How To Back Up Your IPhone Or IPad On A Mac

Wondering how to back up an iPhone or iPad? We can help. In this guide, we’ll explain how you can use iTunes or Finder to back up your device.

Quick Links

What’s included in an iPhone or iPad computer backup

Using Finder on macOS Catalina or newer

How to make an iPhone or iPad backup using iTunes on PC or Mac

Tips for backing up your iPhone or iPad

Nowadays, we rely on our devices to store a lot of sensitive data. Smartphones now house our photos, documents, passwords, bank card information, and more. The best iPhones and best iPads can store hundreds or thousands of photos, videos, apps, and more. But that also means that you could potentially lose several gigabytes of invaluable data if your device is damaged or stolen.

The good news is that you can make full backups through Finder or iTunes on a computer without even needing iCloud. This way, you can restore all of your data on a new iPhone or iPad with a few clicks. Below are the steps you need to follow to back up your iOS or iPadOS device.

What’s included in an iPhone or iPad computer backup

A screenshot from a Mac showing a person's iPhone and the backups page.

Apple says a computer backup of an iPhone or iPad includes “almost all of your device’s data and settings.” It doesn’t include iTunes or App Store content, imported MP3s, videos, books, photos, data already present in iCloud, Face ID or Touch ID settings, Apple Pay details, and Apple Mail data. If you’re making an unencrypted backup, you won’t get Activity, Health, and Keychain data either.

Encrypted or unencrypted backups?

Apple allows users to create both encrypted and unencrypted backups of their devices on a computer. The encrypted backups are not only more secure than the unencrypted ones, but they also include more information, like your saved passwords, health data, Wi-Fi settings, call history, and website history. iTunes or Finder doesn’t encrypt the backups by default. You have to choose the option, following which the app will encrypt all future backups and rewrite any existing backups with an encrypted version.

Using Finder on macOS Catalina or newer

You can use Finder to back up your iPhone or iPad in macOS Catalina and newer versions.

Connect your iPhone to a Mac using the appropriate cable. If this is your first time doing so, you may have to Allow the connection.
You may also have to download a software update. Select Install, or if this option doesn’t come up, skip to the next step.
Open Finder on Mac, and select your device from the left panel.
You may first have to trust the device if this is the first time pairing this iPhone with your Mac. Select Trust in the pop-up if it appears on the Mac screen.
Next, select Trust on the pop-up screen on your iPhone as well. You will also be asked to enter your device passcode in order to trust the computer.
You’ll now see backup options under the General tab. Select Back up all of the data of your iPhone/iPad to this Mac.
If you want to create an encrypted backup, tick the Encrypt local backup option. Leave it unticked for an unencrypted backup.
If you choose an encrypted backup, you’ll be asked to create a password. Remember this password for future access. Once you enter the password, iTunes will automatically start the backup process.
If you’ve chosen to create an unencrypted backup, click on Back Up Now to start making a local backup.

How to make an iPhone or iPad backup using iTunes on PC or Mac

iTunes is used to create a computer backup of your iPhone or iPad on PC and Macs running macOS Ventura as well as older versions. While iTunes is sometimes pre-installed on Mac, you’ll have to install it on your PC via the Microsoft Store.

The first thing you need to do is connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC or Mac using a compatible USB cable. You may be asked for your device passcode and whether you trust the computer on your device, so make sure you give the necessary permissions. The first time you connect, you will also have to allow the connection. There might also be an update to download, which could take a few minutes. Notably, iTunes also allows you to connect your iPhone or iPad wirelessly. Still, to enable the feature, you’ll need to connect your device using a cable for the first time, so we’ll use a USB cable for a more straightforward process for this guide.

Once the download (if one is necessary) is done, open the iTunes app.
Click the Device button on the top left of the iTunes window.
You’ll now see the backup options under Summary.
Select This Computer under Automatically Back Up for a local backup of your device.
If you want to create an encrypted backup, tick the Encrypt local backup option. Leave it unticked for an unencrypted backup.
If you choose an encrypted backup, you’ll be asked to create a password. Remember this password for future access. Once you enter the password, iTunes will automatically start the backup process.
If you’ve chosen to create an unencrypted backup, click on Back Up Now to start making a local backup.

Tips for backing up your iPhone or iPad

You should now be able to back up your data. Keep in mind that backing up your phone locally to your computer will take up plenty of storage space depending on how much you’re backing up. You might want to clean out your phone before backing it up. See our guide on how to free up space on iPhone. You’ll also want to make sure your MacBook has enough space. The more you have on the drive, the slower the computer could run. Cloud storage is an attractive solution in this case since you aren’t using any local storage. Another option to consider is to get a separate hard drive and use Apple Time Machine, and back up your phone (and MacBook) to that. Even if you use iCloud, it’s always a good idea to have local storage and secondary backups.

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