Backing up your iPhone to a computer is helpful for various reasons, including a second copy of your files and saving up space on your phone. You can do this in several forms, depending on your hardware. We’ll guide you on how to back up your iPhone to a computer, whether you’re online or not.
How to Backup iPhone to a Mac
If you have a newer Mac, the process will be easy to follow because it has been streamlined. Follow these steps to transfer these files:
- To attach your iPhone to your Mac computer, use the Apple Lightning to USB cable. Before you plug in your iPhone, make sure it is unlocked.
- A pop-up window will let you know if there is a software update. If you don’t want to, you can skip this version.
- On your home screen, click “Finder.”
- Click your iPhone’s name on the “Locations” tab in the left menu, then wait for everything to load.
- Look for the Backup menu on the “General” tab.
- Toggle “Back up all of your iPhone’s data to this Mac” in the menu.
- Click the “Back Up Now” button.
- Wait for the bar to finish filling up.
- Now that the files are finished backing up, you can close the window.
You must download iTunes to back up your files offline on an older Mac. How to do this is as follows:
- Install iTunes on your Mac.
- Open iTunes once it is installed. iTunes may ask for your account information so that it can be set up correctly.
- Attach your iPhone to your Mac with the Apple Lightning to USB cable. When you do this, make sure your iPhone is unlocked.
- When you pack your iPhone into a computer, it will ask if you trust it. Tap on “Trust.”
- iTunes will ask if you want to allow the Mac to access your iPhone’s information. Click on “Continue.”
- Click on the name of your phone from the menu on the left. If you can’t find it, click on the cellphone icon on the top menu bar of the iTunes window.
- On the “Backups” tab on iTunes click on the toggle for “This Computer.”
- Click on the “Back Up Now” button.
- Wait for the progress bar to finish.
- Click on “Done.”
How to Backup iPhone to a Windows PC
Since iTunes is also known for Windows, backing up your iPhone to a Windows PC is the same. The following are the steps for backing up your iPhone to a PC:
- Download the appropriate iTunes version for your Windows PC before you start. On the Apple iTunes download page, you can choose from different versions depending on your operating system.
- Move to the folder where the file was saved after you received it. Then, click on the file for setting up iTunes.
- Finish the steps for installation.
- Open the app for iTunes.
- Use the Apple Lightning to USB Cable to connect your iPhone to your PC.
- Your iPhone will show a message asking if you want to let it access your phone. Click “Allow.”
- If you give others access to the information on your iPhone, iTunes will display a message asking you to do so. Click on Keep Going.
- The computer will ask your iPhone if you trust it. Tap on “Trust.”
- Click on the name of your phone in the menu on the left in iTunes. If you don’t see it there, click on the cellphone icon in the top left corner of the window.
- Toggle on “This Computer” under the “Backups” tab.
- Click the “Back Up Now” button.
- Wait for the bar to finish moving.
- Just click “Done.”
How to Backup iPhone to Computer Without iTunes or iCloud
You can use third-party apps if you want to back up the files on your phone but don’t want to use Apple’s services. Although they are more streamlined than iTunes, they’re better than nothing. Here are two apps that can help and directions on how to use them:
DearMob iPhone Manager
DearMob is a Windows app that lets users back up iPhone files to multiple computers at once. Users can also select which files to back up and which to ignore. This app has both free and delivered versions, so you can test it out to see if it works for you. Here are the actions to follow to use this app:
- Download and install the DearMob app.
- Then, on your computer, open the app.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer via the Apple Lightning to USB cable.
- On your iPhone, tap “Trust.”
- To completely back up all your iPhone’s files, click “Backup” and then “Backup Now” on DearMob.
- If you want to choose which file to back up, click “Photo Transfer,” “Music Manager,” “Video,” or “Files,” and then choose which file to transfer to your computer.
How to Backup iPhone to Computer Without USB or Cable
You can back up your iPhone to a computer without a USB cable, but you must set it up first. This means you will need a cable to set up your iPhone for a rather time, but after that, it will back up files instantly over Wi-Fi.
Right now, there is no way to do this process without the cable, so it might be a good idea to set this up ahead of time. Also, you’ll need to have iTunes installed on your Mac or Windows PC for this to work. Follow these steps to set up back up via Wi-Fi:
- Either your Mac or PC can be used to open iTunes.
- Next, use the Apple Lightning USB cable to charge your iPhone.
- Charge both your iPhone and your PC by clicking “Allow” or “Trust” on the iPhone and “Continue” on the PC.
- On the left menu, click on your phone’s name or click on the cellphone icon on the top of the window.
- Move down until you reach the “Options” tab.
- Toggle the checkmark on “Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi.”
- Select Done.
When the phone is charging, it will instantly update backup files through your local network. Your phone and computer must be connected to an identical Wi-Fi network for this to work.
A Handy Bit of Info
Knowing how to back up your iPhone to a computer is useful information. It’s free and allows you to access your phone’s files even when you’re not online if you copy them to local storage.
Do you know of any other ways of backing up the files on your iPhone to a computer? Feel free to tell us what you think in the area below.