iPhone Cannot Restore iTunes/iCloud Backup? Here're the Best Solutions

Posted by Lisa Ou / Jan 13, 2021 09:00

Has no idea what to do when iPhone restore doesn’t work? There are many popping-up messages notifying iPhone cannot restore backup. Here’re some examples you can check.

1. iTunes could not restore the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible.
2. iTunes could not restore the iPhone because the backup session failed.
3. The backup cannot be restored to this iPhone because the software on the iPhone is too old.

Even though you tried to restore iPhone from iTunes or iCloud backup over and over again, all you get is the message saying Cannot restore backup. Want to know the reasons and solutions for the iPhone cannot restore backup error? Just read and follow.

Guide List

• Part 1: Why iPhone cannot Restore Backup
• Part 2: How to Fix iPhone Cannot Restore Backup
• Part 3: How to Restore iPhone from Backup

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Part 1: Why iPhone cannot Restore Backup

The following reasons can explain why you fail to restore iPhone from a backup file.

1. The current iOS version is not compatible.
2. Missing data in your iTunes or iCloud backup file.  
3. Poor network connection.
4. The connection problem between iPhone and the computer.
5. Run out of disk space when you restore iPhone from iTunes backup.
6. Use an older version of iTunes.

Note: It takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to backup iPhone to iTunes. Well, it depends on the Wi-Fi speed, the amount of data, computer performance and more. As for restoring iPhone from iTunes backup, you may need to spend 15 to 30 minutes to finish restoring. If you stuck on iPhone backup or restore for hours, you need to use iOS System Recovery to get iPhone back to the normal state first.    

Part 2: How to Fix iPhone Cannot Restore Backup

After knowing why iPhone cannot restore from iTunes or iCloud backup, you can take the methods below to solve the problem. These are all proven ways to fix cannot restore backup on iPhone.

1. Check Internet Connection

A stable and active network connection really matters. If you restore iPhone from backup with poor Wi-Fi speed, the data restore process takes a really long time. Therefore, you need to ensure that your iPhone Wi-Fi is in good condition.

2. Reset Network settings

Step 1Open the Settings app.

Step 2Tap General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Step 3Enter your password. Then tap Reset Network Settings again to confirm.

3. Reboot iPhone

Reboot iPhone X or iPhone 11: Hold and press either Volume button and the Side button. Drag the Power Off slider to turn off iPhone. Later, long-press the Side button to restart iPhone.

Reboot iPhone 8/7/6: Hold and press the Side button. When you see the Power Off slider appears, Drag it off. Then hold and press the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Reboot iPhone SE, iPhone 5 or earlier: Hold and press the Top button. Drag the Power Off slider to turn off iPhone. Then hold and press the Top button to restart iPhone.

4. Quit App Store and Relaunch It

Step 1Unfold the Apple drop-down list on the top left corner of the screen.

Step 2Choose Force Quit to access all running apps.

Step 3Select App Store and choose Force Quit to force quit App Store.

Step 4Double-click on the App Store icon to relaunch it.

5. Check System Status

You can visit https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/ to see if the Apple server is down. This system status list will show you all available services. If there is a green dot besides, then everything is OK.

6. Update Account

Step 1Open the Settings app. Tap [your name] on the screen.

Step 2Update the name, phone number and email address.

Step 3Tap Edit next to Reachable at to delete your current Apple ID if necessary.

Step 4Tap Next to move on.

7. Reset iPhone

Step 1Run the Settings app.

Step 2Tap General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 3Enter the passcode and confirm to erase your iPhone to restore backup.

8. iOS System Recovery

Is it possible to fix iPhone cannot restore backup without data loss? Of course, the answer is Yes. You can use FoneLab iOS System Recovery to get your iPhone out of the abnormal state safely and easily. All models of iPhone and iPad running iOS 13 are supported. Sometimes iTunes or iCloud cannot restore backup can be caused by system errors. You can fix the disabled system in clicks here.

1. Fix iPhone cannot restore backup, blue/black/red screen, Apple logo, keep restarting, update failure, frozen, etc.
2. Recover your iOS system without data loss.
3. Fully support iPhone 11 Pro Max/11 Pro/11/XS/XS Max/XR/X, etc.
4. Safe, clean and easy to use.

Step 1Launch iOS System Recovery. Plug iPhone into the computer with a lightning USB cable. Click Start when you access the iOS System Recovery section.

Step 2Click Standard Mode to fix your iPhone problems without losing data. Later, click Confirm to move on.

Step 3You can see the information about your iPhone on the main interface. Click Optimize to start fixing iPhone problems.

Part 3. How to Restore iPhone from Backup

After fixing iCloud or iTunes could not restore on iPhone errors, you can continue to restore iPhone from the backup. Here is the tutorial on restoring iPhone with an iTunes or iCloud backup.

Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup

Step 1Open the Settings app on iPhone.

Step 2Choose General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 3You will be in the Apps & Data screen. Tap Restore from iCloud backup.

Step 4Sign in to your iCloud account.

Step 5Choose the latest iCloud backup file to restore.

Step 6Tap Next followed by Agree to restore iPhone from iCloud backup. 

Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

Step 1Update iTunes to the latest version. Plug iPhone into the computer with a USB cable.

Step 2Force restart iPhone. Do not release the buttons until the Apple logo appears. Later, wait to see the Connect to iTunes screen.

Step 3Your iPhone will be put into the recovery mode. Go back to the computer. You can see a message pops up.

Step 4Choose Restore to restore iPhone with the recent iTunes backup file.

Flexibly Restore iPhone from iTunes or iCloud Backup with FoneLab

It does not matter if you want to restore from iTunes or iCloud backup on your new iPhone. But if you want to get back the selected files without data overwritten, definitely FoneLab iPhone Data Recovery is your must-have program. You can easily choose and preview a certain file to recover iOS data. No data are overwritten or deletion will occur. Even though you have no recent backup, you can still recover from your iDevice directly.

1. Recover from iTunes backup selectively without replacing the existing data.
2. Scan, preview and recover from iCloud backup flexibly with your Apple account.
3. Recover contacts, notes, messages, videos, music, safari history and up to 19 kinds of data from your iPhone without any backup.
4. Support all models of iOS devices running iOS 13 and earlier.

FoneLab for iOS

With FoneLab for iOS, you will recover the lost/deleted iPhone data including photos, contacts, videos, files, WhatsApp, Kik, Snapchat, WeChat and more data from your iCloud or iTunes backup or device.

• Recover photos, videos, contacts, WhatsApp, and more data with ease.
• Preview data before recovery.
• iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are available.

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How to Restore from iTunes Backup with FoneLab

Step 1Launch iPhone Data Recovery.

Step 2In the Recover from iTunes Backup File section, choose the latest iTunes backup file.

Step 3Click Start Scan to extract all data from this iTunes backup.

Step 4Choose a certain file type in the left pane. Now you can select, preview and recover iPhone with iTunes backup safely.

How to Restore from iCloud Backup with FoneLab

Step 1Download and install iPhone Data Recovery. Choose Recover from iCloud Backup File on the main interface.

Step 2Sign in to your iCloud account. You can get a list of all available iCloud backup files.

Step 3Click Download and Scan to download the certain iCloud backup file.

Step 4Double-click on the file to preview details. Click Recover to recover the selected files from iCloud backup.

Firstly, you can reboot iPhone, relaunch App Store and reset networking settings to troubleshoot iPhone cannot restore backup. If those methods do not work, you can run iOS System Recovery software to safely fix iPhone problems. After that, you can have another try to restore iPhone with iTunes or iCloud backup.

To protect iPhone files from being replaced or deleted, it is recommended to use FoneLab iPhone Data Recovery. You can free download the program to get more features right now.