Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

How to back up an iPhone using Mac, iCloud or PC

By and

Backing up your iPhone will come in handy if you ever lose your phone or need to transfer contacts to a new device. Your iPhone probably contains thousands of pictures of places you visited, the moments you shared, and adorable pet photos you captured.

Backups are also a good way to restore your phone if something happens to iOS, or you’re sick of dealing with a buggy beta. We recommend creating regular backups of your phone to avoid losing pictures, contacts, and any important files that you’ve downloaded.

Recommended Videos

Thankfully, backing up an iPhone is easy, and you can update your backup automatically. This guide shows you how to back up an iPhone using Finder, iTunes, and iCloud.

Related

MacOS Catalina or newer: Use Finder

Apple did away with iTunes as we know it on MacOS Catalina. In its place is a new Music app with the iTunes logo. However, it’s not used for iPhone backups. Instead, Apple moved that functionality to Finder.

MacOS Finder Trust iPhone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 1: Plug your iPhone into your Mac running MacOS Catalina or newer. Note that on modern MacBooks, you’ll need a USB-C adapter or a USB-C-to-Lightning cable.

Step 2: Open Finder and select the iPhone listed on the left.

Step 3: Click the blue Trust button displayed on the right.

Step 4: On the iPhone, a Trust This Computer prompt appears. Tap Trust and enter the passcode to continue.

MacOS Back Up iPhone Now
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Back in Finder, click the Back Up Now button under the General tab.

A status bar along the bottom will show the backup progress. This may take some time, so go grab a snack during the wait. Take note that Finder also provides tools to encrypt the local backup (enabled by default), restore an iPhone from a backup, sync all media to the Mac, and so on.

MacOS Mojave and earlier, or Windows 10: Use iTunes

While Apple is phasing iTunes out, it still works on Macs running MacOS Mojave and earlier, and Windows 10 PCs. It can act as a great backup utility for your iPhone’s most important memories. The following instructions are based on iTunes for Windows 10.

iTunes Select iPhone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 1: Connect the iPhone to your Mac or Windows 10 PC’s USB port. You may need a USB-C adapter or a USB-C-to-Lightning cable, depending on the PC.

Step 2: Open iTunes and click Continue on the prompt. It merely asks if the computer can access the connected iPhone.

Step 3: On the iPhone, a Trust This Computer prompt appears. Tap Trust and enter the passcode to continue.

Step 4: In iTunes, click the little iPhone button near the top left corner, as shown above. If iTunes doesn’t appear to recognize your device, follow these Apple help steps.

iTunes Windows 10 Back Up Now
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Select Summary listed on the left.

Step 6: Select Encrypt Local Backup, type a password, and then click Set Password if you want to encrypt the backup. Make sure to remember your chosen password or store it in a password manager.

Step 7: Click the Back Up Now button listed under Backups.

When the backup process is complete, look for an entry under Latest Backups to confirm whether the backup was successful.

How to use iCloud

Apple’s iCloud service can control backups manually or automatically while quickly transferring your files to a remote cloud server. When you enable this particular feature, you don’t have to stress about losing your images and other essential data if one of your iCloud-connected devices kicks the bucket. 

If you have a free account, you’ll get only 5GB of data storage space. Chances are, that won’t be enough room to back up every single media file you have. Still, Apple offers three premium storage options that give you a maximum of 2TB of space.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on your name (aka Apple ID).

Step 2: Tap iCloud. If you’ve never linked your iCloud, you can go into it now and choose what applications it will automatically back up.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup.

Step 4: Tap the Toggle next to iCloud Backup to turn it on (green).

Step 5: To manually back up the iPhone now, tap Back Up Now.You’ll immediately get confirmation of the backup under the Back Up Now button. Check out our in-depth guide on using iCloud for more information on both iCloud and your iOS devices’ platforms and operating systems.

Safe and secure

Proper backups are a surefire method to secure your private information and make sure it remains safe and sound. Meanwhile, your heavy-duty phone case will guard your phone’s hardware against any potential damage. The only way you can be confident that you won’t lose all your precious cell phone —apps, music, images, videos, and more—is to back up your iPhone on a regular basis. If you’re interested in learning more, you can also read the handy guide we developed on how to reset an iPhone.

Editor’s Note: Verified accuracy on April 6, 2023.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Hill
Simon Hill
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…
How to find your phone number on iPhone or Android
Someone holding up an iPhone 14 to their ear.

Let's face it: Most of us don't call our own phones very often. If you're like most people, this means you probably don't know your own phone number off-hand, especially if you rarely give it out to people or haven't had it for long, such as after setting up a new account or changing your number after moving to a new town.

To make things even more complicated, many modern smartphones let you set up more than one line using an eSIM, which gives you more than one number to remember.

Read more
Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.

Read more
Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

While the iPhone 15 may be Apple’s most recent iPhone release, that only makes the iPhone 14 a better way to save. The iPhone 14 isn’t far removed from being among the best phones on the market, and it’s still a powerhouse option for most smartphone users. There are a lot of ways to save on an iPhone 14, with shopping refurbished models being one of the best. You'll get a good warranty and a large return window shopping refurbished with most major retailers, which makes them some of the best iPhone 14 deals you'll find. With so many to take advantage of right now, we thought we’d do the heavy lifting and put all of the best iPhone 14 deals together in one place. Reading onward you’ll find some impressive savings on all models of the Apple iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $479, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $479

Read more