[URGENT] Lost 40 GB of Photos and Videos from iPhone
Hi everyone, I’m in a desperate situation and need forensic/technical advice.
I have an iPhone 12. I spent yesterday making a full Encrypted Backup to my Windows 11 PC using the Apple Devices App (the new iTunes replacement). I verified the backup was there (about 113GB in %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\).
Thinking I was safe, I manually deleted about 40GB of very important photos/videos from my iPhone and cleared the "Recently Deleted" bin to free up space for a migration.
Today, I connected the phone again to restore that data. Without asking, the Apple Devices app automatically triggered a new backup. Because I had just emptied my phone gallery, it essentially "backed up" an empty phone and overwrote the 110GB Saturday backup folder with a much smaller one from today.
What I’ve tried so far:
- Checked Apple\MobileSync\Backup\ — only today's folder exists.
- Right-click > Previous Versions — Windows says, "No previous versions available."
- Checked Recycle Bin — nothing.
My Questions:
- Does the Apple Devices app keep "Snapshot" versions or rename old backups anywhere else on Windows 11?
- Since this happened on an SSD, is there any specific file recovery software that can actually rebuild an overwritten manifest folder?
- Is there any way to "roll back" on Apple Devices or iPhone?
- Is there anything I can do with in my iPhone?
I haven't factory reset the phone yet, but I did clear "Recently Deleted." I am desperate to get these 40GB of memories and data back. Any advice on forensic recovery or hidden Windows temp folders would be a lifesaver.