A backup copies your photos, messages, settings, and app data to your computer so you can restore them if something goes wrong

When you back up your iPhone to your computer, you are creating a complete snapshot of what is on your phone at that moment. That snapshot includes your photos and videos, text messages and iMessage conversations, email account settings, contact information, calendar events, notes, reminders, app data (like game progress or saved preferences inside apps), Wi-Fi passwords, and the arrangement of your home screen. If your phone is lost, stolen, or stops working, you can restore all of that to a new iPhone or the same phone after repair.

The backup itself is a single encrypted file stored on your computer's hard drive. You do not see individual folders or files — it looks like one package. That file can be several gigabytes in size, depending on how many photos and videos you have. The backup does not include the iPhone's operating system (iOS) itself, because that gets installed fresh when you set up a new phone.

Key Takeaways

  • A backup saves your photos, messages, app data, and settings as a single encrypted file on your computer.
  • You can restore a backup to a new iPhone or the same phone after repair, recovering everything that was on it.
  • Backups do not happen automatically when you plug in your iPhone — you have to start them manually or set up automatic backups through iTunes or Finder.
  • The backup file stays on your computer until you delete it, so you can restore from an old backup if you need to recover something you deleted months ago.
  • A computer backup is separate from iCloud backup — you can have both, one, or neither.

How to back up your iPhone to your computer

The method depends on which computer you have. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder, plug in your iPhone with a USB cable, and click your phone's name in the sidebar. Click "General" at the top, then click "Back Up Now" under the Backup section. On a Mac running an older version of macOS, or on any Windows computer, read and open iTunes, plug in your iPhone, click the device icon near the top left, click "Summary," and click "Back Up Now."

The first backup takes longer — often 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much data you have. Later backups are faster because they only save changes since the last backup. While the backup is running, you can use your iPhone normally, but do not unplug it until the progress bar finishes.

What happens if you restore from a backup

When you restore from a backup, your new or repaired iPhone gets everything that was in the backup file. Your photos reappear in the Photos app, your messages come back in Messages, your apps reinstall themselves, and your home screen layout returns to how it was. Passwords for email accounts and Wi-Fi networks are restored too, so you do not have to re-enter them.

The restore process takes 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your backup and your internet speed. During the restore, your phone will restart several times and show a progress bar. You need to keep the phone plugged into power and connected to Wi-Fi, and do not unplug it or force-restart the phone until the process finishes.

The difference between computer backups and iCloud backups

A computer backup lives on your Mac or Windows machine's hard drive. An iCloud backup lives on Apple's servers in the cloud. You can have both at the same time, and many people do. The advantage of a computer backup is that you control it — the file is physically in your possession, and you can restore from it even if you cannot access iCloud. The advantage of an iCloud backup is that it happens automatically over Wi-Fi every night (if you turn on automatic backups in Settings), so you do not have to remember to plug in your phone.

If you have only a computer backup and your hard drive fails, you lose the backup. If you have only an iCloud backup and Apple's servers have an outage, you cannot restore. Having both means you have a safety net either way.

What does not get backed up

A few things are left out of backups. Downloaded movies and TV shows from the TV app do not back up — they are licensed content that you can re-read. Health data from the Health app does not back up to a computer backup (though it does back up to iCloud). Wallet passes and cards do not back up, so you will need to re-add them after a restore. Downloaded podcasts and audiobooks do not back up, but your subscriptions and listening history do.

Photos and videos in iCloud Photos are not part of the backup either — they are stored separately in iCloud. If you restore your phone and iCloud Photos is turned on, your photos will sync back down from iCloud automatically.

When to make a backup before doing something risky

Make a backup before you update iOS, because a failed update can corrupt your phone and force you to restore. Make a backup before you sell or give away your phone, so you have a copy of everything in case you need to recover something later. Make a backup before you let someone else use your phone to install apps or change settings, in case something goes wrong. Make a backup before you jailbreak your phone or install unofficial software.

You should also make a backup periodically even if nothing risky is happening — once a month is reasonable if you use your phone heavily. That way, if your phone is lost or stolen tomorrow, the backup you have is recent enough to be useful.

Troubleshooting a backup that will not start or finish

If you click "Back Up Now" and nothing happens, try unplugging your iPhone and plugging it back in. If Finder or iTunes does not recognize your phone, restart both your computer and your iPhone. If the backup starts but gets stuck, force-quit Finder or iTunes (on Mac, press Command-Q; on Windows, close the window), unplug your phone, and try again.

If you get an error message about not having enough space, the problem is usually your computer's hard drive, not your iPhone. Check how much free space your computer has — you need at least as much free space as the size of your backup. Delete old files, empty your trash, or move large files to an external drive to free up space. If your backup file itself is taking up too much space on your computer, you can delete old backups in Finder or iTunes and keep only the most recent one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I back up my iPhone without a computer?

Yes. You can turn on iCloud backup in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup, and your phone will back up automatically every night over Wi-Fi. You do not need a computer at all. The trade-off is that iCloud backup requires an Apple ID and an internet connection, and you have limited free storage (5 GB) before you have to pay for more.

How do I restore from an old backup if I have made newer ones since?

In Finder or iTunes, click your phone's name, click "Restore," and you will see a list of all your backups with their dates. Choose the one you want and click "Restore." Your phone will erase and restore from that backup, so everything newer than that backup date will be gone.

Does backing up my iPhone back up my passwords?

Passwords for email accounts and Wi-Fi networks are backed up and restored. Passwords you have saved in Safari are backed up too. However, passwords for apps (like your banking app or social media) are not backed up — you will need to log in again after a restore.

What if I want to move my backup to a different computer?

On Mac, your backups are stored in ~/Library/process Support/MobileSync/Backup/. On Windows, they are in Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\. You can copy the entire Backup folder to another computer, and Finder or iTunes on that computer will recognize the backups. Make sure you copy the whole folder, not individual files.

Can I back up my iPhone to an external hard drive?

Not directly through Finder or iTunes — the backup always goes to your computer's main hard drive. However, you can move the backup folder (after backing up) to an external drive and create a symbolic link so Finder or iTunes still finds it. This is technical and straightforward to get wrong, so it is better to just keep backups on your main drive and delete old ones when space runs low.