How to Back Up an iPhone or iPad: iCloud Backup, Mac Backup and What Each Includes

Your phone probably holds more of your life than your computer does. Photos, messages, banking apps, two-step sign-in codes and a decade of contacts are all in your pocket. It is also the device most likely to be lost, dropped or stolen.

The good news is that an iPhone or iPad is easy to protect, and there are two sensible ways to do it. This guide explains both, what each one includes, and which to use. It is part of our complete backup guide for Mac, iPhone and iPad.

The two ways to back up

You can back up an iPhone or iPad to iCloud, to your Mac, or to both. You can use both methods if you want an alternative.

iCloud Backup stores the backup in iCloud, and it is always encrypted. You do not need a computer, and you can make or use a backup from anywhere with Wi-Fi.

A backup to a Mac stores the copy on the Mac itself, so how much space you have depends on your Mac. This kind of backup is not encrypted unless you choose to encrypt it.

For most people, iCloud Backup is the one to rely on every day, because it runs by itself. A backup to your Mac is a very good extra, especially before a repair, a replacement or a big software update.

How iCloud Backup works

iCloud Backup keeps a copy of the information on your device that is not already stored somewhere else in iCloud. This includes your device settings and Home Screen layout, along with data from apps.

That last point is worth understanding. If you already use iCloud Photos, Messages in iCloud or Notes in iCloud, those are kept up to date by syncing, so they are not copied into the backup as well. You get them back by signing in again after a restore.

To turn it on, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap iCloud Backup and make sure Back Up This iPhone or Back Up This iPad is on. For automatic backups, the device needs to be connected to power and Wi-Fi, with the screen locked. That usually means overnight.

You can also back up straight away by tapping Back Up Now on the same screen. Stay connected to Wi-Fi until it finishes. The date and time of your last backup appears under the button, which is the quickest way to check that it is really working.

When iCloud Backup will not finish

The most common problem is simply running out of iCloud space, which is only 5GB on a free account. Open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then Storage, then Backups and your device. A figure called Next Backup Size shows how big the next backup will be. If it is bigger than your free space, you can delete information you do not need, or upgrade your iCloud+ plan.

If a backup is taking longer than expected, check you are on Wi-Fi, check your upload speed, and leave the device plugged in and connected for 24 hours.

Backing up to a Mac

On a Mac, the backup is made in Finder. Connect your iPhone or iPad with a cable and, if asked, allow the connection. Open Finder, select your device in the sidebar, and click Trust on both the Mac and the device if asked. You may also need to enter your passcode.

Then click Back Up Now and wait for it to finish. Afterwards, the date and time of your last backup appears in the same window.

A backup made this way includes almost all of your device’s data and settings. It leaves out content from the App Store, content you synced from your Mac, and information that is already stored and syncing in iCloud.

Why you should consider an encrypted backup

On the same Finder screen there is a box called Encrypt local backup. It is off by default, and for many people it is the most important choice.

An encrypted backup can include information that an ordinary one leaves out. That is your saved passwords, Wi-Fi settings, website history, Health data and call history. If you use an Apple Watch, the Health and Activity data from it is saved the same way. If you want those in the backup, you need to turn encryption on.

There is one serious catch. You choose a password when you turn encryption on, and you cannot recover the backup without it. Write the password down and keep it somewhere safe. When you first turn encryption on, it immediately overwrites and encrypts your previous backups, so check that the new backup finished before you rely on it.

Even an encrypted backup does not include Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode data. You set those up again on a replacement device.

What neither backup includes

The exclusions are limited. Neither method includes Apple Pay information and settings, your Face ID or Touch ID settings, or Apple Mail data. Neither includes offline maps. Data stored with another cloud service, such as Gmail, is not in an iCloud backup either, because that service keeps it.

That does not mean it is lost. Most of it simply comes back another way, for example when you sign in again or add your cards to Apple Pay. It is worth knowing about before you wipe an old phone.

Which one should you use

For most people, the answer is both. Leave iCloud Backup switched on so there is always a recent copy without any effort. Then, before a repair, a replacement or a big update, make an encrypted backup to your Mac as well.

That gives you two separate chances to recover. If iCloud has a problem, or you have run out of space, there is a copy on your Mac. If the Mac is not available, there is one in iCloud.

There is one more thing to do. The backup on your Mac is stored on the Mac, so the Mac should be protected too. Time Machine looks after that, and our guide, Backing Up Your Mac at Home: From Time Machine to NAS, explains how. Otherwise the backup of your phone is itself in only one place.

What happens when you restore

When you set up a replacement device, or restore your old one, you can choose which backup to use. On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From iCloud Backup, sign in to your Apple Account, and choose the most recent backup. You can see the date and size of each one. If your backup is on a Mac, you connect the device, select it in Finder and click Restore Backup. You enter the password if it is an encrypted backup.

Keep the device connected to Wi-Fi and power until the progress bar finishes. Content such as your photos, music and apps keeps downloading from iCloud after setup, so the device may be busy for a while.

Before you erase or trade in the old phone, take a few minutes to check the new one. Open your photos, messages and banking apps, and check that the apps that generate your sign-in codes still work. Once everything is in place, you can wipe the old device.

If you are also replacing a Mac, our guide to setting up a new Mac from your backup covers that side. If your files are in a service like iCloud Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, cloud storage is not always a backup explains what those services can and cannot restore.

If you would like help checking an iCloud backup, making an encrypted backup or moving to a new device, contact Your Mac Tech.