Top 5 Free Ways to Backup iPhone/iPad/iPod for Windows and Mac

by Jenefey Aaron   Updated on 2020-03-17 / Update for  Other iPhone Tips

The best way to keep your data safe is backing up iOS devices. This article is going to share the best free solutions to help you back up your iPhone/iPad/iPod, including iPhone 5s/5c/5 and iPad Air. You can choose the most appropriate one for yourself.

1. iTunes

Apple likes to tie all iOS devices to the iTunes, even though there is lots of free iTunes-alternative software. If you are used to do daily backup in iTunes, that will be fine. iTunes backup information includes:

  • Purchased music, TV shows, apps, and books
  • Photos and video in the Camera Roll; device settings (for example, Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts)
  • App data; Home screen and app organization; Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS), ringtones, and more.

However, iTunes backup files are not readable, you cannot recover certain files when lost iPhone data. If you want to extract files from iTunes backup, just try iTunes Data Recovery.

2. iCould

iCould is a cloud storage and cloud computing service from Apple Inc. Backup your iPhone with iCould is easy. iCloud backup data includes:

  • Purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books
  • Photos and videos in the Camera Roll
  • Device settings (for example: Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts)
  • App data
  • Home screen and app organization
  • Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS)
  • Ringtones
  • Visual Voicemails)

You are allowed to get 5 GB of free iCloud storage. And you can't backup to iCould if you don't have enough space.

Note:Neither iTunes nor iCloud does not backup purchased music in all countries.
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3. External Hard Drive

This is talking about backing up iTunes library. The iTunes library is a database iTunes uses to organize your music. Two iTunes library files are created and maintained by iTunes for different purposes. They're both in the iTunes folder.

The best way to back up your iTunes library is to consolidate your library into one folder and then copy that folder to an external hard drive. Here are official steps on how to backup iTunes library to external hard drive.

4. Sync iPhone/iPad/iPod Data to Google

If you want to backup iOS data without iTunes, now you have option to sync iPhone/iPad/iPod Mail, Calendar, and Contacts to Google. Google Sync is only supported on Apple iOS versions 3.0 and above. Here is a step-by-step guide to set up Google Sync with your iOS device.

sync iphone ipod ipad with google

5. Free Third-party iOS Backup Software

iPhone Data Recovery is not only a data recovery tool, but also flexible one-click iOS backup software. This program can scan the files saved on your iPhone, and you are allowed to preview all files and select which are important to save on your Windows or Mac.

It fully supports backup for photos, contacts, SMS, voice memos, reminders, call history, SMS attachments, Safari bookmarks and more.

iPhone backup

Tips: Highly recommend iOS backup BEFORE:

  • Upgrade iOS. (e.g. From iOS 7 to iOS 8)
  • iPhone/iPad/iPod Jailbreak.
  • Restore iOS from factory settings.
  • Getting a new iPhone/iPod/iPad.
  • Sync with iTunes.
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