How can I recover IMAP notes from an account I deleted and re-added?

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Level 1

9 points

How can I recover IMAP notes from an account I deleted and re-added?

I had an IMAP account that would not sync no matter how many times I redid the password. So I removed the account and added it back. This fixed the problem, but it also removed all my IMAP notes attached to that account. (The first time I tried this, it flashed a warning message. I don't think it did the second time. Or else I missed it.)

Regardless... is there any way to retrieve the missing notes? Some of them are quite important. There should be an iCloud backup. If I reset and restore the phone to a date prior to the account removal, will that restore the notes, too? Or is there an easier way?

Thank you.

iPhone 16

Posted on Jun 7, 2025 3:36 PM

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Answer 1

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

234,020 points

Jun 7, 2025 4:09 PM in response to Swiftbow

If you signed out of an IMAP email account and the signed back in again, the notes should still be there. Have you gone into Settings>Apps>Mail, selected the account in question and then checked to see if the Notes switch was turned on? I'm not sure if iCloud would backup notes from a mail account, although I've never tried reinstalling a mail account like that. I have everything synced in iCloud. Otherwise, you may have to contact the mail provider and see if they have a backup of your notes or a way to recover/re-sync your notes.

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