Which of these should you use to back up your iOS devices? Right-click a backup in that window and choose Show in Finder. If youre looking for the most frictionless way to back up your devices, this is it. Content from iTunes and App Stores, or PDF files downloaded to iBooks. All youll need is enough hard drive space to accommodate the backup. Your device needs a Wi-Fi connection (and needs to be connected to the internet). wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Tap iCloud. Tap Backup. The benefit of encrypting your backup is that account passwords, Wi-Fi settings, Health data, website history, and call history are backed up as well. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. If you have both an iPhone and an iPad? Heres how to check your backups progress: iCloud Backup lets you restore your device from almost anywhere. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 52,652 times. Follow the setup steps until you get to the Apps & Data screen, then choose. When you set up a new iOS device, for example, the system will ask you if you want to restore from an iCloud backup. Youre a lot more likely to damage or lose your iPhone than your Mac, and, unfortunately its not that uncommon for peoples iPhones to be stolen.
Once youre done, iTunes maintains a copy of that backup, which you can restore if you ever need to.
Tested. Your iCloud storage is used for many apps, and the one that generally uses the most storage is Photos: if you have your iCloud Photos active (in Settings > Photos, on iOS; in the Photos app, Photos > Preferences > iCloud on Mac), then all your photos and videos go into the cloud. How to Run Windows 11 for Free on an M1 or M2 Mac, M2 MacBook Air Review New Form Factor for Apples Most Popular Mac, Install macOS Betas on Your Mac in a New APFS Volume, 17 Reasons Why You Should Use an iPod touch in 2022, USB-C and Thunderbolt: Understanding Ports and Cables for Macs and iPads, Install macOS Ventura Beta in a Virtual Machine on an M1 or M2 Mac with UTM, How to choose the right Mac for your use case in 2022, Apples Planned Obsolescence: iOS 16, macOS Ventura Drop Support for Many Models, Want to Buy a Secondhand iPhone? But, at least once a month, I also perform a Finder backup, so if I do need to restore my device, I can make sure that all my data is available when I get back home. When you back it up to your Mac, you have to connect the device , then click a button to back it up. Make sure to have at least two backups: One local, through iTunes or Finder, and one in the cloudeither with iCloud Backup or using Backblaze. Backups typically occur when youre asleep; in my screenshot above, you can see that the last iCloud backup ran at 2:24 am. Connect your iOS device to your Mac via USB, and look for it in the Finder sidebar. Your Apple Pay info, and your Touch ID info (if your device is so equipped). (The folder is, in your home folder, /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup). Since so many apps already store data in the cloud, or on their own servers, much of what gets backed up here is redundant. As mentioned earlier, only one copy of your current devices backup is saved and constantly overwritten. 2. Bringing Connected Container Management via Cycle, How to Download and Back Up Email Account Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Facebook Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Google Drive Data, How to Download and Back Up Your TikTok Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Twitch Content, How to Back Up Your Data Once Youve Downloaded It, Server Backup 101: Disaster Recovery Planning, Free Isnt Always Free: A Guide to Free Cloud Tiers, Do More With Your Data With the Backblaze + Aparavi Joint Solution, 12 Power Tips for Backing Up Business Data, Server Backup 101: Developing a Server Backup Strategy, Cloud Storage Pricing: What You Need to Know, Level Up Your Backup Game With Backblaze and Veritas, Tap the graph that shows your iCloud usage, then tap. At the top, youll see information about your storage. The most comprehensive way to back up and restore the data on your iPhone is to use either iCloud or iTunes, or both. Photos already stored in the cloud via iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream. The added benefit from connecting your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC using iTunes is that when you back up that Mac or PC, you will also back up the contents from your iPhone or iPad. The combination of iCloud backups, iTunes or Finder backups, and Backblaze provides you with a foolproof way to keep your mobile data safe and sound. iCloud backups are simple, automatic, and happen in the background, but there can be a limitation: the amount of iCloud storage you have available. But since Bear already stores its data in iCloud, I dont need to add another copy in an iCloud backup. Each time you back up your devices, the Finder creates a new backup file, but only copies what is new or changed, so the first backup will take longer than subsequent backups. In that case, look in your home folder, in /Library/iTunes folder, which will contain different folders for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch firmware, if you have downloaded any of them. Go back to the previous screen; here you see toggles for apps using iCloud. To do this, youll have to physically connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC using its USB sync cable. However, the backup may be too large for your available storage, or it may reduce your storage so much that you need to make more room. Time Machine and Integos Personal Backup, your entire family will can share a pool of storage, How to Install macOS Monterey on Unsupported Macs, for Security Improvements, Apple AirTags: The Complete Guide to How to They Work, What to Track with Them, and More. If youre not already signed into iCloud from your iPhone, enter your Apple ID and password. If Im away from home, and theres a problem with my iPhone, having a good backup at home wont help me, so I want an iCloud backup. No matter which method you choose, make sure you regularly back up your iOS device to ensure that you dont lose data. Since data is already synced in iCloud and other cloud services, theres no need to duplicate it in the backup. With Finder backups, you are limited only by the capacity of your computers hard drive. However, a Finder backup does not include: Restoring a backup from your Mac is considerably faster than restoring a backup from iCloud. Both the Finder and iCloud overwrite your existing backups and save only the latest data. Its very dependent on a specific set of actions to work: This last item is the killer. You may see a long list of backups going back years, if youve never cleaned out this folder. You may also want to have a look in the folder that stores your backups; in some cases, there may be backups that dont show in the Device Backups window. This article has been viewed 52,652 times. Its a lot easier to back up your device to iCloud, because it can occur automatically. Dont skimp; its worth paying a bit more to ensure that your data is protected. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Connect with her on LinkedIn. If you tap Manage Storage, youll be able to see how much storage is used by each app, and youll be able to change your storage plan. You see here when the last backup was performed, how large it is, how large the next backup will be, and then you see a list of apps that want to back up data. The next app in the list is Audible; the 172.6 MB being backed up is one or more audiobooks, which I certainly dont need to back up: I can re-download them at any time. As long as you understand the limits of iCloud Backup, its an enormously helpful tool that makes backup, recovery, and upgrading a lot easier. You need to have enough space in iCloud to store the backup. You can learn how to turn on Wi-Fi syncing. Configuring backups is straightforward. To archive backups, click Manage Backups in the Finder window, then right-click on a backup and choose Archive. Select a backup. This data is not backed up if encryption is off. Toggle off any apps where you know the data either is already in iCloud, or, for apps such as Netflix which dont need to back anything up. The data on your iPhone or iPad is essential, and backing up your iOS device is critical to ensure the integrity of that data. Youll notice that you can tap Back Up Now on this screen; tap that to perform your first backup. Data thats already in iCloud: Contacts, calendar appointments, notes, and photos, for example. While there are many backup solutions available for the Mac, including Applesbuilt-in Time Machine and Integos Personal Backup, there are only two options for your iOS devices: iCloud and the Finder. Have a question? But there may be old backups from other devices on iCloud that you no longer need, using your storage. Automated backups happen when the devices display is off and its connected to a power source. As long as the required space is there, your backup is fast and free. For more on how to keep your data safe, read about the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which we think is the best way to make sure your data is safe.
When the process ends, youll see that the backup finished successfully because youll be shown the date and time of your last backup. This iOS feature lets your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch back up its contents to the cloud. At the bottom of this window, you can see a bar graph that shows how much space is taken up on your device and what kind of data is taking up that space. But since Apple split iTunes into several apps, its the Finder that manages these backups. % of people told us that this article helped them. It uses potentially valuable iCloud storage (though if you have 2 TB, you may have plenty of room), takes longer to back up, and especially takes a lot longer to restore, if you need to do so. ), Content from the iTunes and App Stores, or PDFs downloaded directly to iBooks, Content synced from Apples media apps, like imported MP3s or CDs, videos, books, and photos, Data already stored in iCloud, such as iCloud Photos, iMessages, and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages, Activity, Health, and Keychain data (This content is backed up if you choose to encrypt your backup. The backups name will be changed to contain the date, and the next time you backup the device, a new backup will be created. Youll see any devices that are being backed up to your iCloud account. Let us know in the comments. And if youre a Backblaze Computer Backup user, all the better. You can see that my iPhone is set to back up its "most important data to iCloud." Once prompted, sign in with your Apple ID to restore your apps and purchases. Once the sync is done, you can disconnect your device. Weve gathered a handful of guides to help you protect your content across many different platformsincluding social media, sync services, and more. If you have a lot of stuff on your iOS device or in the cloud, its trivially easy to exceed your free 5GB iCloud allowance, which means your backups wont happen unless you pay Apple for additional iCloud space. This is particularly useful if you want to test software, and want to be able to roll back your data to a previous version. Heres the bottom line when it comes to your mobile devices data: You dont want to take any chances. Open your iPhone's Settings. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. Its simple, and can even be automatic. Your device needs to be connected to a power supply. Keep up with the latest tech with wikiHow's free Tech Help Newsletter. iOS will show you details about when it was last backed up, and the backup file size. 1. How does each solution work? Last Updated: April 8, 2021
If you want to test new versions of iOS, and encounter problems, you can also load an old backup, but youll need to have saved a firmware file for the previous version of iOS. Apple only gives you 5GB of free space with the basic iCloud account. 
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. You can stop the backup at any time, and it will continue next time you tap Backup Now, or you can just let it run automatically.
Select your device. You should see an icon for your device appear in the menu bar on the upper left side of the iTunes window.
Once youre done, iTunes maintains a copy of that backup, which you can restore if you ever need to.
Tested. Your iCloud storage is used for many apps, and the one that generally uses the most storage is Photos: if you have your iCloud Photos active (in Settings > Photos, on iOS; in the Photos app, Photos > Preferences > iCloud on Mac), then all your photos and videos go into the cloud. How to Run Windows 11 for Free on an M1 or M2 Mac, M2 MacBook Air Review New Form Factor for Apples Most Popular Mac, Install macOS Betas on Your Mac in a New APFS Volume, 17 Reasons Why You Should Use an iPod touch in 2022, USB-C and Thunderbolt: Understanding Ports and Cables for Macs and iPads, Install macOS Ventura Beta in a Virtual Machine on an M1 or M2 Mac with UTM, How to choose the right Mac for your use case in 2022, Apples Planned Obsolescence: iOS 16, macOS Ventura Drop Support for Many Models, Want to Buy a Secondhand iPhone? But, at least once a month, I also perform a Finder backup, so if I do need to restore my device, I can make sure that all my data is available when I get back home. When you back it up to your Mac, you have to connect the device , then click a button to back it up. Make sure to have at least two backups: One local, through iTunes or Finder, and one in the cloudeither with iCloud Backup or using Backblaze. Backups typically occur when youre asleep; in my screenshot above, you can see that the last iCloud backup ran at 2:24 am. Connect your iOS device to your Mac via USB, and look for it in the Finder sidebar. Your Apple Pay info, and your Touch ID info (if your device is so equipped). (The folder is, in your home folder, /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup). Since so many apps already store data in the cloud, or on their own servers, much of what gets backed up here is redundant. As mentioned earlier, only one copy of your current devices backup is saved and constantly overwritten. 2. Bringing Connected Container Management via Cycle, How to Download and Back Up Email Account Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Facebook Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Google Drive Data, How to Download and Back Up Your TikTok Data, How to Download and Back Up Your Twitch Content, How to Back Up Your Data Once Youve Downloaded It, Server Backup 101: Disaster Recovery Planning, Free Isnt Always Free: A Guide to Free Cloud Tiers, Do More With Your Data With the Backblaze + Aparavi Joint Solution, 12 Power Tips for Backing Up Business Data, Server Backup 101: Developing a Server Backup Strategy, Cloud Storage Pricing: What You Need to Know, Level Up Your Backup Game With Backblaze and Veritas, Tap the graph that shows your iCloud usage, then tap. At the top, youll see information about your storage. The most comprehensive way to back up and restore the data on your iPhone is to use either iCloud or iTunes, or both. Photos already stored in the cloud via iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream. The added benefit from connecting your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC using iTunes is that when you back up that Mac or PC, you will also back up the contents from your iPhone or iPad. The combination of iCloud backups, iTunes or Finder backups, and Backblaze provides you with a foolproof way to keep your mobile data safe and sound. iCloud backups are simple, automatic, and happen in the background, but there can be a limitation: the amount of iCloud storage you have available. But since Bear already stores its data in iCloud, I dont need to add another copy in an iCloud backup. Each time you back up your devices, the Finder creates a new backup file, but only copies what is new or changed, so the first backup will take longer than subsequent backups. In that case, look in your home folder, in /Library/iTunes folder, which will contain different folders for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch firmware, if you have downloaded any of them. Go back to the previous screen; here you see toggles for apps using iCloud. To do this, youll have to physically connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC using its USB sync cable. However, the backup may be too large for your available storage, or it may reduce your storage so much that you need to make more room. Time Machine and Integos Personal Backup, your entire family will can share a pool of storage, How to Install macOS Monterey on Unsupported Macs, for Security Improvements, Apple AirTags: The Complete Guide to How to They Work, What to Track with Them, and More. If youre not already signed into iCloud from your iPhone, enter your Apple ID and password. If Im away from home, and theres a problem with my iPhone, having a good backup at home wont help me, so I want an iCloud backup. No matter which method you choose, make sure you regularly back up your iOS device to ensure that you dont lose data. Since data is already synced in iCloud and other cloud services, theres no need to duplicate it in the backup. With Finder backups, you are limited only by the capacity of your computers hard drive. However, a Finder backup does not include: Restoring a backup from your Mac is considerably faster than restoring a backup from iCloud. Both the Finder and iCloud overwrite your existing backups and save only the latest data. Its very dependent on a specific set of actions to work: This last item is the killer. You may see a long list of backups going back years, if youve never cleaned out this folder. You may also want to have a look in the folder that stores your backups; in some cases, there may be backups that dont show in the Device Backups window. This article has been viewed 52,652 times. Its a lot easier to back up your device to iCloud, because it can occur automatically. Dont skimp; its worth paying a bit more to ensure that your data is protected. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Connect with her on LinkedIn. If you tap Manage Storage, youll be able to see how much storage is used by each app, and youll be able to change your storage plan. You see here when the last backup was performed, how large it is, how large the next backup will be, and then you see a list of apps that want to back up data. The next app in the list is Audible; the 172.6 MB being backed up is one or more audiobooks, which I certainly dont need to back up: I can re-download them at any time. As long as you understand the limits of iCloud Backup, its an enormously helpful tool that makes backup, recovery, and upgrading a lot easier. You need to have enough space in iCloud to store the backup. You can learn how to turn on Wi-Fi syncing. Configuring backups is straightforward. To archive backups, click Manage Backups in the Finder window, then right-click on a backup and choose Archive. Select a backup. This data is not backed up if encryption is off. Toggle off any apps where you know the data either is already in iCloud, or, for apps such as Netflix which dont need to back anything up. The data on your iPhone or iPad is essential, and backing up your iOS device is critical to ensure the integrity of that data. Youll notice that you can tap Back Up Now on this screen; tap that to perform your first backup. Data thats already in iCloud: Contacts, calendar appointments, notes, and photos, for example. While there are many backup solutions available for the Mac, including Applesbuilt-in Time Machine and Integos Personal Backup, there are only two options for your iOS devices: iCloud and the Finder. Have a question? But there may be old backups from other devices on iCloud that you no longer need, using your storage. Automated backups happen when the devices display is off and its connected to a power source. As long as the required space is there, your backup is fast and free. For more on how to keep your data safe, read about the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which we think is the best way to make sure your data is safe. When the process ends, youll see that the backup finished successfully because youll be shown the date and time of your last backup. This iOS feature lets your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch back up its contents to the cloud. At the bottom of this window, you can see a bar graph that shows how much space is taken up on your device and what kind of data is taking up that space. But since Apple split iTunes into several apps, its the Finder that manages these backups. % of people told us that this article helped them. It uses potentially valuable iCloud storage (though if you have 2 TB, you may have plenty of room), takes longer to back up, and especially takes a lot longer to restore, if you need to do so. ), Content from the iTunes and App Stores, or PDFs downloaded directly to iBooks, Content synced from Apples media apps, like imported MP3s or CDs, videos, books, and photos, Data already stored in iCloud, such as iCloud Photos, iMessages, and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages, Activity, Health, and Keychain data (This content is backed up if you choose to encrypt your backup. The backups name will be changed to contain the date, and the next time you backup the device, a new backup will be created. Youll see any devices that are being backed up to your iCloud account. Let us know in the comments. And if youre a Backblaze Computer Backup user, all the better. You can see that my iPhone is set to back up its "most important data to iCloud." Once prompted, sign in with your Apple ID to restore your apps and purchases. Once the sync is done, you can disconnect your device. Weve gathered a handful of guides to help you protect your content across many different platformsincluding social media, sync services, and more. If you have a lot of stuff on your iOS device or in the cloud, its trivially easy to exceed your free 5GB iCloud allowance, which means your backups wont happen unless you pay Apple for additional iCloud space. This is particularly useful if you want to test software, and want to be able to roll back your data to a previous version. Heres the bottom line when it comes to your mobile devices data: You dont want to take any chances. Open your iPhone's Settings. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. Its simple, and can even be automatic. Your device needs to be connected to a power supply. Keep up with the latest tech with wikiHow's free Tech Help Newsletter. iOS will show you details about when it was last backed up, and the backup file size. 1. How does each solution work? Last Updated: April 8, 2021
If you want to test new versions of iOS, and encounter problems, you can also load an old backup, but youll need to have saved a firmware file for the previous version of iOS. Apple only gives you 5GB of free space with the basic iCloud account. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. You can stop the backup at any time, and it will continue next time you tap Backup Now, or you can just let it run automatically. Select your device. You should see an icon for your device appear in the menu bar on the upper left side of the iTunes window.