How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

If you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ll have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.

Table of Contents

How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud

After you back up your iPhone or iPad, you have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged. You can back up your device manually, or turn on iCloud Backup to automatically keep your device backed up.

If you have a device with iOS 8 or earlier, learn how to keep your devices and data backed up.

Back up manually

Automatically back up with iCloud Backup

Back up manually

Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
Go to Settings > [your name], and tap iCloud.
Tap iCloud Backup.
Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process ends. Under Back Up Now, the date and time of your last backup is shown. If you get an alert that you don’t have enough iCloud storage space to complete the backup, follow the onscreen steps to buy more iCloud storage.

Automatically back up with iCloud Backup

Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure that Back Up This [Device] is turned on.
Connect your device to a power source.
Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
Make sure that your device’s screen is locked.
If you get an alert that you don’t have enough iCloud storage space to complete the backup, follow the onscreen steps to buy more iCloud storage.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with your Mac

If you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ll have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.

Back up with the Finder

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, open a Finder window.
Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable.
If asked for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. Get help if you forgot your passcode.
Select your device on your computer. Don’t see your device?
If you want to save Health and Activity data from your device or Apple Watch, you need to encrypt your backup. Select the Encrypt local backup checkbox and create a password.
Save your password somewhere safe, because there’s no way to recover your backups without this password.
Click Back Up Now.

When the process ends, you can see if the backup finished successfully. You’ll see the date and time of your last backup.

A Finder window showing the date and time of the last backup

Learn more

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Windows

If you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ll have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.

Open the Finder on your Mac, or open the Apple Devices app on your PC. If your PC doesn’t have the Apple Devices app, or your Mac is using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes instead.
Connect your device to your PC using the cable that came with your device. Find cables for your device.
If asked for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. Get help if you forgot your passcode.
Select your device in iTunes. Learn what to do if your device doesn’t appear on your computer.
Click General in the Apple Devices app or Summary in iTunes.
If you want to save Health and Activity data from your device or Apple Watch, you need to encrypt your backup. Select the “Encrypt local backup” checkbox and create a memorable password. Write down your password and store it somewhere safe, because there’s no way to recover your encrypted backups without this password.
Click Back Up Now.