How to retrieve missing iPad notes after iCloud Sync

After updating my desktop to Big Sur, I lost my all my notes going back to 2017, I did not have Notes backed up on iCloud, previous posts led me to this resolution to retrieve them, try the following steps:

-must be on a desktop, not iPhone or other device

-log into iCloud on Chrome, not Safari

-select Notes

Your Notes should appear now. Unfortunately you might have to screen should, copy/paste, or save images individually, but at least you can see each note.

Was anyone able to get a resolution to this issue? Apple support basically told me to go to Gmail to see if they can help restore since my icloud account is my gmail. Not sure how to even go about this, absolutely insane to me that apple would not have a solution for this. I only intended to sync but obviously that has a different meaning for Apple, it quite literally means replace and tough luck. so disappointed, if anyone has any solutions please share. I have months work on there.

Apple I am very sad and disappointed. I noticed that Notes were not on icloud and I turned icloud on and it erased all my notes from my phone. 2 years worth of notes and important info all gone all because I turned iCloud on. I figured it would just sync my icloud with the ones on my phone because that’s what makes sense. But no it deleted every single note I had for 2 years. Can you explain why this happened?

Thank you for the reply ktlasersIE!

To confirm, the notes are currently on your iPhone, just not on your iPad? If the notes are on your iPhone and not your iPad, make sure that you are using the same iCloud account on both devices and make sure that iCloud is set up for Notes on your iPad:

Set up iCloud for Notes on all your devices - Apple Support

Otherwise, is it possible these notes are stored in a third-party account such as Yahoo or Google? Follow the actions under the "Check your account settings" section of the article we provided you and see if Notes are turned on for that account:

If you're missing notes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Keep us posted.

Hi ktlasersIE,

Thanks for that information. Contacting Apple Support is the best path forward to resolve this issue. They will be best equipped to address this:

Contact - Official Apple Support

Cheers!

This happened to me on my Macbook Air - to sync your Notes from your iCloud:

1. Click on Notes -> Accounts
2. iCloud -> Show more apps -> Notes
3. Toggle the sync button
4. Wait for Notes app to respond and upload your notes from the could.

Hope this helps.

turned on iCloud sync for notes on my iPad when I realized it wasn't on. All of my iPhone notes showed up on my iPad, but my iPad notes DISAPPEARED. Months of work GONE. PLEASE HELP!

This is what caused the notes to disappear. :-(

This just happened to me, is there any fix for this? Absolutely ridiculous. All I done was switch on iCloud synch for Notes and I lost all the notes stored on my IPhone

This is exactly what just happened to me!!! Years of notes in the making gone :( still no fix!!!

this just happened to me and I am desperately searching for a solution. Now all my quick notes are missing from iPad. I want to cry.

I was trying to erase all content and settings and then it literally backed up my iPad right there without my notes. :(

I’m sobbing.

I just had the issue on my iPad mini,

I scanned documents on my IPad notes app and turned on sync, just see all the notes I created on the IPad before the sync disappeared!!! it seems this bug has not been fixed and it is annoying. Please how do I get my notes with scanned documents back??

I just had the issue on my iPad mini,

I scanned documents on my IPad notes app and turned on sync, just see all the notes I created on the IPad before the sync disappeared!!! it seems this bug has not been fixed and it is annoying. Please how do I get my notes with scanned documents back??