How to Back Up Your iPhone Before Updating iOS (iCloud & Local)

1. Option A: iCloud Backup

Connect to Wi-Fi.
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup.
Tap Back Up Now.
Stay connected to Wi-Fi until the backup completes.
Verify: The "Last Backup" timestamp should show the current date and time.

Note: iCloud provides 5GB free storage. If your backup exceeds this, you'll need to purchase an iCloud+ plan ($0.99/month for 50GB) or use a local backup instead.

2. Option B: Encrypted Local Backup (Recommended)

Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC with a USB cable.
Mac (macOS Catalina or later): Open Finder, select your iPhone in the sidebar.
Windows: Open Apple Devices (or iTunes on older versions).
Under "Backups," select "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac/PC."
Check "Encrypt local backup" and set a password. This is critical — without encryption, the backup will NOT include Health data, Wi-Fi passwords, or saved login credentials.
Click Back Up Now.
Wait for the backup to complete (5–30 minutes depending on data volume).
Verify the backup timestamp in Finder/iTunes.

3. Verify Your Backup

Never trust that a backup worked without verification:

iCloud: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup. Check "Last Successful Backup" timestamp.
Local: In Finder, the "Latest Backup" date and time should match when you clicked Back Up Now.
Size Check: If your backup is suspiciously small (under 1GB), the backup may have failed silently. Re-run it.

Do not do these

An UNENCRYPTED local backup does NOT save Health data, Wi-Fi passwords, or app login credentials. Always enable encryption.
If you forget your encrypted backup password, Apple cannot recover it. Store the password securely.
iCloud backups do NOT include content already stored in iCloud (Photos, Notes, Contacts if iCloud-synced) — these are synced separately.

Questions this page actually answers

What is the difference between iCloud backup and encrypted local backup?

iCloud backup stores data in Apple's cloud and is convenient but limited to purchased storage. Encrypted local backup stores everything on your computer, including Health data and saved passwords that iCloud backup may not capture.

How often should I back up my iPhone?

Before any iOS update, before traveling internationally, and at minimum once per month. Enable automatic iCloud backup for daily protection.

Can I back up to an external hard drive?

Not directly. Local backups save to your computer's internal storage. You can then copy the backup folder to an external drive manually. On Mac, backups are in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/.

Next useful pages

Sources

Prepared by the iPhone Update Editorial Desk. Independent technical reference. Not affiliated with Apple Inc.