without backup.

Step 1: Scan the iPhone to find the lost data

Now you're ready to begin. First you'll need to plug your iPhone into the computer and launch iOS Data Recovery software. In its opening interface, select "Recover from iOS Device" to proceed.

Once connected, it will get you into a window where you choose which data type to scan and recover. Check the boxes next to data type(s) you want to recover and click the Scan button.

The program will begin scanning through iPhone internal memory for recoverable data files. It provides a progress bar with an percentage of completion, and shows you the number and types of files it has found from your iPhone.

Once the scan process is finished, you will get a overview window just like the image demonstrated below. It sorts files by different of categories to help sifting through files more quickly.

Step 2: View lost data files from results window

In this stage, you can use the left sidebar to navigate through the content by click on the specific category: Contacts, Messages, Call History, Notes, and anything you are looking for - it's all there.

Step 3: Recover iPhone data

When you're ready, choose the data files you want to retrieve by ticking the boxes next to each file and click the Recover button at the bottom-right corner.

In the pop-up dialog specify a location where you want to save the recovered iPhone files on computer. It's worth noting that the location you specify has enough storage space for the stuff you need to recover.

After that, press the Recover button again to begin the process of recovering data from iPhone.

Once the process is complete, go into the folder you created earlier; you should see that this iPhone data recovery tool has created a lot of sub-folders for different data types, inside you will find your recovered files.

Apple provides you with a simple and easy way to get data recovery for iPhone by restoring from iTunes or iCloud backup. Keep on reading.

2. Retrieve iPhone data from an iTunes Backup

Have you ever backed up your iPhone on computer with iTunes before the files were missing? If so, you can get back your lost data from iPhone backup in iTunes. You can check all the backups by going on iTunes preferences in devices option. This is really helpful if you want to recover iPhone data after factory reset, or your iPhone is lost, stolen, disable or damaged.

• Open iTunes, and connect your iPhone to your computer
• Select your device icon when it appears in iTunes.
• In Summary section, select Restore Backup.
• Pick the most relevant backup, and click Restore.

Please note it's a complete restoration, and your iPhone will be return to its previous state.

You can also use iOS Data Recovery's backup extracting function to retrieve data from iTunes backup. You just go to "Recover from iTunes Backup" > select one iTunes backup to download and scan > preview and selectively recover files. One of benefit of using this method is it enables you view the files in the backup and won't erase the current data on your iPhone.

3. Restore Files from iCloud Backup

If you have a habit of backing all important files up through iCloud, you can use the previously created backup to restore data onto your iPhone.

• Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all content and settings > Erase Now.
• When you reach the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
• Sign in to iCloud with Apple ID.
• Proceed to choose a backup from a list of available archives in iCloud.

Your iPhone will start restoring from iCloud backup. Keep in mind that restoring data from iCloud backup to iPhone will remove all stuff that was stored to the device after the date of that backup.

If you don't want to perform a full restore from iCloud to get back data, you can try another way provided by iOS Data Recovery. It gives you flexibility to recover what you want.

• Launch the program, select "Recover from iCloud Backup File".
• Enter your Apple ID credentials and click the sign-in arrow.
• Choose an iCloud backup from the list of archives available.
• Select the data types you want to recover
• Preview and recover the data

4. Recover Deleted Files from "Recently Deleted" Album on iPhone

Apple allows users to find back some types of deleted data from iPhone before you permanently delete them. Here's a quick overview of how to find them back.

For Photos

Navigate to Photos > Album > Other Album > Recently Deleted > select photos to be restored > tap Recover.

For Notes

Navigate to Notes > tap back arrow > Recently Deleted > select notes you want to recover > tap Move to > select the folder to save.

5. Recover Data When iPhone Stuck in White Screen or Apple Logo?

If you're on a situation of sticking in white screen, headphone mode, recovery mode, Apple logo and other uncommon issues and want to get the data out of the iPhone, you can use the "iOS System Recovery" feature built in the iOS Data Recovery software. It can fix most of system issues occurred to iPhone or iPad quickly and bring your device back to normal.

The Bottom Line

Once you've got your files back, you'll want to make sure this never happens again. We would suggest backing up your data to a computer or cloud on a regular basis.