Recover iPhone Data after Restoring to Factory Settings

Which reason below is the reason you restored your iPhone to Factory Settings? 

1. Facing iOS system issues. Sometimes iPhone just goes wrong unexpectedly. iPhone keeps rebooting? Stuck in Apple Logo/Recovery Mode/DFU Mode somehow? (You can in fact use iOS System Recovery to get rid of those annoyances without any data loss.)

2. Having poor performance. When we've been using iPhone for long, its performance would be somehow dissatisfying. It may works and response slowly, or even turn unresponsive or frozen. That's really irritating when that occurs

3. To protect privacy. If you don't want your personal information to be leaked out, resetting your device will be a good idea. However, what if you want to retrieve your contents after that, you can get a knowledge from this article.

4. Resetting by accident. You might just want to reset all settings or network settings, however, you then tapped on the wrong option. Or, someone was using your iPhone when it took place. I have to say that these situation are not rare cases but happening all the time.

If you'd like to get back your previous contents due to any reason, there are actually three feasible way available. Please scroll down and read on.

• Method 1: How to Get Data back without Backup?
• Method 2: How to Extract Data from iTunes Backup Files?
• Method 3: How to Restore Data iCloud Backup Files?
• Notes: What to Do before Factory Settings?

Method 1: How to Get Data back without Backup?

What if this is something out of expect and you don't have backups in advance, how to recover those missing files? Please keep in mind that stop using your iPhone right here right now. Though resetting your device will wipe out all the data on device, those data are actually not gone yet, which are just temporarily invisible and inaccessible. If you keep using your iPhone, new data will be written in storage, which will overwritten the previous contents and make your lost data irretrievable.

Since Apple offers no way for users to directly restore data right on iOS devices, users have to resort to professional software designed to perform data recovery. Here I recommend you iPhone Data Recovery, which supports most models of iPhone/iPad/iPod, including the newly revealed iPhone7 and iPhone 7 Plus, enabling to retrieve a range of data, such as Contacts, Photos, Messages, Videos, Notes and so on.

Step 1. Connect iPhone to the Program

Download the free trial version on the above button. After installation, please launch iPhone Data Recovery and connect your iPhone via USB cable to the computer. You device will be detected in no time.

Step 2. Select Types of Data to Scan

Now, please select one or multiple supported types of data in order to scan them out from your iOS device. Then, click on the "Start Scan" button to run the scanning process.

Step 3. Preview and Recover Data

Previous contents stored on your device will be scanned out and displayed on the screen. You're able to select and preview then in detail. You can choose those you want to restore and recover to computer.

Note that though video and audio files are not supported to play on the software, you can restore them to computer at first and then play them on computer.

Method 2: How to Extract Data from iTunes Backup Files?

If you have backed up data via iTunes ahead of time, you can easily get them back via iTunes. Launch iTunes and connect your device to iTunes, and then go to "Summary" page and tap on "Restore backup". Or you can go to "File" > "Devices" > "Restore from backup”. However, if you have some new data on your iPhone, iTunes cannot keep them while restore previous backup. If you want to keep your existing data, give it a try on iPhone Data Recovery.

Step 1. Launch the Software

Run iPhone Data Recovery on your Mac/PC, and then select "Recover from iTunes Backup File". It will take a second to automatically search for the previous iTunes backup, and show them on the software. You can also select the iTunes backups to open. The default route is Disk C\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\...

Note that you don't have to plug in your device to computer unless you want to restore Contacts, Messages and Notes back to your device.

Step 2. Choose a Backup to Scan

The backup files will be showed with details like Name, Model, Data, Size and Serial Number. Please select one and tap "Start Scan". The process will be done after a while, which depends on the size of the backup file.

Step 3. Restore Contents from iTunes Backup

You can view the contents contained in iTunes backup files before restoring them. Then, please choose files and click on "Restore to device" or "Recover to Computer". You can double click and choose "Check all" to highlight all the files of a certain kind.

Note that there are currently three types of data available to restore back to device, of which are Contacts, Messages and Notes.

Method 3: How to Restore Data from iCloud Backup Files?

Since most people has enabled iCloud service. It seems to be more likely to retrieve data from iCloud. However, if you didn't extend the storage of iCloud, original 5 GB of free storage may only include a part of your previous files. You can go to iCloud.com to download contents from iCloud. Or, you can restore iCloud backup files right on your device. Please go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" > "Erase All Content and Settings". Then, your device will restart and please choose "Restore from iCloud Backup". However, same as the way to restore data from iTunes backup, your existing data will also be erased. Or, try iPhone Data Recovery.

Step 1. Log in iCloud Account

Run iPhone Data Recovery in the first place and choose "Recover from iCloud Backup File". Now, you have to enter your iCloud account in order to access iCloud backup files. The software will not record any personal information, so you don't have to worry about any privacy leaks.

Note that you should download iCloud Panel in order to access iCloud.

Step 2. Restore Data from iCloud

After the login, you need to choose an iCloud backup and then select files to download from iCloud backup files. Now, tap "Next" to begin downloading files of selected types.

As you can see on the interface, files included in iCloud are extracted and showed on the screen. Please choose those contents you want to have them back and tap "Recover to Computer". If you want to restore multiple types of files at one time, please check them from the left items.

Note that Contacts, Messages and Notes can be directly restored to iOS device.

Notes: What to Do before Factory Settings?

After done reading the previous sections, the importance of making a backup speaks for themselves. Therefore, please remember to do a backup every time before you give your iPhone a big change. You can do it via iTunes or iCloud for free.

Using iTunes to Do a Backup

Run the iTunes on PC/Mac and connect your iPhone via USB cable to it. Please ensure that the iTunes has been updated to the latest version in the first place. Then, click on the "Phone-like" icon to enter Summary page. Click on "Back Up Now", and start backing up your data. If you'd like to encrypt your backup files, highlight "Encrypt” and set up a password before doing a backup.

Note that you can also go to "File" > "Devices" > "Back Up" if you find no Summary page.

Using iCloud to Do a Backup

Launch "Setting" on your iPhone and scroll down to "iCloud". Next, if necessary, log in your iCloud account. Then, scroll down and select "Backup" > "Back Up Now". From where I stand, I find backing up process of iCloud takes much longer than that of iTunes.

Note that you can back up your device via iCloud automatically when the device is unoccupied. Please go to "Backup" and toggle on "iCloud Backup".

If you don't exactly need your data back on your device, you can export them to computer and view them on the computer. The software nevertheless can recover Contacts, Messages and Notes back to your iPhone/iPad/iPod in a direct way. Other types of data are only available to be exported to computer, but you can use iPhone Transfer to transfer them to your device.