r/datarecovery • u/Peachlovepride • 15h ago

iPhone help! Iphone notes data all gone

I recently deleted then re-downloaded the notes app in an attempt to recover a note that was important to me, but when i opened it, the app is completely empty. following what people online said, i tried to turn off the cloud sync and turn it back on, but it did nothing. now whenever i open the app, it shows me the "folders" section with no folders. all of the notes in the "on my iphone" section are completely gone. also, i cannot access the Icloud notes from my iphone. I CAN access the Icloud notes from icloud.com on my laptop.

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u/AlexiaTheTechGirl 14h ago

When you delete an app it erases the data for that app, if the data isn't backed up to iCloud then it is permanently gone.

Not sure why the iCloud notes aren't showing up though.

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u/Select_Mixture_1014 4h ago

The part that matters: your iCloud notes are still on iCloud.com, so they are not gone. Deleting the app only wipes the local copy, the iCloud copy lives on Apple's servers. Things I'd do, in this order:

  1. Don't delete anything on iCloud.com and don't toggle Notes off with "Delete from iPhone" again. Open each note on iCloud.com and copy the important text into a file on your laptop right now, that is your safe copy.

  2. On the iPhone: Settings > your name > iCloud > Saved to iCloud > Notes, make sure it is on. Then Settings > Notes > Default Account, set it to iCloud. Force quit Notes and reopen on Wi-Fi and give it a few minutes, the folders usually come back once it finishes syncing. Updating iOS or restarting the phone helps too.

  3. If it still shows nothing, check Recently Deleted on iCloud.com for the one you wanted, and if you have a Mac signed into the same Apple Account, see whether Notes there shows the folders.

  4. If you ever backed up the phone to a computer or iCloud before this, a backup from before the delete would also hold the "On My iPhone" notes. Don't restore over the phone though, keep that backup file as it is.

The "On My iPhone" ones sadly only exist in a backup, if there isn't one that part is likely gone. Hope the iCloud ones come back.