How to Backup iPhone With Every Working Tools [2024 Ultimate Guide]

Creating an iPhone backup is a critical step in ensuring that your sensitive data, such as photos, videos, contacts, messages, and files, is secured in the event that something goes wrong. This definitive tutorial will lead you through every potential way to help you back up your iPhone, whether you want to save it on a Windows PC or a Mac.

I. What Does Backup iPhone Mean & Why It Is Necessary

Backup iPhone is a process that involves creating a copy of your data and storing it in a secure location. Creating a backup of your iPhone is a crucial step to ensure the safety and security of your data. In the event of unexpected data loss due to device failure, theft, or accidental deletion, having a backup of your iPhone will allow you to restore your data quickly. 

📜There are numerous reasons why you might need to back up your iPhone

Overall, backing up your iPhone is critical, and it is recommended that you do so frequently. An iPhone backup can benefit you and save you a lot of trouble if you lose your handset, upgrade to a new one, mistakenly delete data, or experience device issues.

There are various methods to create a backup of your iPhone. In this ultimate guide, we'll walk through specific steps to back up iPhone on Windows PC and Mac. Besides, we'll cover ways to back up your iPhone to external hard drives and Synology NAS. No matter what devices you use, you'll find the solution here.

We have collected and evaluated all viable tools for backing up your iPhone in terms of efficacy and difficulty. Before deciding, consult the table below to select the tool you like.

II. How to Backup iPhone on a PC

It is expected that many people are using a Windows PC and iPhone at the same time. How to save your iPhone data on a Windows PC without losing any data? Don't worry; the following part shows four viable options with step-by-step instructions.

1️⃣EaseUS MobiMover

If you are looking for the easiest and safest solution to transfer data from iPhone to Windows PC, EaseUS MobiMover is your best choice. It is a professional all-in-one iPhone transfer and backup program, ensuring a quick and secure iPhone data backup and restore. When you have too many videos and photos on your iPhone, transferring those files to PC is an excellent way to free up more storage space and keep your data backed up.

Besides, MobiMOver also allows you to transfer photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive or a flash drive. It also ensures you select files to back up instead of simultaneously backing up the entire device. MobiMover has gained tremendous popularity for backing up WhatsApp chats and attachments, so you don't need to worry about chat history losing if you backup WhatsApp iPhone to Mac or Windows PC with this EaseUS Software.

Now follow the steps below to back up your iPhone to Windows PC

Step 1. Connect your iPhone/iPad to your PC with a USB cable and click "Trust" on your device. Then launch EaseUS MobiMover and click "Backup Manager" > "Back up".

Step 2. Check the types of files you need to backup. Afterward, click the backup button to start backing up your iPhone or iPad.

Step 3. Depending on the size of the content, the time the backup will spend varies. Wait patiently for the backup to complete.

2️⃣iTunes

Regarding backing up iPhones on PC, iTunes may be the first choice of 70% of customers due to its free and straightforward solution. It will back up your iPhone with Windows 10 PC easily if you connect them via a USB or USB-C connector, and the backup is accessible anytime.

However, because of its shortcomings, not everyone enjoys iTunes. The truth is that Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Books, and Apple Podcasts have all replaced iTunes to back up iphone on macOS Catalina or higher. So iTunes is not an option if you use macOS Catalina or a later version. 🔍iTunes Shutting Down: The iTunes Alternative Worth Trying.

Furthermore, when using iTunes to backup iphone on MacOS Ventura or lower, you cannot opt to back up or restore a single file or photo, which means you can only generate a comprehensive backup of your iPhone and must convert them all at once if necessary.

Steps to back up iPhone to PC via iTunes

Step 1. Download iTunes on your Windows PC.

Step 2. Launch iTunes, connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB or USB-C cable and choose Trust on iPhone.

Step 3. Tap the iPhone icon in the iTunes App on PC in the top-left corner.

Step 4. Click Summary > Back Up Now to start the backup process.

If you want to protect your backups, check the option Encrypt local backup and set a password

Step 5. You can check your iPhone backup via the path: iTunes > Edit > Preference > Device.

3️⃣Dropbox

Cloud storage services are becoming more popular, and storing your iPhone backup in the cloud will give your data an added layer of security. Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service that provides 2GB of free storage space and allows you to back up your iPhone data to a Windows PC without requiring a physical connection between the two devices. When you configure your iPhone to back up to Dropbox, all data is automatically stored, and you can view the backup on any device as long as you sign in with the same account.

Every coin has two sides, and Dropbox is no exception. Because Dropbox is a cloud-based service, accessing the backup files requires an Internet connection. Furthermore, if you have a large amount of data to back up, you must pay for additional storage.

Dropbox is a good alternative if you need backups on any device and have a sufficient budget for backup management.

Step to back up iPhone on PC to Dropbox

Step 1. Sign in to the same Dropbox account on both iPhone and PC.

Step 2. On the iPhone Dropbox, click the + icon to choose Record Audio, Upload Photos, or Create or Upload files.

Step 3. When you upload files or photos to Dropbox successfully, you can check them on your PC Dropbox.

💡If you want to back them up to PC, download the files from Dropbox.

4️⃣Google Drive

Google Drive is another well-known and highly-rated cloud service with a large user base. It provides 15G of free storage space for your files, emails, photographs, videos, and other media. When you back up data from your iPhone to Google Drive, you can view it from any device, including a Windows PC.

Google Drive, like Dropbox, only allows you to save files created on your iPhone but not system files. You'll also need an Internet connection to view the backup. Furthermore, because Google Drive is a third-party cloud service, customers may face data leakage and privacy violations.

However, Google Drive is generally a straightforward and convenient way to back up and save iPhone data.

Step to backup iPhone to Google Drive

Step 1. Sign in to the same Google Drive account on both iPhone and PC.

Step 2. On the iPhone Google Drive, click the + button in the bottom-right corner.

Step 3. Click to Upload > Photos and Videos to choose the files you want to backup.

Step 4. Wait for the process to finish, and open Google Drive on your PC. Now you can see the uploaded files on Windows PC.

If you need to store the file on PC, download and save it.

III. How to Backup iPhone on Mac

After learning how to back up your iPhone on Windows, you must be curious about Mac devices, right? Many users use Mac because of the Apple ecosystem, so it is necessary to know how to back up files and data from your iPhone on Mac. Here we will show you four standard solutions to help you back up your iPhone to Mac effortlessly. Without further ado, let's move on!

1️⃣ iCloud

When backing up iPhone on Mac, iCloud comes to our mind first, as there is no need to use the Mac. That means you can do it directly on your iPhone without plugging it in! Now, let's check how it works:

Steps to back up iPhone on Mac via iCloud:

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone, open the Settings app, and tap your Apple ID (or your name) at the top of the screen. 

Step 2. Tap iCloud and choose the iCloud Backup option in the Apple ID menu. 

Step 3. Next, you can select Back Up Now to start your task immediately.

Once done, you can access your backup data (contacts, images) from anywhere with Wi-Fi (as long as you know your Apple ID and password, of course!). Although it is very convenient, you cannot view or access the backup content without restoring the iPhone. Moreover, it only provides 5GB of free storage, and you must purchase extra storage for large files.

2️⃣ iTunes

Aside from iCloud, you can backup iphone to iTunes on Mac. Once done, you can restore your backup whenever your iPhone has problems. Compared to iCloud, iTunes local backup on a drive is faster to back up and restore. 

Steps to back up iPhone to Mac using iTunes:

Step 1. First, connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable. When prompted, unlock your iPhone and Trust your Mac. 

Step 2. Once your iPhone is plugged into your Mac, open iTunes and choose the "Device" button at the top left of the iTunes window. 

Step 3. Next, click the Summary button to find your iPhone information, and choose your desired Backup option.

Step 4. Once done, click Back Up Now to start the backup process.

3️⃣ Finder

Another way is to use Finder, a built-in Mac application. If your Mac is running macOS Catalina and later, you can directly check the following tutorial to back up your iPhone on Mac effortlessly:

Steps to back up iPhone on Mac with Finder:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable. If it's the first time you connect your iPhone to Mac, you will be prompted to "Trust" the Mac on your iPhone's screen. 

Step 2. Open Finder on your Mac, choose your iPhone from the left sidebar, then click the first "General" tab.

Step 3. Next, you need to choose the backup options: 

• Back up the most essential data on your iPhone to iCloud 
• Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac 
• Encrypt local backup 

Usually, we choose Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac. If you need to encrypt your backup data, you can select the third option and enter a password. 

Step 4. Finally, click "Back Up Now" to start creating backups for your iPhone. Then, you will see the backup progress bar at the bottom of the Finder. (The backup process will take about 15-30 minutes.)

4️⃣ Free iPhone Backup Software

Apart from those built-in iPhone backup solutions, professional iPhone backup software is a trend, as these programs allow you to back up iPhone data to your Mac more flexibly.

One of the most popular iPhone backup software is EaseUS MobiMover Pro. Coming with an incredible user interface, this software makes it easy to operate for all users, even if one is not tech-savvy. 

This all-in-one iPhone backup software allows you to back up almost everything from iPhone to Mac, including but not limited to contacts, videos, music, messages, etc. Most importantly, it provides more backup options. For instance, if you need to back up photos from iPhone to Mac, you can choose the images instead of the whole album! Last, you can restore your backup with a straightforward click if needed.

Here's how to back up your iPhone on Mac with professional iPhone backup software:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone/iPad to your PC with a USB cable and click "Trust" on your device. Then launch EaseUS MobiMover and click "Backup Manager" > "Back up".

Step 2. Check the types of files you need to backup. Afterward, click the backup button to start backing up your iPhone or iPad.

Step 3. Depending on the size of the content, the time the backup will spend varies. Wait patiently for the backup to complete.

IV. How to Backup iPhone to an External Hard Drive

If you have a large amount of data to back up on your iPhone, you can  backup iPhone to external hard drive on Mac or a flash drivers, as it would be faster, more reliable, and more convenient than backing up to PC or Mac. Moreover, it gives you more control over where and how your iPhone data is stored. 

Here are some expected benefits of backup iPhone to the external hard drive:

• 💡Large storage space: Compared to a PC or Mac, an external hard drive has enough space to store all your iPhone backup files. 
• 💡High security: An external hard drive is a physical device that can be disconnected from your Mac or PC when the backup process is complete. Your backup files are stored separately, making them less vulnerable to malware attacks, viruses, and other security threats that may affect your Mac or PC.
• 💡Portability: An external hard drive is portable, making it easy to carry around. This is particularly useful if you travel frequently or need to access your backup files from different locations. You can easily connect your external hard drive to any Mac or PC and access your backup files without hassle. 
• 💡Backup redundancy: If one backup fails, you can always rely on another backup stored on a different external hard drive. This ensures that your data is always safe and accessible, even in case of unexpected events.

1️⃣ Use A Computer

Using a computer is the easiest way to backup iphone to flash drive or an external hard drive. Find your iPhone backup location on your PC or Mac, then copy and paste the files to your external hard drive. However, you need first back up iPhone to PC or Mac.

Step 1. Create an iPhone backup on your computer. 

• Back up iPhone on PC
• Back up iPhone on Mac

Step 2. Connect your external hard drive and your computer.

Step 3. Find the iPhone backup location on your computer, then copy and paste the backup files to your external hard drive.

2️⃣ Use USB-to-lightning adapters

If you don't have a computer and still want to back up your iPhone to your external hard drive, use the USB-to-lightning adapters. A USB-to-lightning adapter is an electrical adapter that allows for a physical connection between devices that use the USB and Lightning standards.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone and the hard drive using the adapter. 

Step 2. Open your iPhone and select the files you'd like to back up. 

Step 3. Once selected, tap the "Share" button and choose the external hard drive as the destination.

V. Bonus: How to Find iPhone Backup Location

iPhone backups are essential for safeguarding your files, videos, and images. If your iPhone is stolen or your data is accidentally destroyed, the backup will allow you to recover the data without losing anything.

However, you must locate the spot where the backup is saved before restoring. Many methods are covered in this essay, and different backup solutions require different locations to store backups. On each device, we have included all of the default backup locations. Locate your backup using the information provided below.

• 🍎Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
• 💻Windows PC: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
• 📹iTunes: iTunes> Edit > Preferences > Devices
• 💭iCloud: Apple menu > System Preference > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage > Backups

VI. How to Restore iPhone From Backups

It's time to restore iPhone backups to a new device or another iPhone. Follow the guide below to retrieve your iPhone to its previous state. 

1️⃣How to Restore iPhone From iCloud

Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup on iPhone.

Step 1. Turn on your new iPhone, and see a Hello screen.  (If you have set up your device, you must erase all settings and restore it to the state like this.)

Step 2. Follow the onscreen instruction until you see the Apps & Data screen, and choose Restore from iCloud Backup.

Step 3. Sign in with your iCloud with your AppleID.

Step 4. Select a backup (Ensure to choose the latest backup), and wait for the process to finish.

2️⃣How to Restore iPhone From iTunes

Step 1. Connect your new device to the Mac with a USB cable, and Trust it.

Step 2. Open iTunes on your Mac. (If you are using macOS Catalins or later, open Finder).

Step 3. Click the iPhone icon in the top-left corner. 

Step 4. Click Summary > Restore Backup...

Step 5. Choose the latest backup, click Restore and wait for the process to finish. 

Step 6. When finished, disconnect your device from your Mac.

VII.The Final Words

In conclusion, it's critical to back up your iPhone to guarantee that you don't lose any crucial information in case of a device failure or data corruption. In addition to third-party apps like EaseUS MobiMover, various options back up iPhones on Windows PCs and Macs, including iCloud, iTunes, and cloud-based services like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. 

After evaluating the various techniques, we propose EaseUS MobiMover as the best option to back up iPhone. MobiMover is simple to use and has many capabilities, including data transfer between devices, backup creation, and backup restoration. Fast transfer speeds, extensive backup choices, and the ability to examine and pick particular files to back up are all its advantages. 

With EaseUS MobiMover, you can rest assured that your iPhone data will be safe and secure.

VIII. iPhone Backup FAQs

1. How long does it take to back up an iPhone? 

There was no formulaic answer to that question. But generally speaking, it will take 30 mins to 2 hours to back up your iPhone. The process depends on different conditions, including the backup methods, backup files' size, and more.

2. Can I back up my iPhone to my iPad?

Sure! You can back up your iPhone to iPad with iCloud. You need to back up your iPhone data to iCloud, then restore it on your iPad. But you need to ensure you have enough iCloud storage for the operation, and you'll have to erase existing data on the iPad via factory reset.

3. How do I transfer everything to my new iPhone?

You can use Quick Start to transfer everything to your new iPhone. 

Ensure your current device is connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is on. Turn on your new device and place it near your current device. Then, follow the onscreen instructions to get started.