Restore an earlier version or a deleted file

Updated

Older copies of changed and deleted files are kept in the archive for as long as you've chosen. See Where deleted and changed files go.

An earlier version of a file

  1. Open Restore and go to the file.
  2. Select just that file. A Versions panel opens beside the list, or below it in a narrow window.
  3. The panel lists the copy In the backup and each Archived copy, newest first, with its size and when it was modified. Each archived copy was replaced or deleted by the backup on that date.
  4. Click Restore… under the version you want, then choose where it goes, as in Restore files from your backup.

This works for documents such as Pages, Keynote and GarageBand files too.

A file you deleted

A file you deleted from iCloud Drive is no longer in Current Backup. To find it:

  1. Open Restore and choose Archive at the top.
  2. Next to From, choose the date of the backup that archived it. A file deleted between two backups is in the archive of the backup that came after.
  3. Go to the file, select it, and click Restore….

If the Archive says Nothing Archived Yet, no backup has replaced or deleted a file since the archive was turned on, or the archived copies are older than the number of days you keep them.