How to backup iPhone: iCloud, Windows & Mac

There are a number of reasons why you might need to backup your iPhone. Perhaps you are changing to a newer model of the Apple iPhone and want to transfer all of your data, apps, settings and other content to your new device. You might also run into a situation where it’s necessary to return your iPhone to factory settings and you need to wipe your phone clean of everything.

It is advisable to regularly create backups of your phone’s contents, so that nothing gets lost either due to an accident or some other unexpected issue. There are different ways for you to backup your iPhone. We’ll walk you through the different steps so you can keep your precious data safe and available for backup.

Method 1: iCloud backup

One way to create a backup of your iPhone is to use iCloud. Here’s how you can use iCloud to backup your iPhone.

1. Make sure that you have a stable WiFi connection.
2. Go to your iPhone’s Settings
3. Press the picture of your Apple ID
4. Press “iCloud” and then “iCloud Backup”
5. Press “Back Up Now”.
6. Your iPhone will now create a backup into iCloud.

In case you want to have your phone do a backup automatically, you can toggle the “iCloud” -selection at the top of the “iCloud Backup” -page. To do this, your iPhone has to be charging and have a Wifi connection. Remember to also check that you have enough storage space in iCloud to store all of your data.

Method 2: iTunes backup with a Windows computer

Another way to backup your iPhone is through iTunes on your Windows PC.

1. Make sure that you have installed iTunes on your Windows PC.
2. Connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.
3. Locate and press the iPhone button in iTunes (an icon depicting a smartphone on the top-left corner).
4. In the “Backups” -section, select “This Computer”.
5. Check the “Encrypt local backup” -checkbox if you wish to encrypt the data. This requires you to also come up with and insert a password.
6. Press the “Back Up Now” -button.
7. Wait for your iPhone to back up on iTunes.
8. Done!

Method 3: Backup using Finder on an Apple Mac

1. Start by connecting your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.
2. Locate and select your phone in the computer’s Finder.
3. Check the “Encrypt local backup” -checkbox if you wish to encrypt the data. This requires you to also come up with and insert a password.
4. Press the “Back Up Now” -button.
5. Wait for your iPhone to back up locally on your Mac.
6. Done!

Summary: How to backup your iPhone

We just went through three methods that you can use to create an iPhone backup. Now you can restore your backup whenever you need to, for example when migrating to a new Apple smartphone or when something unexpected happens and you lost some or all of your data.

Make sure to backup your iPhone regularly either in the cloud or locally on your PC or Mac device. You can also set up an automatic backup into the cloud with iCloud for instance.