A Detailed Guide of How to Backup iPhone to iTunes

by Anna Sherry   Updated on 2020-01-13 / Update for  iPhone Backup

Every iPhone users at some point need to backup their iPhone data. The reason may depend from person to person. Some users backup their phone data in order to use the data in future, some wants to free space on their iPhone while other wants to backup their iPhone data so that they can restore to their new iPhone incase their existing iPhone is lost, damaged or stolen. It is never a bad idea to backup your iPhone to iTunes because you never know when you need it. In this article you will be shown how to backup iPhone using iTunes.

What Does iTunes Backup

iTunes is a default app offered by Apple to backup all the data and settings of the iDevice. You can even encrypt your backup for safety measure. You can backup:

  • Photos and images (which may include camera photos, screenshots, wallpaper etc)
  • Application data (documents, app settings, preferences etc)
  • Media files (videos, music, movies, ringtone etc)
  • Messages & call logs (voice messages, contacts, call history, iMessages etc)
  • Settings of the phone, notes, calendar, bookmark, safari history, offline data and many more.

How to Backup iPhone Using iTunes

Backing up your iPhone using iTunes is pretty much easy. All you need to have is latest version of iTunes installed on your computer and a working USB cord. Simply connect your phone to computer and follow the instruction as shown below. The process may be time consuming so be patience.

Note: Download and install iTunes on your computer to backup your data.

Process on how to backup to iTunes:

1. First launch iTunes on your computer >> connect your iPhone using USB cable. Instantly iPhone will be detected by the iTunes.

2. Next click on Device button >> click on Summary tab (You can find this option on the left side of screen).

3. Now select “This computer” option >> click on “Back Up Now” button to start the back up process.

4. Your iPhone will be backed up to iTunes and the backing up time depends upon the size of your files.

backup iphone to  itunes

Could not Backup iPhone to iTunes, How to Fix

There can be many occasion where you are not able to backup your iPhone using iTunes. The reason may be anything but the common issue is that iTunes doesn’t work properly. In this case you can use the alternative of iTunes to backup your iPhone data or repair the iTunes using any third party software. I will show both the methods to you. Choose which one you want to use to backup your iPhone.

Way 1: Repair iTunes using Free TunesCare

If you are having problem with your iTunes then it is better to use Tenorshare TunesCare. This tool can solve iTunes Sync problem and fix all iTunes errors. It even helps to boost iTunes to best performance as well as it is fully compatible with iTunes 12.9. Some users face the issue like iTunes won’t open or stopped working, unable to install iTunes or failed to install iTunes updates, constantly freezes or gets crashed and even showing error while upgrading or restoring iPhone, this is where you can use TunesCare to fix the issue.

Process to repair iTunes using TunesCare:

1. Download, install and launch TunesCare on your computer.

windows download btn mac download btn

2. Click on "Fix All iTunes Issues" which you can see on the screen.

fix all itunes issues

3. You will get two options, choose as per your issue: If your iTunes works abnormally, click on troubleshoot all the iTunes issues but if your iTunes works well then simply click on “Repair iTunes" to boost iTunes performance.

troubleshoot all the  itunes issues

4. Now TunesCare will automatically start to repair your iTunes issue once it downloads necessary components for the issue. It will take a little while to complete the process.

itunes is repaired  successfully

Way 2: Alternative Free Way to Backup iPhone without iTunes

If you are fed up using iTunes then it is really a good idea to switch to new software which can make your work of backing up lot more easier. Tenorshare iCareFone is a wonderful tool that lets you backup all the data selectively and in bulk. This tool supports more than 20 files types like music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS without any limitation. iCareFone also saves iPhone from common iOS problems. It supports iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6s and other earlier models.

Note: Download and install iCareFone on your computer to backup your iPhone data.

Process to backup iPhone without iTunes:

1. Launch iCareFone on your computer >> connect your iPhone using USB cable.

2. A messages will pop-up with the option “Trust This Computer” on display, just unlock your iPhone and enter the passcode to connect your iPhone with computer.

3. Click on “Backup & Restore” option which you see on the top of the screen.

main interface of  icarefone

4.Select the files type that you would like to backup. You can select one or more at a time.

select the file type  to backup iphone

5. Now click on “Backup” button which you can see on the bottom of the screen. The backup process will take a little while to finish the process.

backup completed of  iphone

How to Restore Backup from iTunes

It is really easy to restore backup from iTunes but you know you can even use Tenorshare iCareFone to restore backup with an ease. iCareFone also supports to restore iTunes backup and the steps to restore the backup is really convenient that even a beginner can use like a pro. The process to restore backup using iCareFone is same as to backup the data. Once you are in Backup & Restore tab, click on “To view or restore previous backup files” which you can find on the lower left corner of the screen then follow the onscreen instruction to restore within few minutes.

restore itunes backup

This article deals with how to backup iPhone to iTunes and alternative way to backup iPhone without iTunes. It also talks about what are the content that iTunes backup, so now you should be able to understand what you can backup using iTunes. But in my opinion iCareFone works better than iTunes as it doesn’t have any limitation and you can backup content selectively as well as in bulk. Let us know what you think about Tenorshare iCareFone and what are the difference you found between iTunes and iCareFone after using this tool.

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