How to restore apps and games on your iPhone or iPad.
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Got a new iPhone or iPad that you’re not restoring from a backup? Want to start over with your old device? After setting up your phone or tablet, it’s time to restore your favorite apps and games.
How to find previously installed apps
If you want to start fresh with your new iPhone or iPad, it’s best not to restore from a backup. A freshly reset iPhone or iPad is error-free, crashes less often, and gives you better battery life.
Still, you want access to all your favorite apps. Sure, you can search and download each one, but there’s a better way to get a list of all your previously downloaded apps and games.
Open the App Store and go to the “Today” tab. Tap your profile icon in the upper right corner to view your account information.
From here, tap “Purchased.”
On the next screen, tap “My Purchases.”
Here, you’ll see all the apps and games you’ve downloaded or purchased with your iCloud account. The list is sorted in reverse chronological order, so the most recent downloads appear first.
At the top of the screen, tap “Not on this iPhone/iPad” to see a list of apps and games you haven’t downloaded yet.
Find the apps you want to restore and then tap the download icon to start the installation process.
If you’ve built a long list over the years, tap the “Search” box at the top to find a specific app in your purchase history.
How to restore apps from an iCloud backup or an old device
The only time you can restore apps from an iCloud backup is when you’re setting up an iPhone or iPad. Starting with iOS 12.4 and later, Apple changed this process. During the setup process, you will see a screen called “Transfer your data”. From here, you can wirelessly transfer apps and data from your old iOS device or iCloud.
Tap “Transfer from iPhone/iPad” to wirelessly transfer data from an old device, or tap “Download from iCloud” to restore from an iCloud backup.
If your device is running iOS 12.3 or earlier, you’ll see the “Apps & data” screen during the setup process. Here, tap on “Restore from iCloud Backup” and sign in with your iCloud account.
Tap “Choose Backup,” then select from your list of available iCloud backups. Then wait until your iCloud backup is restored. All your apps will be downloaded from the App Store automatically, and the backup will restore all your app and game data. You won’t need to sign in or set up your apps and games again.
How to restore apps from an iTunes backup
If you’re on the free 5GB tier of iCloud, iTunes is a better way to make a full iPhone or iPad backup. Also, if you choose the Encrypted Backup option, you can also backup personal data such as Face ID, HomeKit data, and Health app data. This way, when you restore your iPhone or iPad, all your apps and games, app data, iCloud data, and personal information are available in the same state they were in when you last backed up.
Before you can restore data to your new device, you must back up your old one. If you still have it, open iTunes on your Mac or PC, and then connect your iOS device. Click the “Devices” button on the top toolbar to go to the device management screen. From here, find the “Backups” section and switch to “This Computer” for backup mode. Click “Back Up Now” to backup your old iOS device.
To restore an iTunes backup, connect your new device to your computer. Select your device in the toolbar and click “Restore Backup”.
In the next pop-up window, choose the backup you want from the list, type the password if it is encrypted, and wait for your apps and games to be restored to their previous states. When you see the “Hello” screen on your iPhone or iPad, you can use your device.
iCloud and iTunes backups are a package; they backup and restore every app and game on your device.
Use a third-party backup and restore app
In some cases, you may want more control over the backup process. For example, maybe you just want to back up and restore individual apps, games, or app data. In these situations, you can use a third-party iOS device management app, such as .
Open the iMazing app, connect your iOS device, and click “Restore a Backup” to start the process.
The full version is $44.99, but it’s worth it if you don’t want to use iTunes to manage your iOS device.
