How to correctly back up your iPhone to your computer

You probably have irreplaceable stuff on your iPhone, from memorable pictures to text conversations that will always make you smile. In many ways, it’s the data you have on your iPhone that makes it so valuable to you. And yet, you’re probably still not backing up your phone, even though you know better.

But that’s okay, keep reading. This article will walk you through a couple of different ways you can back up your iPhone to a Windows PC and give you some peace of mind about the data on your phone.

Before you back up your iPhone to your PC

It’s always best to take a quick inventory of what you have on your phone before you back it up. The more data you have, the longer your backup will take. And there’s no point in backing up files that you’ll end up deleting anyway.

A good place to start is your photo library. You can look for screenshots, similar photos, and other images you don’t want to keep. An iPhone app like CleanMy®Phone will scan your library and show you those photos — making it faster and easier to get rid of them.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Download CleanMy®Phone and open it. Allow the app full access to your photo library.
2. Tap Declutter > Scan. This module will find duplicates, screenshots, screen recordings, and other useless stuff.
3. Images are already preselected for deletion, but you can deselect those you want to keep. Once done, tap Clean.
4. Now, let’s proceed with removing similar shots. To do it, tap Organize, choose a proposed time frame or set up a custom filter, and tap Scan.
5. You will now see the following categories of similars: Pets, Travel, Food, Portraits, Text, and Other. Select images for removal and tap Clean.
6. Finally, go to the Recently Deleted album in your Photos app and delete all photos. You’re now ready for the backup.

How to back up your iPhone to a computer

There’s a few different methods you can use to back up your iPhone to your computer. The first one we’ll talk about is using the native Apple app iTunes, and the second is using a specialized backup app called iMazing.

Way 1. Back up iPhone to PC using iTunes

Using iTunes is pretty straightforward and should feel familiar if you’ve used any other Apple apps.

To back up your iPhone to your computer:

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer.
2. If you get a pop-up asking for your device passcode or whether you Trust This Computer, enter the passcode or tap Trust.
3. Select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes.
4. Click Summary in the sidebar.
5. In the Automatically Backup section, check mark This Computer.
6. Then, click Back Up Now.

The great thing about using iTunes is that it takes a snapshot of your iPhone, backing up most of the device’s data and settings. On the other hand, you aren’t given much access to or control of your iTunes backup. The file is hidden in iTunes’ library files, and even when you find it, you won’t be able to easily see the contents of it.

Way 2. Use iPhone backup software

If you’re looking for a way to completely backup your iPhone, not just your app data and settings, you’ll want to look at a third-party app like iMazing. It’s very user-friendly and addresses some of the concerns of backing up with iTunes, like not being able to see what you’ve backed up.

Once you have iMazing installed and opened:

1. Connect your iPhone to your PC.
2. Confirm you trust the computer.
3. A screen should open suggesting you to back up your iPhone right away.
4. Click Back Up Now.

After the backup is done then, unlike with iTunes, you’re able to browse through it and make sure that everything you’re hoping to keep safe from your phone has made it over to your computer.

iPhone backup: Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to back up my iPhone to my computer?

The amount of time it takes to back up your iPhone depends on how much data you have on it. Again, the less clutter you have on there, the faster your backups will be. So check out CleanMy®Phone and let the app help you find and remove the photos you don’t want on your phone.

Can I back up two iPhones on one computer?

Whether you’re using iTunes or an app like iMazing, you can back up as many iPhones as you would like to one computer. Where it gets tricky is syncing your iPhone.

Unlike backing up, syncing means all of the apps that are on your iPhone start sharing information with the apps on your computer. That being said, you should only sync one iPhone with one computer, but go ahead and back up as many phones as you want.

Hopefully, reading this article and seeing how easy it is to back up your iPhone inspired you to be better about backing up your data. So what’re you waiting for?! Start backing up your iPhone, so that all you precious, irreplaceable data is safe.