Lost photos in iCloud

Recovering lost photos after an iCloud storage upgrade is often a matter of "waking up" the synchronization process rather than the photos being permanently deleted. Since you just upgraded your space, your device and iCloud are likely trying to reconcile a large amount of data, and this lag can make it appear as though files are missing. The first place to check is the "Recently Deleted" and "Hidden" albums within the Utilities section of your Photos app. Sometimes an upgrade or a glitch moves photos unexpectedly, or they were deleted previously and are only now being noticed. If you find them there, you can easily select and recover them.

The most critical step in determining the safety of your data is to log in to iCloud.com on a web browser. This website acts as the "master record" for your account. If you see your missing 2019–2024 photos on the website, your data is safe; the problem is simply that your phone hasn't finished downloading them yet. However, if they are missing from the website as well, you should check the "Recently Deleted" folder on the web interface. If they are absent from the cloud entirely, the issue might be related to your previous storage limits.

If your iCloud storage was full during the years the photos were taken, those images likely never uploaded to the cloud in the first place and only exist on the device that took them. Now that you have upgraded your storage, that original device needs to be turned on, connected to Wi-Fi, and plugged into power to finally upload that backlog of data to the new empty space. To help kickstart this process, go to your Settings, tap your name, select iCloud Photos, and toggle the sync off and then back on. Leave your phone locked and connected to power and Wi-Fi overnight, as the system often pauses large syncs to preserve battery life.

Finally, check for subtle account changes such as accidental "Shared Library" toggles or being signed into the wrong Apple ID. If you are on iOS 16 or later, check the top right of your Photos library to ensure you are viewing "Both Libraries" rather than just your personal one. If you have tried all these steps—checking the website, forcing a resync, and verifying your albums—and the photos are still missing, you should contact Apple Support immediately. They occasionally have access to a data recovery window on their servers that is not accessible to users, but this option is strictly time-sensitive.