Did you buy a new iPhone or do you just have to bring it to repair? You can backup and restore your iPhone on your PC via iTunes, on a Mac with Catalina via Finder and on your phone via Apple’s iCloud. That’s how.
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Backing up your iPhone is always a good idea. Maybe your phone is behaving badly and you hope to solve it by reporting it as when it left the factory and then restore it with the most recent backup. Or maybe you bought a new iPhone and want to transfer all your data. Whatever the reason, you can back up your phone and restore the backup if necessary on an iPhone as well as an iPad or iPod touch.
Apple offers some backup methods. Windows users can back up the phone via iTunes; those running macOS Catalina can use the Finder. You can also choose to backup the iPhone to iCloud.
iTunes Vs. Finder vs. iCloud
There are pros and cons for each method. Using iTunes or Finder means that you don’t have to rely on the cloud, even if it means that you can only restore the backup from the Apple account on your computer. If the computer crashes, the backup cannot be performed. The good news is that you can also encrypt your backup with iTunes or Finder if you want to backup passwords, health information and other sensitive data.
With iCloud, backup is not affected by computer problems, it is automatically encrypted and available everywhere. Back up your phone to iCloud via Wi-Fi from the phone itself, you don’t even need iTunes or Finder. The backup can also be sent to your computer from iCloud. Unfortunately, if your backup uses too much data, you may need to upgrade to a paid iCloud account. Apple offers only 5 GB of iCloud space for free.
How to backup with iTunes
First, connect your phone to the computer and start iTunes. Click on your phone icon. On the phone screen, make sure that the This computer option is selected in the Backup section. Click the Back up now button. iTunes syncs and backs up your phone to your computer. When the backup is complete, the Last backup timestamp indicates the date and time of the last backup.
Read also- How to backup your iPhone to iTunes
How to encrypt backups with iTunes
If you want to back up passwords and other sensitive information, you need to encrypt the backup. The encryption option backs up saved passwords, Wi-Fi settings, website history, and health data. Check the box next to Encrypt local backup, then enter the password and click the Set password button. With encryption enabled, iTunes should immediately begin backing up the phone. If not, click the Back up now button.
Confirm encryption in iTunes
After the backup is complete, you can confirm that it has been encrypted. Click on the Edit menu and select Preferences. In the Device Preferences window, click the Devices tab. A lock icon appears next to the backup indicating that it has been encrypted. If you keep the encryption option enabled, all future backups will be encrypted. To stop encrypted backups, uncheck the box next to Encrypt local backup and type the password used previously.
How to perform automatic backups with iTunes
You can back up your iPhone manually via iTunes, but it may be easier to set it up to automatically back up your device. For this function to work, the phone must be connected to the computer and the option for automatic synchronization must be selected. Now every time you connect your phone and open iTunes, a backup is performed as part of the sync.
Find my iPhone
Well, now let’s say that you need to restore iTunes backup, on the same phone or on a new phone. Before you can restore a backup to an iPhone, you need to disable the Find My iPhone feature. On your phone, open Settings> [Your name]> Find mine> Find my iPhone if you use iOS 13 or Settings> [Your name]> iCloud> Find my iPhone on devices with previous versions. Turn off Find My iPhone, type your password, and tap Turn Off.
How to restore backups with iTunes
With Find My iPhone turned off, connect your phone to your PC. Click the Restore backup button. Make sure that the correct backup for date and time is selected. If not, click on the drop-down menu and select the backup you want to restore. Click the Reset button. Type the encryption password if the backup has been encrypted. iTunes starts to restore the phone.
Log in to your phone
Access your phone when prompted. After the restore is complete, log in again. It may be necessary to wait until all apps are updated and accessible. Then browse the phone’s home screen to make sure all the apps and information are okay.
How to backup with Finder in macOS Catalina
If you have a Mac with macOS Catalina, you probably already know that iTunes has been withdrawn in favor of dedicated apps for music, podcasts, movies and TV and books.
So how to backup and restore an iPhone without iTunes? That’s where Finder comes in. Using the Mac Finder app, you can perform many of the tasks you used to perform through iTunes.
To set it up, connect your iPhone to the Mac and open Finder. Click the Go menu and select Computer. From the list of locations, click the one for your phone. The first time you do this, click on the Trust button. Click Trust on your phone, then enter your passcode.
How to set up a backup with Finder
The next steps are similar to those of iTunes. On the General tab in the Backup section, choose whether you want to backup your most important data on iCloud or on this Mac. You can also choose to encrypt the backup. When you’re ready, click the Back up now button.
To indicate backup, the buttons in the Backup section in Finder are disabled, while the phone displays a synchronization icon in the upper right corner. When the backup is complete, the buttons become available again and the date of the last backup on this Mac will indicate the day and time.
How to restore backup with Finder
To restore your phone from backup, click the Restore backup button. Choose the correct backup from the drop-down menu and click Restore. Wait for the restore to complete, then sign back into the phone.
How to backup with iCloud
You can backup to iCloud through iTunes and Finder, but why not try it from your iPhone? To kick off your phone, open Settings> [Your name]> iCloud> iCloud Backup. Turn on the switch for iCloud Backup. To back up your phone, tap the button to back up now. Your phone will be backed up to iCloud. Once the backup is complete, return to the previous screen to see how much space the backup has taken up on iCloud.
How to set up automatic backups on iCloud
After activating iCloud Backup, a backup is performed automatically every 24 hours after the last successful backup. For this to happen, the phone must be turned on and connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi. It must also be connected to a power source and the screen must be locked or turned off. If you go to iTunes or Finder on your computer, you will notice that the option under Auto Backup is now set to iCloud.
Erase and restore
To restore your iPhone from iCloud backup, go to Settings> General> Restore to device. Touch the setting to clear all content and settings. You will then be asked if you want to update your iCloud backup before deleting it. If you need to create a new backup, tap the option on Backup, then tap Delete. If you know you have a recent backup, tap on the option to delete now.
To erase everything, you will need to enter your passcode, then tap Erase iPhone twice. The device warns you that by doing this you will delete all the media and data and restore all the settings, in doing so it will not allow you to do it accidentally.
How to restore backups from iCloud
When you reset your device or set up a new one, follow the screens to set up your phone manually or automatically via another iOS device. On the Apps & Data screen, choose the Restore from iCloud Backup option, then sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID and password. On the Choose backup screen, tap the backup you want to restore.
If you don’t see it, tap the link to show all backups and select one from the list. Then, select the settings you want to restore. Your iPhone is then restored from backup and restarted. Log in and wait for your apps to be installed and updated.
