How To Backup iPhone or iPad to your Mac

usmanmusaddaq · August 15, 2020, 4:15pm

What Is Backup?

Backup refers to the copying of physical or virtual files or databases to a secondary location for preservation in case of equipment failure or catastrophe. The process of backing up data is pivotal to a successful disaster recovery plan (DRP).

Methods For iPhone Backup

People often find it hard to back up the iPhone. You want to back up all the data for future use. If the phone is stolen or lost, the data is safe with us. In this post, you will get to know how to back up an iPhone without worries.

There are two methods to back up all your stuff from your old phone: iCloud or iTunes. Each is reliable and safe, but the iCloud option is easier. However, if you don’t feel taking a few minutes to clear up additional iCloud space, or simply don’t trust the Cloud (hi mom!), you can save a hard copy of the backup on your computer via iTunes. I’ll show you how to do both, step by step, below:

Back up and restore using iCloud

Make an iCloud backup
Before you head to the Apple Store (or at the very least before you begin setting up your new device), make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi, then go to Settings > iCloud > Backup on your old phone and tap “Back Up Now.” It’s possible that you don’t have enough space in your iCloud account to accommodate a proper backup, in which case you’ll get a message alerting you as much.

Transfer your SIM card
If your new device uses the same kind of SIM card as your previous one, switch it over (use the sharp end of a paperclip to pop open the side compartment). Otherwise, install the new one your carrier gave you with it.

Transfer your iCloud backup to your new phone

Once you’ve turned on your new phone, swipe right on the “Hello” screen and follow the steps until it prompts you to join a Wi-Fi network. When you see the Apps & Data screen, tap “Restore from the iCloud Backup” and hit “next.” Sign in to your iCloud account, choose the most recent backup version, and let it run through the full restore process (this could take a while depending on the size of your backup and speed of your Wi-Fi network, so be patient).

How To Backup iPhone To iCloud

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.

Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
Go to Settings > [your name], and tap iCloud.
Tap the “iCloud Backup” button.
Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process completes.

You can check the progress and confirm the backup completed. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Under Back Up Now, you’ll see the date and time of your last backup.

Automatically back up with iCloud

To let iCloud automatically back up your device each day, here’s what you need to do:

Make sure that the iCloud Backup is turned on in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
Connect your device to a power source.
Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
Make sure that your device’s screen is locked.
Check that you have enough available space in iCloud for the backup. When you sign in to iCloud, you get 5GB of iCloud storage for free. If you need more iCloud storage, you can buy more from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.

How To Backup iPhone To iTunes

Go to Settings [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
Turn on iCloud Backup. iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone daily when the iPhone is connected to power, locked, and on Wi-Fi.
To perform a manual backup, tap Back Up Now.

To view your iCloud backups, go to Settings > [ your name ] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. To delete a backup, choose a backup from the list, then tap Delete Backup.

How To Backup iPhone To Mac

Perhaps, You are still browsing the Internet and looking for an easy and proper way to copy or move your iPhone data to Mac. Luck you! Here you come to the right place. In this post, you will get to know 3 ways on how to backup iPhone, iPad, or iPod on Mac, Macbooks, including backing up music, videos, photos, apps, ebooks, contacts, messages, and so on.

There are 3 solutions for this:

Backup iPhone on Mac via Syncios iPhone Manager
Backup iPhone on Mac via iTunes
Backup iPhone on Mac via Syncios Data Transfer

The 3 of the solutions will be explained one by one

Solution 1: Backup iPhone on Mac via Syncios iPhone Manager

Step 1: Download and install the free iPhone Backup Tool for Mac.

Simply download and install Syncios iPhone Backup Tool on your Mac. Make sure iTunes has been installed on your Mac.

Please note that you do not have to run iTunes when using this free iPhone Music Transfer.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to Mac.

Plug your iPhone into Mac with a USB cable, launch Syncios iPhone to Mac backup software. Then it would display all data on your iPhone, including music, videos, photos, messages, apps, contacts, bookmarks, call logs, and notes.

Step 3: Backup Music from iPhone to Mac.

Click the Media tab on the left panel and choose Music from the right.
Select songs on your iPhone you would like to backup to Mac.
Tips: Hold down Command key to select multiple music, or Command + A to select all songs at one time.
Click the “Export” button.
Browse output location and export selected music from iPhone to your Mac.

Solution 2: Backup iPhone on Mac via iTunes

Step 1: Close iCloud before backup.

Before you make a backup of your iPhone or iPad using iTunes, it’s necessary to make sure iCloud is turned off on your iPhone or iPad. You can’t create backups using iTunes when iCloud is enabled. Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and turn off the iCloud Backup switch.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac and launch iTunes.

Tips: if you would like to sync your iPhone with iTunes using wi-fi, then go to Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync and select your computer from the list. You’ll see an option to “Sync Now” but by default, the iOS device will automatically sync when the device meets three conditions: 1) the screen is locked (i.e., you’re not using the device), 2) the device is connected to Wi-Fi, and 3) the device is plugged into a power source.

Step 3: Start to Backup.

Choose your device in the left panel, then click Back-Up Now on the right.

Solution 3: Backup iPhone on Mac via iOS Data Transfer Tool

Step 1: Download and launch Syncios Data Transfer.

Syncios Data Transfer backs up and restores to and from your computer all the important information and media files stored on your smartphone or any other Android device. The program will save in a folder on your PC any videos, images, contacts, apps, and even call logs stored on your phone or tablet without any quality loss.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac.

Connect your iOS device to Mac and Click on Backup option to bring up the Backup Panel

Step 3: Select data to backup to Mac.

Once you check all the data that you wish to backup, click Next, Data Transfer will start to back up the selected contents on your phone to the computer.

How To Backup Contacts On iPhone

Use can back up the contacts on the iPhone by following these simple steps:

On the Home screen, tap Settings.
Tap your Apple ID at the top of the list.
If prompted, sign in with your Apple ID.
Tap iCloud .
Tap Contacts to switch the slider ON .
If prompted, select to Merge contacts with iCloud.
Tap the iCloud Backup app at the bottom of the list.
Turn iCloud Backup on if disabled.
Tap Back-Up Now and wait for the backup to complete.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How to backup iPhone 7?

Solution 1: Backup iPhone 7 using iTunes

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can use the powerful built-in backup software to save a copy of all of your important information safely on your computer. You can only back up your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus on one computer. Once the device is connected, click on File > Devices > Back Up to begin.

Alternatively, it also enables you to access the “Back Up Now” button under Summary in iTunes. Double-check your work by clicking the iTunes top menu > Preferences > Devices tab. You should see the name of the device and the time of backup.

Solution 2: One-click Backup iPhone 7/7 Plus Without Using iTunes

To backup iPhone 7 to the computer in one click: Select the file type you want to backup on middle checkbox > click “Next”.

The program supports to backup music, call logs, SMS/iMessages, photos, videos, bookmarks, WhatsApp, ebooks, notes, contacts on iPhone 4/4s/5/5s/6/6s, iPhone SE, and iPhone 7/7 Plus. You can choose your backup path by clicking the “…” button.

2. How to restore iPhone from backup?

Turn on your device. You should see a Hello screen. If you already set up your device, you need to erase all of its content before you can use these steps to restore from your backup.
Follow the onscreen setup steps until you reach the Apps & Data screen, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
Choose a backup. Look at the date and size of each and pick the most relevant. After you choose, the transfer starts. If a message says that a newer version of the software is required, follow the onscreen steps to update (If you don’t see onscreen steps to help you update.
When asked, sign in with your Apple ID to restore your apps and purchases (If you’ve purchased iTunes or App Store content using multiple Apple IDs, you’ll be asked to sign in to each). If you can’t remember your password, you can tap Skip this Step and sign in later. But you won’t be able to use the apps until you sign in with your Apple ID.
Stay connected and wait for a progress bar to appear and complete. Depending on the size of the backup and the network speed, the progress bar might need a few minutes to an hour to complete. If you disconnect from Wi-Fi too soon, the progress will pause until you reconnect.
Now you can finish setup and enjoy your device. Content like your apps, photos, music, and other information will continue to restore in the background for the next several hours or days, depending on the amount of information there is. Try to connect often to Wi-Fi and power to let the process complete.

3. How long does it take to backup iPhone

It depends on your data amount, iPhone condition, and Wi-Fi condition. Overall, it may take 30 mins to 2 hours to backup your iPhone for the first time.

Let’s get started to figure out how the three factors influence the iCloud backup time:

Data Amount: The time it takes to back up for the first time depends on the file size being backed up (you can find this from your back up settings). For example, if you have 3000 photos, hundreds of videos, or recordings, it absolutely could take 1 or 2 hours or even more time to have a copy of those contents.
iPhone Condition: Sometimes, people realized they need to back up when they got a message that can’t take photos anymore. iPhone reminds them of full storage. If your iPhone storage is nearly full, it means that its performance is getting worse. Then iCloud backup will take longer.
Wi-Fi Condition: iCloud backup depends on your Wi-Fi speed. A faster speed can significantly reduce backup time. For example, if the upload speed is around 1 Mbps so 1 GB may take around 2 hrs to upload

Therefore, for the question “how long does it take to backup your iPhone to iCloud”, the answer is, there are no concrete answers considering unsure and various circumstances. But generally speaking, if you have a good backup habit. For example, if you back up at least once a week after you got a new iPhone, it should run for about 7-10 minutes every time.

Then, you need to know the items that iCloud automatically backs up:

Photos and videos in your Camera Roll
Device settings
App data
Home screen and app organization
iMessage, text (SMS), and MMS messages
Ringtones
Visual Voicemail

4. How to backup photos on iPhone?

Depending on where you store and organize photos, you have a few options for how to get images off your device.

Option 1: Use iCloud

If you use iCloud as the main place where you store photos, all you need to do is make sure your iCloud account is backing up and syncing your data.

For an iOS device, go to Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos and enable the setting.

Now, your device will upload all your photos to iCloud any time your device connects to Wi-Fi and the battery is charged. With iOS 11 or later, the sync can happen over a cellular connection, too.

Option 2: Use a Backup and Syncing Service

Option 2 is effectively the same as Option 1, only using a different online service. So, instead of using iCloud, we’ll discuss other file syncing and storage options, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.

Choose a file-syncing and storage service, create an account, and download the service’s iOS app.
Sign in and look for a setting called something like Camera Upload, Automatic Upload, or Backup & Sync. This setting automatically uploads photos from your device to the service. Turn it on.
Once the setting is on and your images have been backed up, you can delete them from your iPhone.
To delete pictures from your iPhone, open the Apple Photos app and choose Photos from the bottom menu. Tap Select at the top right. Tap each image you want to delete, then tap the trash can icon in the bottom right corner. Now go to Albums > Recently Deleted. Choose Select and then Delete All.

Option 3: Download Photos to a Computer and Back-Up

The third and final option I want to offer involves uploading your photos and videos to a computer first and then moving them to a backup and storage service. It’s the best solution for people who prefer a hands-on approach.

It’s the method I used because I like seeing my pictures on a larger computer and deciding which ones to keep or throw away before I move them to a backup service. It also lets me make quick edits, such as cropping and color correction during the process.

Connect your phone to your computer with your Lightning-to-USB charging cable. Note that while you can transfer images wirelessly with AirDrop, the cable is faster and gives you the option to delete the photos from your phone automatically once they move over to the computer.
Launch your preferred image-editing program. If you’re a Mac user, the default here would be the Photos app that came with your Mac. Windows includes a similar Photos app, and more-pro-minded photography buffs may want to use Adobe Lightroom on either platform.
Import the image. Most software that supports importing photos offers an option to delete all pictures from your phone once the transfer is complete. This can be a little dangerous, however, in case the import doesn’t complete successfully. I prefer importing, and then only deleting the image files from the phone after I’m sure the import completed.
Now that you have your photos in your image-editing program, you can easily see them and decide whether you want to delete or edit any.
The last step is to drag and drop the images into the backup solution of your choice, whether it’s Box, Flickr, IDrive, or something else. An alternative to cloud storage is to use a local, cloud-connected storage device such as the Western Digital My Cloud or the SanDisk ibi.

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