How to Backup iPhone Data

Use iCloud

Open Settings. The app is gray with a gear (⚙️) inside, usually located on the home screen.

Tap Wi-Fi. It's at the top of the Settings menu.

Backing up requires the phone to be connected to Wi-Fi.

Slide the "Wi-Fi" item to the "On" position. The switch will turn green.

Tap a Wi-Fi network. Choose a network from the list that appears under the "Choose a Network" section of the menu.

Enter your Wi-Fi password if asked.

Open Settings. If you're still on the Wi-Fi setup page, tap Settings in the upper left corner to return to the Settings screen. Or, you can simply relaunch the Settings app like you did before.

Tap your Apple ID account. This section is at the top of the screen and includes your name and avatar if you have installed it.

If you are not signed in, click Sign in to (Your Device) or Sign in to (Device) , enter your Apple ID account and password, then click Sign In or Log In .

If you're using an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.

Tap iCloud, which is in the second section of the menu.

Select the iCloud data to back up. Slide the button next to listed apps, such as Notes and Calendars, to the "On" (green) position to include these data when iPhone is backed up.

Data from applications that are in the "Off" (white) position will not be backed up.

Swipe down and tap iCloud Backup . This task is at the bottom of the second section.

Slide the "iCloud Backup" button to the "On" position (green). Your iPhone will now back up to your iCloud account when the phone is plugged in and connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Click "Back Up Now" if you want to back up immediately. The process may take a few minutes, but you can still do other things with your iPhone while it's backing up.

Once completed, you will have a backup stored on iCloud for use when you need to restore your iPhone.

Use iTunes

Connect iPhone to computer. Use the USB cable that came with the device.

If this is the first time you are connecting your phone to a computer, you need to click "Trust" or "Trust this computer" that appears on the iPhone screen.

Click on the iPhone image. After a few seconds, the task will appear in a line of icons across the top of the window.

The "Summary" screen will appear.

Unlock iPhone. If your iPhone is locked with a passcode, you will need to unlock it first before you can backup.

Click "This computer" in the Backups section. This will allow iTunes to back up your iPhone to your computer, saving space on your iCloud storage. A backup will be created during the synchronization process.

If you want to back up your password, Homekit screen data, Health, and Activity, you'll need to check the " Encrypt iPhone backup" box and Choose an easy-to-remember password.

Click Back Up Now to start the backup process.

You may be asked if you want to back up apps that aren't currently in your iTunes library. This situation may occur if you installed some applications from other sources or have not transferred products purchased on your iPhone to your iTunes library. You won't be able to restore these apps unless they've been added to your library.

You may also be prompted to transfer purchases from your iPhone to your iTunes library. This will happen when some applications are installed on the iPhone but have not been set up by iTunes to automatically update new products.

Wait for the backup process to complete. After you confirm whether or not to move your apps and purchases to iTunes, your iPhone will begin backing up to your computer. You can monitor progress by looking at the top of the iTunes window.

iTunes will back up your settings, contacts, app data, messages, and photos in your Camera Roll. Music, videos or postcards synced from your iTunes library or any media entertainment products added through other means will not be backed up. These data need to be re-synced using iTunes after the restore process.

The iPhone's backup file will be saved in the Media folder of iTunes.

Backup jailbroken iPhone

Download the PKGBackup application. To add, jailbreak is the act of intervening in the system to break the security restrictions of iPhone and iPad. If you're not using a jailbroken iPhone, iTunes and iCloud backup options are enough to ensure your data is backed up safely without the need for any third-party apps. If your iPhone is jailbroken, you'll need an app like PKGBackup to back up your software and data outside of Apple.

You can download PKGBackup from the Cydia homepage if your iPhone is jailbroken.

Launch PKGBackup and then click Settings . This allows you to choose where your backup data will be stored. You can connect to different cloud services, including Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. Besides, you can also send the backup to an FTP server.

The Settings menu also allows you to set up a backup schedule.

Return to the main screen of PKGBackup and then click Backup . Here, you can choose what you want to back up. Plus, you can switch between multiple views, from Apple apps, App Store or Cydia, and files stored on your iPhone.

Click the backup icon to the right of each object to enable or disable backup.

Start the backup process. Once you've selected all the apps, settings, and files you want to back up, you can begin the process. The time the process takes depends on what you're backing up and whether the backup file has been uploaded to a cloud storage service or not.

iTunes will back up settings for all applications except the settings of the jailbroken program. However, it will still backup your jailbreak apps. PKGBackup will allow you to quickly reload jailbroken apps and settings after restoring a copy from iTunes.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 01 November 2023