How to back up iphone from itunes

If you are unsure whether to back up in iCloud or iTunes click on the link for information on what each does.

Use iCloud to back up your iOS devices if you want an automatic backup solution, you want to restore data to your device from almost anywhere via Wi-Fi, you don’t connect your iOS device to a Mac or PC very frequently, or you don't own a Mac or PC.

Use iTunes if you frequently use the computer that hosts your backups, you don't have an iCloud account or don't want to use iCloud, you want on-site and networked backups, or you'd like to have a manual or secondary backup to use with an iCloud one.

Get help deciding whether to use iCloud or iTunes to back up the content on your iOS device.

iCloud Backup provides an easy and reliable backup solution for customers who want to back up their iOS devices wirelessly and automatically.

Back up

If you're using iCloud, it can automatically back up your data. To back up using iCloud:

1. Tap Settings > iCloud > Backup.
If you're using iOS 7 or earlier, tap Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.

2. Tap iCloud Backup to turn it on.

3. Tap Back Up Now.

Once you've turned on iCloud Backup, you won't need to come back to this screen to back up your device. You can check when the latest back up happened, however, under Back Up Now.

Restore

If you have a new iOS device, or if you need to restore your iOS device to resolve an issue:

1. Turn on your device. You should see a Hello screen.

2. Follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant until you get to the Set Up screen.

3. Select Restore from iCloud Backup.

4. Select a backup.

You can go through the iOS Setup Assistant again by erasing all the content on the device. Just tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. This will remove all content from your device, so do this only if you already have a backup. The iOS Setup Assistant is the only way to restore a backup.

You can use iTunes to back up and restore your content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Back up

To back up the content on your iOS device to iTunes on your computer:

1. Make sure your computer has the latest version of iTunes.
2. Connect your iOS device to your computer.
3. Choose File > Devices > Back up.
   If you're using iTunes 10.7 or earlier, right-click the device and choose Backup Now.

You can also back up by syncing your iOS device with your computer. When you use iTunes to sync, backing up is the first step.

To check that the backup finished successfully, open iTunes Preferences and select the Devices tab. You'll see the name of the device along with the date and time iTunes created the backup.

Backing up your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad is becoming increasingly important as more and more data is being stored on these devices. Just remember, as you take more photos on your device, and send more messages, the more precious data you could potentially lose if anything was to happen to it.

If you make regular backups, however, if your iPhone was to break, or data was to get lost after an iOS update, you would be able to safely recover your data using your iPhone backup!

Creating a backup is also essential if you want to transfer your data from an old iPhone to a new one.

This guide provides details of 4 ways to backup your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and info of what data is stored in different types of backup.

Quick jump to...

1. Backup iPhone to iCloud
2. Selectively backup iPhone data to your computer
3. Backup iPhone using iTunes
4. Backup using Finder on macOS Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey or Ventura

• Extra: Transfer data from iPhone to iPhone

How to back up iPhone to iCloud

iCloud backups are great for several reasons: all your iPhone backup data is stored in the cloud, rather than on your computer, so you don't take up valuable space; and you can then access your backup data from anywhere with Wi-Fi (as long as you know your Apple ID and password, of course!). You can even set up automatic iCloud backups for whenever your iPhone is connected to power, locked and on Wi-Fi - so you don't have to worry about doing it manually.

The downsides here are that you only get 5GB of free iCloud storage space. If you need more, you'll have to pay for it. It is also worth noting that iCloud backups do not contain your music, playlists and other audio / video content, and you can't access iCloud backups to selectively copy out specific songs, messages etc.

What does iCloud backup include?

Here's how to back up iPhone with iCloud...

1. Open 'Settings' from the app screen on your iPhone.
2. Tap your username entry.
3. Scroll down and hit 'iCloud' > 'iCloud Backup'.
4. Tap 'Back Up Now'.

And then...

Summary (iCloud):

✔ Stores backups in iCloud
✔ 5GB free storage (payment needed for more)
✔ Encrypted backups
✔ Create and use backups over Wi-Fi
✔ Able to use backup to restore to iPhone

Selectively backup iPhone data to your computer

If you wish to be fully in control which of your iPhone data is backed up to your computer, we recommend the TouchCopy software. This option is for users who desire ease-of-use and an intuitive interface, as well as extra control enabling you to backup individual photos, contacts, messages etc. Additionally, iTunes and iCloud backups do not contain certain files such your songs and music videos, which can all be saved with TouchCopy.

TouchCopy can access your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch data, allowing you to browse through it on your PC or Mac computer. From there, you can choose what to copy from your device to your computer. You can transfer music from iPhone to a PC or Mac, backup contacts, save messages as PDF or print them off, TouchCopy can do it all. Here's how:

1. Download TouchCopy on your computer and run it.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable or a Wi-Fi connection.
3. Navigate through your iPhone data using the tabs in TouchCopy.
4. Select data you wish to backup to your PC or Mac, and copy it!

Summary (TouchCopy):

✔ Stores files on your PC or Mac
✔ Can save all files on your iPhone including your music and videos
✔ Store data up to your computer's available space
✔ Transfer only what you need to your computer
✔ Full control of what is transferred between iPhone and computer
✔ Popular and Trusted software

Find out more about TouchCopy

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How to back up iPhone using iTunes

In this method we'll cover is backing up using iTunes. This backup is similar to the iCloud backup, in that you can use the backup to restore the snapshot to your iPhone. The difference here is that the iPhone backup will be stored on your computer, rather than in the cloud- so you don't have to worry about paying for extra space, but you won't be able to access the backup over Wi-Fi on another computer.

What does iTunes backup include?

Here's how to back up iPhone with iTunes...

1. Launch iTunes on your computer.
2. Connect your iPhone.
3. In iTunes, click your device icon.
4. Under 'Backups' click 'Back Up Now'.

Summary (iTunes):

✔ Stores backups on PC or Mac
✔ Optional backup encryption
✔ Create and use backups on your PC or Mac
✔ Able to use backup to restore to iPhone

Backup using Finder on macOS Catalina and higher

Our final method covers those of you who are using macOS Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey or Ventura. As you may have noticed, iTunes has now been replaced with the Music app on systems running Catalina and newer macOS versions. As such, the steps to back up your iPhone have changed slightly.

Rather than using iTunes to back up your iPhone, you'll now need to use the Finder app. Here's how it's done:

1. Launch Finder on your Mac.
2. Connect your iPhone.
3. Select your device from the list.
4. Choose "Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac".
5. Click 'Back Up Now'.

You can also choose to back up your iPhone to iCloud from here. To do this, simply choose "Back up your most important data on your iPhone to iCloud" before clicking "Backup Now".

Note: If you wish to save Health and Activity data from your device, you'll need to encrypt your backup. To do this, click the "Encrypt device backup" checkbox. You'll be prompted to set a password to protect your encrypted backup. Make sure you keep your password safe, as you'll need this to access or recover your encrypted backup.

Summary (macOS Catalina and higher):

✔ Stores backups on Mac
✔ Optional backup encryption
✔ Create and use backups on your Mac
✔ Able to use backup to restore to iPhone

Extra: How do I backup my iPhone before I get a new one?

If you are getting a new iPhone and you want to transfer your data from your old one, you can do so with a backup of your old device.

Setting up your new iPhone with your backup means that your new iPhone will have all your music, photos, messages and other app data right from the off!

To do this, back up your old iPhone to iCloud, iTunes or Finder using the methods above. Then, when setting up your new iPhone, on the "Apps & Data" screen, choose to Restore from your iCloud or iTunes backup.

Why can't I backup my iPhone on iTunes?

How do I backup my entire iPhone?

How do I backup my iPhone without iCloud?