RindrawProcreate on a new iPad: iCloud and moving your art
Procreate doesn't sync with iCloud, and the iCloud switch you may have turned on doesn't back up your Gallery. Here's where your art really is, how to move it to a new iPad safely, and what to do when a restore from iCloud gets stuck.
For Procreate 5.4. From Procreate's Handbook and Community, where these threads have been read over 160,000 times. Checked November 2, 2026.
Where your Procreate art actually is
Procreate keeps the Gallery inside the app, on the iPad. Its moderators put it plainly: your work is always inside the Procreate app, nowhere else. There's no iCloud sync, so a second iPad doesn't see it, and deleting Procreate deletes it.
The iCloud option you may see under Procreate in the iPad's Settings isn't a backup of the Gallery either. It only decides where files go when you export them yourself. Moderators have seen artists lose work believing that setting saved it.
What does hold the Gallery: an iPad backup (iCloud Backup or a computer) that includes Procreate, which Procreate's team confirms it does by default, and anything you've exported yourself as .procreate files. Our guide to backing up Procreate artworks covers making both.
Moving to a new iPad
The whole-device ways bring the Gallery across with everything else:
- Quick Start, iPad to iPad. Setting up the new iPad next to the old one transfers apps and their data directly, Procreate's Gallery included.
- Restore from a backup. Restore the new iPad from the old one's iCloud or computer backup. A backup on a computer restores faster than iCloud for a large Gallery.
The safest way is to also move the art yourself: on the old iPad, select artworks in the Gallery, Share them as .procreate to Files (iCloud Drive or a drive), and on the new one import them with Gallery › Import. Do the same for custom brushes and palettes. Then nothing depends on a restore working.
An iCloud restore stuck on Procreate
Procreate stuck "waiting" or partway, at 55% in one well-read thread, is common after restoring from iCloud. A large Gallery is many gigabytes, and the app downloads after the iPad has finished setting up.
- Give it time, plugged in, on Wi-Fi. Moderators report restores taking days; Procreate's team heard of one taking a week. Keep the iPad charging and on a fast connection, and don't delete or reinstall Procreate while it's waiting: that throws the download away.
- Check it's still going. Procreate's icon on the Home Screen shows a progress ring while it downloads; as long as that moves, leave it.
- If it truly fails, contact Apple Support before erasing anything, and try restoring from a computer backup if you have one. Keep the old iPad untouched until the new one has everything.
How Rindraw keeps drawings
We make Rindraw. Each drawing is a file in a folder you can see in Files, and with iCloud Drive on, every iPad, iPhone and Mac signed in to your Apple Account has the same library, so a new device has your drawings as soon as it's set up. Deleted drawings stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Rindraw opens .procreate files with their layers, if you'd like to bring your Gallery across.
Questions
Does Procreate sync with iCloud?
No. Procreate keeps its Gallery inside the app on each iPad. The iCloud setting under Procreate only decides where files you export go. The Gallery is saved in iPad backups (iCloud Backup or a computer) that include Procreate.
How do I move Procreate to a new iPad?
Use Quick Start or restore the new iPad from the old one's backup; both bring the Gallery. To be safe, also export your artworks as .procreate to Files and import them on the new iPad, with your custom brushes and palettes.
Why is Procreate stuck restoring from iCloud?
A large Gallery can take days to download after a restore. Keep the iPad plugged in on Wi-Fi, and don't delete or reinstall Procreate while it waits, which loses the download.
I turned on iCloud for Procreate. Where are my files?
That setting only stores files you export yourself. Your artworks are still in Procreate's Gallery on the iPad, and in any iPad backup that includes Procreate.
Sources
- Procreate Handbook (5.4), Import and share artworks: sharing artworks to Files and iCloud Drive; Gallery import.
- Procreate Community, iCloud is on, so where are my files?: about 55,000 views; the setting doesn't back up the Gallery; Procreate's team confirms iCloud Backups include Procreate by default.
- Procreate Community, iCloud backup: about 44,000 views; no iCloud sync, but an iCloud backup of the iPad includes Procreate's files.
- Procreate Community, iCloud restore, Procreate stuck at 55%: about 29,000 views; restores taking days, reportedly up to a week.
- Procreate Community, Restoring my work from iCloud Backup: about 22,000 views; iCloud struggles with apps holding a lot of data; computer backups and separate .procreate exports recommended.
- Procreate Community, iCloud's Procreate backups, where?: about 10,000 views; work is always inside the app; back up artworks individually.
Related guides
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Procreate is a trademark of Savage Interactive Pty Ltd, and Apple Pencil, iPad and iCloud of Apple. Rindraw is made by Sawir Studio and isn't affiliated with Procreate or Savage Interactive.
