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Accidentally deleted Acrobat Reader App and lost all files🤬🤬...help

Even though acrobat reader is turned on in settings>icloud>acrobat, my files are lost. Is there any way to restore them? Can I selectively restore only acrobat files from the iCloud backup of my iPad?


Do I have to reset my entire iPad and lose everything before restore. Surly there is a less risky method?


Any help is appreciated.

iPad Pro, iPadOS 13

Posted on Aug 24, 2020 11:16 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 25, 2020 2:21 PM

Thanks. Your answers helped.


FYI I am changing my whole process. I am going to delete my iCloud backup and cancel future backups; they consume too much space anyway in Apple's attempt to make us purchase more memory. Also, as several have noted, the iCloud restore process is antiquated. I am beginning to be sorry that I ever went to an Apple platform, but that's another story. I have learned my lesson, so here is my future process.

  1. Use iMazing to backup my iPad Pro 12.9 3rd gen to my PC. This helpful software is user friendly.
  2. Save my files in original format on my PC using iMazing for easy transfer back to my iPad. Because I have been doing this periodically, I was able to retrieve most of my lost pdf files. 😁
  3. Also, save my files on DropBox in original format for easy retrieval. I have sufficient free space.


Thanks again for your help.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 25, 2020 2:21 PM in response to regulation

Thanks. Your answers helped.


FYI I am changing my whole process. I am going to delete my iCloud backup and cancel future backups; they consume too much space anyway in Apple's attempt to make us purchase more memory. Also, as several have noted, the iCloud restore process is antiquated. I am beginning to be sorry that I ever went to an Apple platform, but that's another story. I have learned my lesson, so here is my future process.

  1. Use iMazing to backup my iPad Pro 12.9 3rd gen to my PC. This helpful software is user friendly.
  2. Save my files in original format on my PC using iMazing for easy transfer back to my iPad. Because I have been doing this periodically, I was able to retrieve most of my lost pdf files. 😁
  3. Also, save my files on DropBox in original format for easy retrieval. I have sufficient free space.


Thanks again for your help.

Aug 25, 2020 3:01 AM in response to regulation

iPadOS is a sandboxed environment - where each App has its own “space” for associated documents. If the App is deleted, the entire sandbox “space” in which it resides - along with any local data therein - is deleted from the iPad. If instead an App is offloaded, the App is removed but the locally stored data is retained on the device; offloading is useful if an malfunctioning App needs to be reinstalled.


By contrast, any App data independently stored in a Cloud location is not lost - as it isn’t stored locally. Deletion of the App will not directly impact any Cloud storage.


Depending upon your backup settings - contingent upon you iPad not having run an automatic backup since deleting the App - your data may still be safely stored in your iCloud/iTunes backup. If a backup (either manual or automatic) has run since deletion of the App, any backup data relating to the deleted App will have been purged from the backup.


iCloud Backup, if enabled, can be verified here:

Settings > [Your Name /AppleID] > iCloud Backup > iCloud Backup


Your current App backup settings can be found here:

Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups > [This iPad]


If iCloud backups are enabled, here you will see the App backup settings for each of your currently installed Apps - and the total volume of data currently backed-up for each individual App. NB: This view does not allow you to determine the filenames contained within the App backup.


Assuming that you have an iCloud backup, the entire backup can be restored to the iPad; selective backup of individual elements of the backup is not possible - as such, restore from backup is all or nothing.

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


Restoring from backup will wipe any locally stored data on your iPad - replacing it entirely with data from the backup. As such, any other data that has been locally stored/modified iPad data, since its last backup, will be lost - unless you take steps to identify and preserve this data prior to restoring the backup.


I hope this provides some helpful and useful clarity as to what is possible - and the outcome.



Accidentally deleted Acrobat Reader App and lost all files🤬🤬...help

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