iPad Pro 5th gen iOS 18.7.1 20k+ photos disappeared randomly

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iPad Pro 5th gen iOS 18.7.1 20k+ photos disappeared randomly

I noticed today thousands of photos and favorites have disappeared off of my iPad 5th gen iPad os 18.7.1. They were mainly photos air dropped over from my previous iPad Pro and iPhone. I did not delete them, I did not accidentally hide them. They are just gone. All remaining images showing up are now listed as “recently saved”. I believe it is mainly older import images that are gone. (20k+ gone 11k remain) Many images I had favorited, the heart icon is now unchecked. Some are gone some were simply de-favorited but are still there. I have been unable to determine what they all had in common.

Plenty of free space still on the iPad 1tb+ General storage settings still shows what I think is the correct amount of space being used. I do not use iCloud, never have, never will, and will not turn it on. I’m pretty sure the images are all there, just not showing up. Is this an ownership/permissions issue the OS is imposing on the images? How do I reset it?

iPad Pro, iPadOS 18

Posted on Oct 29, 2025 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 2, 2025 8:21 AM in response to Moejoe2k2

Storage numbers are not really a reliable measure of how much is actually there and recoverable. I would try plugging in to a computer, using Image Capture if a Mac, and seeing if you find anything. It seems pretty unlikely.

You may need to rely on your backups. Did you have Settings>Apple ID>iCloud Backup turned on? Since you don't use iCloud Photos, the iCloud Backup might have your pictures. Then you may be able to recover data from the last 30 days or so. You should look here:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

“Restore” is what you do when you buy a new phone, so this safety, if you have it set, requires you to erase everything on your phone and replace it with the backup.

Unfortunately, if you don't keep your own backups to an external drive, then there really isn't any place else to look.

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Answer 2

Nov 1, 2025 5:32 AM in response to Moejoe2k2

Several years ago, I changed my email address on my Apple account and all of a sudden, some of my pictures were gone. It made no sense at all. I lost the pictures of my father‘s last Christmas with us along with other pictures of my father. 😰 Before anyone chimes in, yes, I have iCloud back up with lots of storage but still gone.

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