How to Restore iPhone Without iTunes Backups

It can be very frustrating if your information on iPhone is getting lost. It might happen unexpectedly in many situations, such as accidentally resetting your device or iPhone getting stolen. How to restore your iPhone information if you have no iTunes backups available? Here are a few tips.

Restore iPhone Using iCloud Backups

You can try to restore your iPhone from iCloud backup if you’ve synced your device with iCloud and have prepared at least one backup file. It is the most efficient alternative to restore iPhone is you don’t have any iTunes backup.

1. Make sure you have a recent backup to restore from. Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage, then tap a device listed under Backups to see the date and size of its latest backup.
2. Go to Settings > General > Reset, then tap “Erase all content and settings.”
3. From the apps Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, then sign in to iCloud.
4. Proceed to “Choose backup,” then choose from a list of available backups in iCloud.
5. If you are restoring an old iCloud backup on a new iPhone:
6. Turn on your iOS device.
7. From the apps Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, then sign in to iCloud.
8. Proceed to “Choose backup,” then choose from a list of available backups in iCloud.

You will see a progress bar with time remaining as iCloud restores your data. After the restoring is done, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage to check if the information on your device is fully restored.

Restore iPhone data without iTunes backups Using H Data iPhone recovery software

If you have either iTunes or iCloud backups to restore from, you can try to recover your iPhone information with professional iPhone Data Recovery Software. H Data iPhone Data Recovery supports the recovery of various types of iPhone files, including photos from Camera Roll and from other applications, messages, calendars, contacts, notes, and so on. Follow below steps to learn how to recover iPhone data without any backups:

Step 1. Download H Data iPhone Recovery on your computer, install and launch it. You also need to install the latest version of iTunes if you haven’t before.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to a computer with an USB cable, select Scan iPhone for deleted files and click Begin Recovery From iPhone button.

Step 3. Wait for some minutes while H Data iPhone Recovery is gathering all deleted data on your iPhone. Keep your iPhone connected until the process is successfully completed.

Step 4. When the scanning process is done, you will find your files in categories listed on the right. You can select the files you want to recover and then click Export Selected Records to save them to your computer.

How to Extract data from iTunes Backup Files

What is an iPhone backup file and where to find it?

An iTunes backup includes nearly all of your device’s data and settings. These include text messages, iMessages, photos, videos, contacts, call history, FaceTime history, voice notes, calendar events, music, Touch ID settings, Apple Pay information and settings, and various types of app data. Your Activity, Health, and Keychain data can also be included into the iTunes backup file, but you have to use Encrypted Backup in iTunes. (Also read: How to make iTunes Backup files)

To sum up, an iPhone backup file is a copy of the data on your iPhone. If you enabled the auto backup feature, each time you sync your iOS device (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch) to iTunes or your iCloud account, an automatic backup is made. By default, your computer saves backups made in iTunes to the Backup folder in your Users folder. The location of the Backup folder varies by operating system. If you have an iPhone backup file generated in iTunes, you can find this file manually here:

Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 8:

C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Mac OS X:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

Though you can copy the Backup folder, you should never move it to a different folder, external drive, or network drive. Any action of edit, relocate, or rename of your iTunes backup files might ruin the files. To restore from a relocated backup file, you need to move it back to the default location or the file won’t work. Backups serve as a safe copy of your entire device. So while you might be able to view or access a backup file’s contents, the contents usually aren’t stored in a format that you can read. However, these data can be easily read and extracted with professional iPhone recovery software.

What are iPhone backup files for?

Generally speaking iTunes and iCloud backup files ensure that you have a copy of your data that you could restore from in the event of data loss. Also, an iPhone backup file makes it much easier to migrate your old data to a new iPhone or other iOS devices. You can restore the new phone to a previous backup of your old phone so that all your contacts, messages, notes, calls and other data appear on the new device.

How to read and extract an iPhone backup?

To check the iPhone backups and extract files, you can download H Data iPhone data recovery software. Not only does it enable you to view and extract your iPhone backup files, but it is also able to recover deleted data from your iOS devices.

Step 1. Free download H Data iPhone Recovery and install it on your computer. Connect iPhone to computer, select View and Restore Files from iTunes Backups. Choose an iTunes backup file and click SCAN. If you can’t access your iPhone for the moment, you can also click Browse for iTunes Backups to manually select an iTunes backup file that is on your computer.

Step 2. Now the software will scan and extract existing and deleted data contained in your iPhone backup file. Once the scan is completed, the software will display how much data had been discovered.You will be able to see all the recoverable files in different categories. Click on the categories on the left and freely check for details. If you want any of these files to be extracted to your computer, simply select them and click on the Export Selected Records.

2 Ways to Recover Photos from iTunes Backups

The resolution and capability of the iPhone camera keep getting better with every new iteration. Apple also offers services like iCloud and iTunes to ensure the safety of the photos by allowing iPhone users to backup the photos taken. Backing up photos with iTunes is very simple and doesn’t require the internet connection. iTunes backup makes it easy to transfer data to new iOS devices, and to recover lost files in the event of data loss. (Also read: How to make iTunes backups)

While iTunes is a great option to keep the data safe from loss, it can be very difficult to gain access to the backup file when you want to extract the photos. In order to ensure the safety and integrity of the backup files, Apple doesn’t save these files in formats you can read or edit. So, how to recover photos from iTunes backups?

There are two ways to do it: restore the iPhone to the latest iTunes backup which could result in loss of all existing data or to utilize a third-party iPhone recovery tool such as H Data iPhone Data Recovery to directly extract the photos from iTunes backups without data loss.

How to Recover Photos from iTunes Backup by Restoring iPhone

The method gives you the chance to restore all the photos from your iTunes backup file by restoring the phone to the most recent backup. However, the trade-off of this method is that the process will remove the data and pictures newer than the backup.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes. Make sure your iTunes is the latest version.

Step 2: Under the Summary tab, choose Restore Backup… button.

Step 3: Choose a preferred and most recent backup file when prompted.

Step 4: Press Restore to begin the restoration process. Wait until the process completes and check for your lost photos.

Extract Photos from iTunes Backup using H Data iPhone Data Recovery Software

You can also use H Data iPhone Data Recovery Software to retrieve photos from an iTunes backup. Even if you have no experience before, you can start using it naturally. The program will help you extract the data from iTunes backups quickly and safely. H Data iPhone Recovery supports the recovery of various types of iPhone files and data, including Camera Roll, Photo Library, WeChat pictures and other photos scattered across different applications.

Step 1. Free download H Data iPhone Recovery and install it on your computer. Connect iPhone to a computer, select View and Restore Files from iTunes Backups. Choose an iTunes backup file and click SCAN.

You can also click Browse for iTunes Backups to manually select an iTunes backup file.

Step 3. When the scanning process is done, browse the content under Photo. The photos from your library, applications and other sources are categorized for your easy preview.  Click on the categories on the left and freely check for details. If you want any of these files to be extracted to your computer, simply select them and click on the Export Selected Records.

How to Recover Photos Removed from “Recently Deleted” Album on iPhone

Apple added Recently Deleted folder in iPhone since iOS 8, so that iPhone or iPad users have a chance to restore the accidently deleted iPhone photos from the Recently Deleted folder. Normally, to recover a deleted picture, you only need to go to the Albums page in your Photos app and find the Recently Deleted album at the bottom of the page. Select it and tap on Recover and the picture will go back to your regular Camera Roll album, in the same position where it originally was. But these photos will not stay in there forever. After 30 days, your photos or videos will be permanently deleted to free up the storage space.

If the photos inside the Recently Deleted folder is permanently deleted, is there any way to bring them back?

The best option is to make sure you regularly backup your iPhone in iTunes or to iCloud. In this way, if you accidentally delete something, you’ll still have access to it.

Also read: How to recover/extract files from iTunes backups

If you have no backups available, you can try to recover your deleted photos by directly scanning your iOS device. This can only be achieved by using professional iPhone data recovery tools such as H Data iPhone Data Recovery Software. H Data iPhone Recovery supports the recovery of various types of iPhone photos, including Camera Roll, Photo Library, WeChat pictures and other photos scattered across different applications. It allows you to preview deleted photos in thumbnails so that you can selectively recover the ones you need, instead of the whole photo database.

How to Recover Photos Permanently Removed from Recently Deleted Album

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to a computer with an USB cable, select Scan iPhone for deleted files and click Begin Recovery From iPhone button.

Step 2. Wait for some minutes while H Data iPhone Recovery is gathering all deleted photos on your iPhone. Keep your iPhone connected before the scan is completed.

Step 3. When the scanning process is done, you will be able to see all the recoverable files in their corresponding catalogs. Choose Photos on the left panel, you will find all your photos, including those deleted, listed on the right. They are shown as thumbnails for your quick browse and preview. You can select the photos you want to recover and then click Export Selected Records to save them to your computer.

Common Causes for iPhone Data Loss - How to Recover iPhone Data

iPhone data loss is one of the modern time tragedy. To lose photos, contacts, notes or messages on your iPhone makes you feel helpless. iPhone data loss could be totally random accidental: an accidental deletion or a failed software upgrade. A lot of things can make your iPhone data inaccessible. Whichever the reason, we can still find some way to recover the lost data.

Common causes for iPhone data loss

1. Human errors. A human error is the most common cause for iPhone data loss. Accidental deletion of iOS data is more than frequent among iPhone users. For example, you could delete a new iTunes backup or restore your iPhone from a wrong iTunes backup file.

2. Software upgrade failure. iOS upgrade failure can also make your iPhone unusable and lead to a case of data loss. A cable disconnection, a power failure or network breakdown during the updating process could lead to data corruption or immediate data loss.

>>How to Restore iPhone from Recovery Mode After iOS Update Failure?

>>How to Fix the iTunes Error 53 and Recovery Data?

3. Physical damage. Physical damage is responsible for a lot of iPhone data loss. Dropping your iPhone to the ground? Sound Familiar? Or you forgot to take your iPhone out of the pocket and it spent the afternoon in the washing machine? The physical damage occurs unexpectedly, so it is best to keep your phone in a solid protective case. Fortunately, damaged iPhone doesn’t mean we lose the data we stored are lost forever. There is software, such as H Data iPhone Data Recovery, that can extract your iPhone files from your iTunes backups easily.

>>How to Recover iPhone Data from iTunes with Ease?

>>What is iTunes Backups?

4.  Lost or stolen iPhone. An iPhone lost or stolen also leads to data loss because you can no longer access your files. Luckily, you still have a few ways to recover data from the phone even if you don’t have access to your device.

>> How to Recovery Data from Lost or Stolen iPhones?

5. Factory Reset. A factory reset procedure will erase all your iPhone’s content. If by accident or not you factory reset your iPhone and don’t have an iTunes backup file or an iCloud backup, your data is possibly lost forever. You may still have a chance by using H Data iPhone Data Recovery immediately after the factory reset to rescue the deleted files before they get overwritten.

>>How to Recover iPhone Data after Factory Reset?

How to Protect Data on your iOS Devices

Prevention is the best solution. Here are some tips you can take to prepare your data for any future risks:

1. Make regular iTunes backup files and make multiple copies of them on your storage devices.

>>How to make iTunes backup files?

>>Where to locate iTunes backup files?

2. Create an iCloud account and associate it with your device. Create regular iCloud backups, especially before making big changes on your phone.Activate “Find My iPhone” to be able to track it if it’s lost.

3. Enable “Find My iPhone” so you can track your iOS devices if they are lost or stolen. You can remotely delete or lock your device to ensure the safety of your personal information.

4. Use the protective case to protect your iPhone from minor physical damages.

H Data iPhone Data Recovery is the professional iOS data recovery software that allows users to preview and extract data from iTunes backup files, or to directly scan the iOS device to retrieve lost data, such as photos, audio messages, reminders, notes, contacts, and various application data.   

Recover Data from Disk Repartitioning | Partition Recovery Software

When you partition a hard drive, we divide the physical storage medium into several separate logic units. This is often the first thing we do when we acquire a new drive before we can store any files. The information about partition sizes and locations will be stored in the area called partition table so the operating system will know where to find these partitions.

There are times when you have to do something to optimize your partition arrangement. For example, the system partition is running out of space; excessive partitions dragging the system slow; you need to free up more space for your second operating system...In these cases, you sometimes need to extend partitions, shrink partitions, create new partitions, merge partitions, etc. These operations are called repartitioning.

Whether you merge several partitions into one, or remove excessive partitions and distribute the free space to another one, you are deleting existing partitions which means your files will get deleted. You'd better backup your important files beforehand.

Repartitioning a hard drive is not always 100% safe and may lead to data loss if you encounter any interruptions or incorrect operations to the hard drive. Errors like Exception Processing Message’, Not Enough Memory can make your hard drive inaccessible and even cause your partition to crash after repartitioning the hard drive. During the process, some errors may cause MBR corruption or partition table damage, which leads to the computer not be able to boot. You will receive warnings like "Non-System disk or disk error，replace disk and press a key to reboot"; "Error Loading Operating System", or "No ROM Basic，System Halted".

How to Recover Files after Failed Repartitioning

However slim the repartitioning failure chance might be, we should at least know what to do if it does happen. Of course, the backups are the first choice. After all, that is what backups are for. What if the backup is not perfect and we need more files to be recovered. Are files lost due to partition crash gone forever? Not necessarily.

When a file is gone (deleted, cleared during format,etc.), it is not actually vanished. The raw data still linger on the drive. The computer system only marks that data deleted and overwritable. As long as the deleted data is not overwritten by new data, it can be found, reconstituted and recovered. Therefore you are able to recover files after failed repartitioning, with the help of data recovery tools.

We recommend H Data Recovery Software. H Data Recovery includes 6 data recovery modules: Accidental Deletion Recovery, Damaged/Lost Partition Recovery, Flash Memory recovery, Recycle Bin Recovery, Formatted Drives Recovery and Universal Recovery, which is the last resort when all other attempts fail.

Step 1. Free download, install and launch H Data Recovery Software

Step 2. Choose “Hard Disk Partition Lost or Crash” from the main menu



Step 3. Perform a full scan on the drive. Wait while the program is locating and rebuilding data.



Step 4. When the scanning is complete, you can choose from the listed files and save them to your desired safe directory. It is highly recommended that the directory is located in another drive to avoid potential data overwriting.

How to Recover Files from Formatted HDD

I was about to format my external USB but I formatted my whole E: drive (TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM 3.5”) which had all my data, important files, years of hard work. How do I recover it?

HDD (Hard Disk Drive) recovery is possible if the data is not physically destructed or wiped out. Normal deletion or disk formatting would only delete the pointers to these files. The data remanence, which is the cluster of magnetic domains representing 1s and 0s on the surface of HDD platter continues to exist even after the files have been deleted. This is the reason why HDD data recovery software is able to recover lost files from hard disk drives. That’s also why data security experts advise against simply formatting a hard disk drive before you dispose of your personal computers or storage devices.

Professional HDD data recovery software such as H Data Recovery Software allows you to locate and reconstitute missing data from your HDD with no pain. It offers the best solution to solve various data loss situations. You can recover files from emptied recycle bin, re-formatted hard drives, corrupted camera SD cards, deleted partitions…

How to Increase the Success Rate of HDD Recovery

Every data recovery specialist would recommend you to avoid writing new data into the storage device in the event of data loss. Overwriting includes using file shredding software to shred files; using drive cleaning software such as DBAN to wipe entire drives; overwriting by putting new data upon old file locations…File shredding software and drive cleaning software is designed with security in mind. The sole purpose is to eliminate the risk of security and privacy breach posed by unauthorized recovery.

It is high recommended that you begin the data recovery as soon as possible to avoid any potential overwriting. Do not attempt to re-partition the hard drive or to reinstall the operating system. Do not put new files to the partition you wish to recover or run programs like fdisk.

How to Recover Data from HDD 

Step 1. Launch H Data Recovery Software. There are 6 different data recovery modules, each designed to handle a different data loss scenario, such as deletion, format or partition crash. If you are not sure about the cause, you can choose the Universal Recovery module.

Step 2. H Data Recovery Software will then start the data scan. When it is done, all the files that have been deleted will be listed. Browse and preview the files and select those files you wish to recover.

Step 3. Choose a path to store the recovered files. Remember to save the files on another drive or partition to avoid data overwriting. It is important that you act fast when you attempt to recover deleted files in order to avoid newly created files overwriting the lost ones.

H Data Recovery Software is also capable of recovering data from Raw NTFS/FAT HDD, formatted digital camera SD cards, smartphone microSD cards, and formatted pen drives and solid state drives.