Guide To Backing Up iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch To A Computer (MacBook Or PC)

Since I began supporting mobile technology more than 10 years ago I have advised clients to perform regular back ups of their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

When you back up your Apple device, you will have a copy of your data safely stored on your computer. This is invaluable if your device is stolen, lost broken, or replaced. It is also a good option if you want to keep your personal data private and not store it on iCloud.

Backup is also useful if you get a new device and want to transfer your previous settings to it

With Apple products you have 2 choices when it comes to making a back up:

• Save your information to a computer such as a MacBook or PC
• Save your information to iCloud

In this guide, I explain all the back up methods that allow you to save your data to a computer including:

• how to backup iPhone to Mac (using macOS Catalina, Big Sur, or earlier)
• how to backup iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to Windows
• how to delete old iPhone or iPad backups from your computer
• how to encrypt your backups
• how to restore your backup

Back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your computer

How to backup iPhone to MacBook (or any other Mac computer)

Method 1: If you use macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer

The major difference between macOS version 10.15, also known as Catalina, and the earlier versions is iTunes was replaced by separate Music, Podcasts, TV, and Books apps. This means iOS device management is conducted via Finder instead of iTunes.

1. Plug your iOS device into your Mac using a cable.
   
2. Open Finder on your Mac.
   
3. Click your device name in the sidebar.
4. If this is the first time you have connected your device to your Mac click the trust button.
   
5. Tap trust on your device when prompted and enter your device passcode to confirm.
6. If you want to save sensitive information such as passwords then tick the ‘Encrypt Local Back Up’ checkbox in the Finder summary window.
7. If this is the first time you have done a local backup then enter a password when prompted. Then click the ‘Set Password’ button.
8. To start a back up click the ‘Back Up Now’ button near the bottom of the Finder summary window.
9. Enter your device passcode to begin the back up. It should take around 5 minutes to complete but the exact time depends on what’s installed and stored on your device.
   
10. Once the backup is complete you will see the date and time it was made on the Finder summary screen.
    
11. Now you have a back up of your device on your Mac in case you ever need to use it.

Method 2: If you use macOS Mojave 10.14 or older

1. Connect your iOS device and your Mac with a cable.
2. Open iTunes on your Mac.
3. Click the device icon in the top left of iTunes, just below the play button.
4. If this is the first time you have connected your device to your Mac click the trust button.
5. Tap trust on your device when prompted and enter your device passcode to confirm.
6. If you want to save sensitive information such as passwords then tick the ‘Encrypt Local Back Up’ checkbox in the iTunes summary window.
7. If this is the first time you have done a local backup then enter a password when prompted. Then click the ‘Set Password’ button.
8. To start a back up click the ‘Back Up Now’ button near the bottom of the iTunes summary window.
9. Enter your device passcode to begin the back up. It should take around 5 minutes to complete but the exact time depends on what’s installed and stored on your device.
10. Once the backup is complete you will see the date and time it was made on the iTunes summary screen.
11. Now you have a back up of your device on your Mac in case you ever need to use it.

How to backup iPhone with your Windows PC

1. Plug your device into your PC with a USB or USB-C cable.
2. Start iTunes on your PC.
3. Click the device icon in the top left of iTunes, just below the play button.
4. If this is the first time you have connected your device to your Mac click the trust button.
5. Tap trust on your device when prompted and enter your device passcode to confirm.
6. Click ‘Summary’ under the device setting in iTunes.
7. If you want to save sensitive information such as passwords then tick the ‘Encrypt [device] Back Up’ checkbox in the iTunes summary window.
8. If this is the first time you have done a local backup then enter a password when prompted. Then click the ‘Set Password’ button.
9. To start a back up click the ‘Back Up Now’ button near the bottom of the iTunes summary window.
10. Enter your device passcode to begin the back up. It should take around 5 minutes to complete but the exact time depends on what’s installed and stored on your device.
11. Once the backup is complete you will see the date and time it was made on the iTunes summary screen.
12. To see the backups stored on your PC, choose Edit > Preferences, then click Devices. Encrypted backups have a lock icon in the list of backups.
13. Now you have a back up of your device on your PC in case you ever need to use it.

How to backup iPad to your computer

1. Plug in your device to your computer using a USB or USB-C lightning cable.
2. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes.
3. If this is the first time you have connected your iPad to your computer click the trust button.
4. Tap trust on your iPad when prompted and enter your device passcode to confirm.
5. If you want to save Health and Activity data from your iPad, you need to encrypt your backup. Tick the box in iTunes called ‘Encrypt [device] backup’ and create a memorable password when prompted.
6. Click Back Up Now to begin the backup process. It should only take a few minutes to finish.
7. Once the backup is complete you will see the date and time it was made on the iTunes or Finder summary screen.

Back up your iPod Touch with your computer

1. Connect your iPod Touch to your computer using a USB or USB-C cable.
2. On your Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer open Finder. On all other computers open iTunes.
3. If this is the first time you have connected your iPod Touch to your computer then click the ‘Trust’ button.
4. Tap trust on your iPod Touch when prompted and enter your device passcode to confirm.
5. If you want to save sensitive information such as passwords then tick the ‘Encrypt [device] Back Up’ checkbox in the summary window.
6. If this is the first time you have done a local backup then enter a password when prompted. Then click the ‘Set Password’ button.
7. To start a back up click the ‘Back Up Now’ button near the bottom of the summary window.
8. Click Back Up Now to begin the backup. It should only take 5 minutes to finish.

Deleting old iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch backups on Mac

You may want to remove your old back ups from your Mac:

1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, open iTunes.
2. In Finder, under the General tab, click Manage Backups to see a list of your backups. You can right-click on the backup you want, then select Delete or Archive.
3. In iTunes, choose Preferences, then click Devices. From here, you can right-click on the backup you want, then choose Delete or Archive it.

How to backup specific iPhone models

If you would like detailed instructions on how to backup a particular iPhone model, see:

• How to backup iPhone 14.
• How to backup iPhone 13.
• How to backup iPhone 12.
• How to backup iPhone 11.
• How to backup iPhone XR.
• How to backup iPhone XS.
• How to backup iPhone X.
• How to backup iPhone 8.
• How to backup iPhone 7.
• How to backup iPhone 6.
• How to backup iPhone 6S.
• How to backup iPhone 5.
• How to backup iPhone SE.

How to backup each iPad model

If you would like detailed steps on how to backup a specific iPad in the range, see:

• How to backup iPad
• How to backup iPad Pro
• How to backup iPad Air
• How to backup iPad Mini

How to restore your iOS device backups on a Mac

Restore your device from a backup on your Mac computer.

1. Connect your device to your Mac using a lightning cable.
2. If your Mac runs macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, open Finder. Otherwise open iTunes.
3. Select your device from the sidebar in Finder, or from the toolbar in iTunes.
4. Click the ‘Restore Backup’ button and follow the on-screen prompts.
5. Keep your device connected until the process has been completed.

If you want more detailed instructions I have written an in-depth guide on how to restore iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch from a backup and how to recover deleted photos from iPhone.

FAQ’s

Having step-by-step instructions on how to backup an iPhone to a MacBook is great but there are other questions you may have when backing up your device to a computer.