How to Back Up Your iPhone to iCloud, MacOS, or Windows (2026)

Your iPhone is so much more than just a screen for texting.

Smartphones are how we get work done, stay on top of the crazy news cycle, rock out, keep in touch with friends and family, and capture life’s most important moments.

Carrying all of that information in our pockets is incredibly powerful, and it makes getting through our days a little easier.

It also means that your most important data can get lost when you forget your phone on the train or have an unfortunate spat with the sidewalk.

If you want to avoid frantically trying to recover the best shots from a friend’s wedding, you should back up your iPhone.

It’s also a great idea if you plan on updating to a new iPhone .

There are a few ways to do this, depending on your needs and habits.

After you’re all backed up, check out our guide to choosing the best iPhone .

We also have a guide to backing up an Android phone .

Updated March 2026: We added information on Apple’s subscriptions, Advanced Data Protection, new sections on local backup options, backing up within apps, and 2FA codes and passkeys.

Your easiest option, and Apple’s first recommendation, is to back up your iPhone to iCloud.

Make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi, and the process is pretty simple:
Apple gives you 5 GB of iCloud storage for free, but that’s not nearly enough to cover all of your data.

You can always buy more iCloud storage.

Apple’s iCloud+ offers 50 GB for $1 a month, 200 GB for $3.50 a month, 2 TB for $10 a month, 6 TB for $30 a month, or 12 TB for $60 a month.

Folks who like to use multiple Apple services may prefer an Apple One subscription.

Luckily, in iOS 15, Apple introduced a temporary method to back up your data to iCloud, even if you are out of storage, to allow you to switch iPhones .

When you buy a new iPhone, Apple gives you unlimited iCloud storage for 21 days.

By default, Apple holds the keys to your iCloud backups unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection , which you'll find on the iCloud settings page.

If you decide to use end-to-end encryption, you must set up an alternative recovery method, just in case your iPhone ever goes missing.

If you prefer not to use the cloud, there is another way.

If your phone is loaded with pictures, songs, apps, and years of text messages, you might want to make a local backup.

If you have a computer with some gigs to spare, you can plug in your iPhone and click a few buttons to make sure all your phone's data is safely tucked away.

But the exact method depends on your version of macOS.

If you're not sure which Apple operating system you have, click the little Apple icon in the top left corner of your Mac desktop and select About This Mac .

Another window will pop up, telling you what version you're running.

The upgrade to macOS Catalina (2019) did away with iTunes, replacing it with three separate apps for music, podcasts, and TV.

The backup option is now located in Finder, where you can search folders and other drives.

The steps to back up your iPhone are almost the same as with iTunes:
You can also manage previous backups from here and choose to sync different types of media with your computer while you’re at it.

iTunes is not dead yet.

The service is still available on older OS versions, so you can still back up everything there.

Here's how:
You can also back up your iPhone on your Windows PC using iTunes .

Here's how:
You probably don't want to have to plug in every time you back up files.

Luckily, you can turn on Wi-Fi syncing between your iPhone and computer with these steps:
Backing Up to Other Cloud Services
The Google Photos app is a great way to make sure your photos stay safe, since you get 15 GB of storage for free .

As a bonus, the app lets you clear your iPhone's camera roll once all your photos are backed up—nice if your phone is low on storage.

If you'd rather avoid Google, we've rounded up several alternatives here , and there are many other cloud storage services to choose from.

Maybe you’d prefer not to use the cloud or Apple’s services for your backup.

You can always use the methods listed above for Mac or Windows to download files, then manually move them onto a portable hard drive or USB flash drive , though it’s a bit of hassle.

Some apps, mostly messaging apps, have their own backup systems built-in.

Here are a couple of examples, but check on your favorites.

Don’t Forget 2FA Codes and Passkeys
What happens if you lose your phone or it is stolen and you have two-factor authentication (2FA) set up on your Apple account?

There’s a danger you could be locked out.

There is an account recovery process, but it takes a while, so it’s smart to have more than one trusted device associated with your account.

You can also add additional trusted phone numbers .

For folks who use Google Authenticator, it now has an encrypted cloud sync feature.

You’ll be prompted to set it up if you update the app and open it, but you can check by tapping your profile picture at the top right.

You’ll see a cloud icon with a tick when you’re backed up.

For passkeys, which are often stored locally on the device, you might consider backing up in more than one place.

They are automatically backed up in your iCloud Keychain, but you could also use one of the best cross-platform password managers , like Bitwarden , or a physical device, like YubiKey ($58) .

iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro