Apple's solution for you to back up an iPhone on Windows is using iTunes. However, iTunes has its default iPhone backup location and you are not allowed to change it. Therefore, when you are looking to back up an iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows 11, iTunes won't be a perfect way out, not to mention iCloud which backs up your data in cloud storage.
To back up an iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows 11, it is advisable to use one of the many third-party iPhone backup tools, For example, EaseUS MobiMover.
Safe iPhone Backup Tool - EaseUS MobiMover
Although it mainly works as an iPhone data transfer tool, EaseUS MobiMover also does well as an iPhone backup tool, a WhatsApp Manager, and a HEIC converter. More specifically, here are the essential features of EaseUS MobiMover:
iPhone Data Transfer: It helps to transfer photos, videos, music, ringtones, contacts, and more between an iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and a PC/Mac or between two iDevices. When you want to transfer photos from one iPhone to another, put music on an iPhone, or download text messages from an iPhone to a computer, you can get all of them done with EaseUS MobiMover.
iPhone Backup: You can change the iPhone backup location freely and thus you will be able to back up an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to an external hard drive easily. Unlike iTunes and iCloud which back up everything on your iDevice, you can choose to back up your device data all at once or selectively. Thus, it provides more flexible solutions for you to make a backup of your iPhone. When it comes to iPhone backup, it supports photos, videos, contacts, and many other file types.
WhatsApp Management: As one of the most commonly-used social networking apps, WhatsApp messages are always precious to you. That's why EaseUS MobiMover would like to help you transfer, back up, and restore WhatsApp messages and attachments.
HEIC Conversion: HEIC is not natively supported by Windows and may not be compatible with some programs. That's when you need to convert HEIC to JPG so that you can view and use your iPhone photos on different devices and programs.
In a word, EaseUS MobiMover could not only enable you to back up your iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows 11 but also allow you to do many other things to manage your iPhone content better. Don't hesitate to give it a try.
After you connect iPhone to Windows 11 with this tool, you can do more than backing up your iPhone. Fore example, you can export contacts from iPhone to PC, transfer photos from iPhone to computer, and more.
How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows 11
No complex step is involved to back up an iPhone to an external drive on Windows. All you need to do is change the backup location to a folder on the external hard drive before the backup initiates.
To back up an iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows 11:
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable and go to "Backup Manager" > "Back up" in EaseUS MobiMover.

Step 2. Check the content you need to backup and tap "Select" to change the iPhone backup location to the external hard drive. Then click "One-Click Backup".

Step 3. Wait for the backup to complete. If you need to restore an iPhone from the backup in the future, go to "Backup Manager" > "Restore" to restore the backup from the external hard drive to your device.

The Bottom Line
Although there is a roundabout way for you to change your iTunes backup location, you are not recommended to do so. That's because this operation may corrupt your backup files and you will need to move them back when you need to restore a device from a backup. That's why it's a better choice for you to back up an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to an external hard drive on Windows with a professional iPhone backup tool like EaseUS MobiMover.
It's never too late to back up your precious data, not only on your iPhone but also on many other devices like your tablet or computer. Do it now to prevent data loss in the most effective way.
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Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working in EaseUS for over ten years, starting from a technical writer to a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over 10 years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

Myra joined EaseUS in 2017. As a big fan of Apple products, she mainly focuses on iOS data transfer and iOS troubleshooting tips. Meanwhile, she is expanding her knowledge and skills in other fields like data recovery and disk management. Myra is open-minded and likes both extensive and intensive reading. Other than reading and writing, she is also fond of mobile games and K-pop stars.
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