How to back up your iPhone to iCloud | Apple Support, by Apple Support on YouTube. 1 min 46 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 46 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi and plug it into a charger. A full first backup can take a while and uses a lot of battery.
Open Settings and tap your name at the top of the list to reach your Apple Account settings.
Tap iCloud, then tap iCloud Backup. On older iOS versions this may be under Settings, then your name, then iCloud.
Turn on iCloud Backup with the switch at the top of the screen.
Tap Back Up Now to start the first backup. Keep the phone on Wi-Fi and plugged in until it finishes.
Check the date and time under Last Successful Backup to confirm it worked.
Leave iCloud Backup on so your phone backs up automatically each day while charging on Wi-Fi.
If you run out of space, tap Manage Account Storage to see what is using it, or upgrade your iCloud+ plan.
Tips and common mistakes
A backup does not include data already synced to iCloud, such as photos in iCloud Photos, so check those settings separately.
Keep the phone plugged in and on Wi-Fi during the first backup, or it may pause and start over.
Turn on iCloud Backup before you switch to a new phone so you can restore everything during setup.
Questions
How often does iCloud back up my iPhone automatically?
Once iCloud Backup is on, your iPhone backs up about once a day when it is connected to Wi-Fi, plugged in and locked. You can also tap Back Up Now at any time.
Does iCloud Backup save my photos?
Only photos that are not already in iCloud Photos. If iCloud Photos is on, your photos are stored in iCloud separately and are not part of the backup file.
What happens if my iCloud storage is full?
The backup will fail. Free up space by removing old backups or large attachments, or upgrade to a larger iCloud+ plan.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
