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.
Updated September 2025: We updated the steps and screenshots for the latest version of iOS.
Backing Up to iCloud
1 / 4 Chevron Chevron Apple via Simon Hill Screenshot
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:
Open Settings. You can scroll down to select iCloud, or tap [Your Name] at the top and then iCloud. On the iCloud page, scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup. Make sure the switch is toggled on so you’ll get automatic backups every 24 hours when your iPhone is charging, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. Then tap Back Up Now to force a backup. Check whatever you want iCloud to back up (you can uncheck other categories).
Apple gives you 5 GB of iCloud storage for free, but that’s probably not enough to cover all of your data. You can always buy more iCloud storage, though that will draw you deeper into Apple's ecosystem. 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. If you prefer not to use the cloud, there is another way.
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