A folder has disappeared from iCloud Drive. Before you recreate it or empty anything, check Apple’s recovery tools.
Apple lets you recover eligible files deleted within the last 30 days, including deletions made on another device. Files permanently removed cannot be restored through these tools. Start with the route for the app that held your files. (Apple’s recovery guide)
Recover files from iCloud Drive
- Open iCloud Drive on the web and sign in to your Apple Account.
- Select Recently Deleted in the sidebar.
- Select the files you need, then choose Recover. Use Recover All if you want every available item.
Apple documents this route for iCloud Drive and iWork files. Avoid the permanent removal controls while you look for your documents. (Recovery steps and limits)
Try Data Recovery for other apps
For files deleted from other apps, open iCloud Data Recovery. Sign in if asked, then select Restore Files. Select the files you need, or Select All, and select Restore Files again.
Leave iCloud Drive data alone while recovery runs. Apple warns that editing or deleting files can interrupt recovery. Once it finishes, look in the folder where each file lived before deletion. A document deleted from the Pages folder should return there. (Apple’s Data Recovery instructions)
What if the file is missing from recovery?
The 30-day window is a limit, not a promise that every missing file will appear. Apple excludes permanently removed files. These instructions cover deleted documents; Apple’s guide links separately to recovery for photos and videos.
If these tools have no copy, check any independent backup you already kept. For the next decisions, use the lost personal files playbook. Avoid buying a recovery tool on the assumption that it can restore a permanently removed iCloud file.
Check the result before resuming work
As a practical check, open the restored documents you need most. Confirm their contents, filenames and original folders. Write down anything still missing rather than assuming the whole folder is complete.
If deletions affected several devices, follow the cloud sync deletion playbook before reconnecting everything. It covers preserving surviving copies and bringing devices back one at a time.
Then work through its Prepare safeguards, or choose your next safeguard on Prepare. Keep a separate recoverable copy of important documents and practice restoring one while the original is still safe.
Related playbooks
- Photos and files lost with no backup. The drive died, the phone went in the water, or the folder is simply gone, and there was never a copy.
- Cloud sync deletes files everywhere. A deletion, bad edit, or damaged folder is copied across every device connected to your cloud storage.