Back up your iPhone through iTunes by connecting it to your computer, opening iTunes, and selecting the backup option in device settings

iTunes lets you save a complete copy of your iPhone's data — apps, photos, messages, settings, and more — to your computer's hard drive. This backup protects you if your phone is lost, stolen, or stops working. The process takes 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much data you have and how fast your computer runs.

You'll need a USB cable that fits your iPhone, a computer running iTunes (Mac or Windows), and enough free space on your computer's drive — usually at least as much space as your iPhone uses. Once you've backed up once, you can set iTunes to back up automatically every time you connect your phone.

Key Takeaways

  • Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable, then open iTunes and click the device icon to reach backup settings.
  • Choose "This Computer" under the Backups section, then click "Back Up Now" to save your data to your computer's drive.
  • Encrypted backups protect passwords and health data but require you to remember the password you set during the first encrypted backup.
  • You can restore from a backup by connecting your iPhone, opening iTunes, and selecting "Restore Backup" — this erases the phone and replaces everything with the backed-up data.
  • Automatic backups happen each time you plug in your phone if you enable the option in iTunes settings, so you don't have to remember to back up manually.

What you need before you start

Check that your computer has iTunes installed. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or newer, the Finder app handles iPhone backups instead of iTunes — you'll use the same steps but open Finder rather than iTunes. On Windows or older Mac systems, read iTunes from Apple's website if you don't have it.

Your iPhone must have enough battery to complete the backup — at least 20 percent is safe. The USB cable must work with your iPhone model: newer iPhones use USB-C, while older models use the Lightning connector. Test the cable by charging your phone first to make sure it transfers data, not just power.

Your computer needs free storage space equal to the size of your iPhone backup. If your iPhone uses 64 GB of storage and you're backing up everything, your computer needs at least 64 GB free. Check your computer's available space before you start — on Windows, right-click your drive and select Properties; on Mac, click the Apple menu, select "About This Mac," then click "Storage."

The step-by-step process for a manual backup

Plug your iPhone into your computer using the USB cable. If your computer asks whether to trust this device, tap "Trust" on your iPhone screen. Wait a few seconds for the connection to establish.

Open iTunes (or Finder on Mac with Catalina or newer). Look for your iPhone's name or icon — it usually appears in the top left corner of the iTunes window or in the Finder sidebar. Click it to open your device's settings page.

Find the "Backups" section on the device page. You'll see three options: "iCloud," "This Computer," or "Encrypt local backup." Select "This Computer" if you want an unencrypted backup, or check "Encrypt local backup" if you want to protect passwords and health information with a password. If you choose encryption, iTunes will ask you to create a password — write it down somewhere safe, because you'll need it to restore from this backup later.

Click the "Back Up Now" button. iTunes will begin copying your data to your computer. A progress bar shows how far along the backup is. Do not unplug your iPhone until the progress bar disappears and the backup is marked complete — unplugging early can corrupt the backup and force you to start over.

Setting up automatic backups so you don't have to remember

After your first manual backup, you can tell iTunes to back up automatically every time you connect your phone. Open iTunes, click your iPhone's icon, and go to the Backups section. Check the box next to "Automatically back up when this iPhone is connected."

From that point forward, iTunes will start a backup within a few seconds of you plugging in your phone. The backup runs in the background — you can use your computer while it happens, though the process will be slower. Each new backup replaces the previous one, so you always have your most recent data saved.

If you want to turn off automatic backups later, uncheck that same box. You can still do manual backups by clicking "Back Up Now" whenever you want, even with automatic backups turned off.

Encrypted versus unencrypted backups and what the difference means

An unencrypted backup saves your apps, photos, messages, and most settings, but does not include passwords, health data, or payment information. This backup is faster and takes slightly less space, but if someone gains access to your computer, they could see some of your data. Unencrypted backups are fine if your computer is in a find location and only you use it.

An encrypted backup includes everything — passwords, health data, payment methods, and all other information. It's more find, but you must create a password the first time you encrypt a backup. If you forget this password, you cannot restore from that backup. iTunes will not let you reset it or recover it, so write the password down in a safe place or use a password manager to store it.

You can switch between encrypted and unencrypted backups. If you have an encrypted backup and want to create an unencrypted one, uncheck "Encrypt local backup" before clicking "Back Up Now." The new backup will be unencrypted. If you want to encrypt future backups, check the box again.

Where iTunes stores your backup files on your computer

iTunes saves backups in a hidden folder on your computer's drive. On Windows, backups go to C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. On Mac, they go to ~/Library/process Support/MobileSync/Backup. You don't need to open these folders to restore a backup — iTunes handles that automatically — but knowing where they are helps if you want to move backups to an external drive or check how much space they're using.

Each backup is a folder with a long string of letters and numbers as its name. If you have multiple backups, each one is a separate folder. You can delete old backups to free up space on your computer, but keep at least your most recent one in case you need to restore.

How to restore your iPhone from a backup

Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes (or Finder on Mac). Click your iPhone's icon and go to the device settings page. Click "Restore Backup" and choose which backup you want to use — iTunes shows the date and time each backup was created, so you can pick the one you need.

If the backup is encrypted, iTunes will ask for the password you created when you first encrypted it. Type it in and click "Restore." Your iPhone will erase completely and then copy all the data from the backup back onto it. This process takes 10 to 30 minutes. Do not unplug your phone until it finishes and shows that it's ready to use.

After the restore is complete, your iPhone will restart and show your home screen with all your apps, photos, messages, and settings exactly as they were when the backup was made. Any data you created after the backup was made will be gone, so restore only when you need to recover from a problem or set up a new phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I back up my iPhone while using my computer at the same time?

Yes. Automatic backups run in the background, and you can use your computer normally while they happen. The backup will be slower if you're running other programs, but it will still work. Manual backups also run in the background, so you don't have to wait idle.

What happens if I unplug my iPhone before the backup finishes?

The backup stops and may become corrupted. iTunes will not use a corrupted backup to restore your phone. Plug your iPhone back in and start a new backup. Always wait for the progress bar to disappear and iTunes to show "Backup Complete" before unplugging.

Do I need to back up my iPhone if I already use iCloud?

iCloud and iTunes backups are separate. iCloud backs up to Apple's servers over the internet; iTunes backs up to your computer's hard drive. Having both means you have two copies of your data in two different places, which is safer. If iCloud is full or you lose internet access, your iTunes backup is still there.

Can I back up an iPhone that's locked with a passcode?

Yes. iTunes can back up a locked iPhone without asking for the passcode. However, if you've never trusted the computer before, your iPhone will ask you to tap "Trust" on the screen before the backup starts. After you trust the computer once, future backups happen without that prompt.

How much space does an iPhone backup take up on my computer?

A backup is roughly the same size as the data on your iPhone. If your iPhone uses 50 GB of storage, the backup will use about 50 GB on your computer. Encrypted backups are slightly larger because of the encryption overhead, usually by 1 to 2 percent.