There are a few different ways to back up your iPhone:
Backup Your iPhone Using iCloud
- If you have a WiFi connection, you can back up your iPhone using iCloud.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on Your Name at the top of the screen.
- Tap iCloud.
- Scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup.
- Make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on. You’ll know the switch is on when the switch is green.
- Tap Back Up Now.
- A status bar will appear to tell you how much time is remaining.
Backup Your iPhone Using iTunes
- Plug the Lightning connector on your Lightning cable (charging cable) into the Lightning port on your iPhone.
- Plug the other end of your Lightning cable into a USB port on your computer.
- Open iTunes on your computer.
- Click on the iPhone icon in the upper left hand corner of iTunes.
- Click the circle next to “iCloud” or “This computer” to select whether you want to backup your iPhone to iCloud or your computer.
- Click Back Up Now to backup your iPhone.
- When the backup is complete, you’ll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.
Backup Your iPhone Using Finder (Macs Running Catalina 10.15 or newer)
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a charging cable.
- Open Finder.
- Click on your iPhone under Locations.
- Click the circle next to Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
- Click Back Up Now.
- When the backup is complete, you’ll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.
Why this works:
It’s important to back up your iPhone before doing any major restores (such as a DFU restore). If something goes wrong while you’re trying to fix your iPhone, having a back up means you won’t lose any of your data (such as contacts, photos, apps, and more). Restoring from a back up is a lot more convenient than having to go and reenter all the information that was saved on your iPhone.