You’re staring at your screen, and there it is. That annoying, vague, slightly panicked notification: the data couldn't be read because it is missing. It usually pops up right when you’re trying to restore a backup, update an app, or simply open a file you haven't touched in months. It feels like the digital equivalent of reaching into your pocket for your keys and realizing there's a hole in the fabric. The keys are gone, but you have no idea where they dropped or how to get them back.
Honestly, it’s one of the most frustrating errors in the Apple ecosystem—though it occasionally creeps into other software too—because it doesn't tell you what is missing. Is it a single line of code? A corrupted photo? An entire database entry?
Most people assume their data is gone forever. Dead. Scrubbed from the earth. But that’s rarely the case. Usually, the "missing" part isn't the actual content, but the pointer or the "map" that tells the software how to find that content. If the map is torn, the computer gives up and throws this error.
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Why This Error Happens (The Non-Techy Version)
Think of your data like a massive library. When you ask your phone or computer to open a file, it doesn't just wander around the stacks looking for it. It goes to the card catalog. The error the data couldn't be read because it is missing basically means the card catalog says the book is on Shelf B, but when the system gets to Shelf B, it’s empty. Or, more likely, the card itself is blank.
This often happens during a "handshake" process. For example, when you’re moving data from an iPhone to a Mac, or from iCloud to a new device, the two systems have to agree on what’s being moved. If the connection drops for even a millisecond, or if a local cache file gets corrupted, the handshake fails. The system looks for a file it was told would be there, finds nothing, and panics.
Sometimes, it’s a permissions issue. Your software might be looking right at the file, but because a security certificate expired or a user ID changed, it literally "cannot see" it. To the software, if it can't see it, it's missing.
The Common Culprits in iOS and macOS
If you're seeing this while trying to restore an iPhone backup, you're not alone. It’s a classic. Usually, this points toward a corrupted backup file on your computer or a version mismatch between the backup and the device.
If your backup was made on iOS 17.4 and you’re trying to put it on a phone running 17.1, the phone might throw the the data couldn't be read because it is missing error because it doesn't recognize the new data structures. It's looking for the "old" way of organizing things.
- Corrupted Plist Files: These are little preference files that act as the brain of your apps. If a
.plistfile gets a glitch, the whole app might stop reading its own data. - Interrupted Downloads: If you’re downloading a massive update and your Wi-Fi flickers, the "manifest" of that download might say it's finished when it actually isn't.
- Third-Party Security Software: Sometimes, aggressive antivirus programs "quarantine" a piece of a backup because it looks suspicious. The restore process then fails because a piece of the puzzle is in digital jail.
Real-World Fixes That Actually Work
Don't start formatting your hard drive just yet. Most of the time, this is fixable with a little bit of digital elbow grease.
First, try the "Zombie Restart." No, not just turning it off and on. For an iPhone, you want a force restart (Volume Up, Volume Down, hold Power). For a Mac, clearing the NVRAM or PRAM can sometimes shake loose the cobwebs that cause these reading errors. It sounds like a cliché, but clearing the temporary memory often resets those "pointers" we talked about earlier.
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Check Your Software Versions
If you are trying to restore a backup to a new iPhone and get the the data couldn't be read because it is missing error, stop. Set the new phone up as a "New iPhone" first—don't transfer anything. Once you get to the home screen, go to Settings and update the software to the absolute latest version.
Now, erase the phone again (Reset All Content and Settings) and try the restore. 90% of the time, this fixes the version mismatch that was causing the data to go "missing."
The "Stale Backup" Problem
If you're using iTunes (or Finder on newer Macs), your old backups might be getting in the way. Sometimes the system tries to "append" new data to an old, buggy backup file.
- Open Finder.
- Go to your Backup folder (usually in
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/). - Move your old backups to an external drive or just rename the folder.
- Try creating a fresh backup.
If the error happens while creating a backup, it means there is likely a specific app on your phone with corrupted data. Try deleting apps you don't use, especially those with large caches like TikTok or Instagram, and then try backing up again.
When It’s an App Development Issue
If you're a developer and you're seeing this in Xcode or while testing an app, the stakes are a bit different. Usually, this happens when the Info.plist is missing a key or the "Build Phase" didn't properly copy a resource into the app bundle.
Basically, your code is calling for ImageA.png, but ImageA.png wasn't included in the final package. The app runs, looks for the image, and tells the user the data couldn't be read because it is missing.
Check your target membership. Make sure the file you're trying to read is actually checked off to be included in the build. It's a tiny checkbox, but it's caused many a late-night headache for devs everywhere.
Dealing with iCloud Sync Glitches
iCloud is great until it isn't. Sometimes, your Mac will show a file with a little cloud icon, but when you double-click it, you get the "missing data" error. This is usually a local cache issue.
The fix? Sign out of iCloud and sign back in.
Warning: This is a pain. It will take time to re-index everything. But it forces the system to rebuild the "map" from scratch. If the map was the problem, this solves it.
Also, check your storage. If your iCloud is 99.9% full, the system sometimes fails to write the "metadata" for new files. It creates the file name, but it doesn't have the space to save the actual data bits. Result? You guessed it: the data couldn't be read because it is missing.
Is My Data Actually Gone?
Probably not.
Unless your hard drive made a grinding sound or your phone took a swim in a salt-water pool, the physical "bits" are likely still there. The error is a communication failure. Think of it like a librarian who can't find a book because someone put it back on the wrong shelf. The book isn't "missing" from the building; it’s just missing from where it's supposed to be.
If you’re desperate, there are tools like iMazing or various data recovery suites that can dig deeper into a backup than iTunes can. These tools often ignore the "missing" flags and just scrape the drive for anything that looks like a photo or a contact.
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Actionable Next Steps to Resolve the Error
If you are currently staring at this error, follow this sequence. Don't skip steps.
Update everything. Ensure the source device and the target device are on the exact same OS version. This is the single biggest cause of "missing" data during transfers.
Check the cable. If you're doing a wired transfer, use an original Apple cable. Cheap third-party cables often have "noise" in the data transfer. This noise can corrupt a file mid-transfer, leading the receiving device to report the data as missing because the checksum doesn't match.
Free up space. Ensure you have at least 10-15% of your total storage free on both devices. Systems need "scratch space" to move data around. If there's no room to breathe, the data "drops" during the move.
Rename the backup folder. If you're on a Mac or PC, find your backup folder and add "_OLD" to the end of it. Force the software to create a brand-new, clean directory.
Check for specific file corruption. If the error happens with one specific file, try opening it in a different program. If a PDF won't open in Preview, try Chrome. If it opens there, resave it as a new PDF. This "launders" the data and often fixes the missing header information.
The reality is that the data couldn't be read because it is missing is a catch-all for "something went wrong and I don't know how to fix it." By manually resetting the connection, updating the software, and clearing out old cache files, you're doing the troubleshooting that the software is too lazy to do for itself.
Stay patient. Data is rarely "missing" in the sense of being deleted; it’s usually just lost in the shuffle of a messy digital transition.