How to Back Up an iPhone (iCloud, Mac, or Windows)

Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then iCloud. Tap Manage Storage, then Backups, and pick your iPhone from the list.

Look at the top three lines: Last Backup, Backup Size, and Next Backup Size. Focus on Next Backup Size. If it's under 5 GB, the free iCloud tier covers you. If it's over, you've got a couple of choices to make in the next two steps.

On that same backup details screen, scroll past the size info to the list of apps included in the backup. Each one shows how much space it takes.

Toggle off anything you don't need restored. GarageBand projects, old games, apps you can re-download from the App Store anyway. The phone asks to confirm before deleting that app's backup data, so you can't wipe something by accident.

If toggling apps off still leaves you over 5 GB, upgrade the plan. Tap Manage Storage, then Change Storage Plan. You'll see the iCloud+ tiers: 50 GB for $0.99 a month, 200 GB for $2.99, and 2 TB for $9.99.

The 50 GB tier covers most people for around twelve dollars a year and skips the toggling hassle. The 200 GB and 2 TB plans can be shared with family through Family Sharing, which spreads the cost across multiple devices in the house.

If photos and videos are the only thing you really care about, skip the full backup. Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos. Toggle iCloud Photos on.

Pick Optimize iPhone Storage so smaller versions live on the phone and full-resolution copies sit in iCloud. This still counts against your iCloud quota, but only for photos and videos. Messages, app data, and settings won't be saved, which is the trade-off for keeping things in the free tier.

On a Mac running Catalina or newer, plug your iPhone in with a Lightning cable and tap Trust This Computer on the phone if you're asked.

Open a Finder window. Click your iPhone in the sidebar under Locations. Click the General tab on the right, then hit Back Up Now. Tick Encrypt Local Backup if you want passwords, Health, and HomeKit data included. Don't lose the encryption password or the backup won't restore onto a new phone.

On a Windows PC, or a Mac running Mojave or earlier, you'll use iTunes instead. Download iTunes from Apple's site if you don't already have it.

Plug the iPhone in and click the small iPhone icon near the top-left of the iTunes window. Scroll to the Backups section, choose This Computer under Automatically Back Up, and hit Back Up Now. The same Encrypt Local Backup option lives here too if you want passwords and Health data included.