Why you need a backup and what it protects

A backup is a copy of everything on your iPhone — photos, messages, contacts, app data, settings — stored somewhere other than the phone itself. If your iPhone is lost, stolen, or stops working, a backup lets you restore all that information to a new phone or the same one after repair. Without a backup, that data is gone.

Your iPhone stores backups in two places: iCloud (Apple's cloud service) and your computer. A computer backup has one advantage: you control it physically, and it's not dependent on internet speed or iCloud storage limits. Most people use both methods for safety.

Key Takeaways

  • Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable, open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows), and click Back Up Now to create a full backup on your computer.
  • Your computer backup includes everything except data already stored in iCloud, like photos in iCloud Photo Library.
  • Backups are encrypted by default on newer iPhones, which means your passwords and health data are included and protected.
  • A new backup overwrites the old one, so if you want to keep multiple backups, you must manually save copies with different names.
  • Restoring from a computer backup takes 15 to 45 minutes depending on how much data you have and your USB connection speed.

How to back up on a Mac

Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable. Your Mac will recognize the phone and open Finder automatically (on macOS Catalina and later). If Finder doesn't open, click the Finder icon in the dock and look for your iPhone in the sidebar on the left.

Click your iPhone's name in the Finder sidebar. On the right side of the window, you'll see a section labeled "Backups." Under "Back up all of your iPhone data to this Mac," click the Back Up Now button. Finder will create an encrypted backup of your entire iPhone and store it on your Mac's hard drive. The backup usually takes 5 to 20 minutes depending on how much data you have.

When the backup is complete, Finder will show the date and time of the most recent backup. Leave your iPhone connected until the progress bar finishes. If you disconnect early, the backup may be incomplete.

How to back up on Windows

Connect your iPhone to your Windows computer with a USB cable. Windows will recognize the phone. Open iTunes (the app you use to manage music and media on Windows). If iTunes doesn't open automatically, click the Windows Start menu, search for "iTunes," and open it.

Click the iPhone icon in the top-left corner of iTunes. On the left sidebar, click Summary. Under the "Backups" section, click Back Up Now. iTunes will create an encrypted backup of your iPhone and store it on your Windows computer. The backup usually takes 5 to 20 minutes.

When the backup is complete, iTunes will show the date and time of the most recent backup. Keep your iPhone connected until the progress bar finishes. If you're using Windows 11 and iTunes is not available, you can read it from the Microsoft Store or use the Devices app, which works the same way.

What gets backed up and what doesn't

A computer backup includes your messages, contacts, photos stored on the phone itself, app data, settings, voicemails, call history, and health information. It does not include photos or videos already stored in iCloud Photo Library, because those are already backed up to iCloud separately. It also does not include music or videos you purchased from iTunes, because Apple stores those in your account.

If you use iCloud Photo Library, your photos are backed up to iCloud automatically and won't be duplicated in your computer backup. If you use the iPhone's local photo storage instead, all photos will be included in the computer backup.

Encryption and security of your backup

By default, backups created on your computer are encrypted. This means your passwords, health data, and other sensitive information are protected with a password. When you restore from an encrypted backup, you'll need to enter that password.

If you want to turn off encryption, open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows), click your iPhone's name, go to the Backups section, and uncheck the box next to "Encrypt local backup." Without encryption, your backup will be smaller and faster to create, but passwords and health data won't be included. Most people should leave encryption on.

Managing multiple backups and storage space

By default, your computer stores only one backup per iPhone. When you create a new backup, it overwrites the previous one. If you want to keep older backups, you need to manually save copies with different names before creating a new backup.

On a Mac, backups are stored in a folder at ~/Library/process Support/MobileSync/Backup/. You can copy this folder to another location and rename it with the date (for example, "iPhone Backup - January 15 2024"). On Windows, backups are stored in C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\. Copy this folder to another location and rename it.

Each backup takes up as much space as your iPhone's storage. If your iPhone has 128 GB of data, the backup will be roughly 128 GB. Make sure your computer has enough free space before backing up. You can check your iPhone's storage by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Restoring your iPhone from a computer backup

Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. Open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) and click your iPhone's name. Click Restore (not Restore Backup). Your computer will ask you to choose a backup to restore from. Select the backup you want and click Restore. If your backup is encrypted, you'll be asked to enter the password you set.

Your iPhone will restart and begin restoring. This process takes 15 to 45 minutes depending on how much data you have and your USB connection speed. Do not disconnect your iPhone during restoration. When it's complete, your iPhone will restart again and show your home screen with all your data restored.

If you're setting up a new iPhone for the first time, you can choose to restore from a backup during the setup process instead of connecting to a computer. This is called "Restore from Backup" and works the same way but happens wirelessly if you're restoring from an iCloud backup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I back up my iPhone while using it?

Yes, you can use your iPhone while a backup is running. However, the backup will be slower and may not capture changes you make during the backup process. For the fastest and most complete backup, it's best to leave your iPhone untouched until the backup finishes.

What if my backup fails or gets interrupted?

If your backup is interrupted, the incomplete backup is usually deleted automatically. Try again by reconnecting your iPhone and clicking Back Up Now. Make sure your USB cable is working properly and your computer has enough free space. If the backup keeps failing, try restarting both your iPhone and your computer.

Do I need both a computer backup and an iCloud backup?

No, but having both is safer. An iCloud backup is automatic and accessible from anywhere, while a computer backup is faster and doesn't use your iCloud storage. If your iPhone is lost, an iCloud backup lets you restore to a new phone when ready. A computer backup is useful if iCloud is full or if you want a backup you control physically.

How often should I back up my iPhone?

Back up your iPhone at least once a week, or more often if you create a lot of new photos, messages, or app data. If you use iCloud backup, your iPhone backs up automatically every night when it's plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi, so you don't need to remember to do it manually.

Can I restore a backup to a different iPhone model?

Yes, you can restore a backup from an older iPhone to a newer one without problems. Restoring from a newer iPhone to an older one may not work if the older model doesn't support all the features or apps on the newer phone. In that case, some apps and data may be skipped during restoration.