If your iTunes backup couldn't be completed or you can't restore from a backup

If you need help with an iTunes backup of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, learn what to do.


 


If you need help after you back up your device with iTunes or restore from an iTunes backup, use the steps in this article.


 

Try again after each step

  1. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
  2. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, then select your device in iTunes. If your device doesn't appear in iTunes, you need to fix that issue before you can continue. Or, if you forgot your passcode or your device is disabled, learn what to do. 
  3. Turn off both your computer and your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Then turn them on again.
  4. If you use a Mac, skip this step. If you use a Windows PC and iTunes won't respond or your backup never finishes, you might need to update, change, disable, or uninstall your security software.
  5. If you own more than one computer, try to make a backup on your other Mac or PC. Or, use iCloud to back up your device and restore from your iCloud backup.
  6. If you see an alert that says an error occurred, your backup is corrupt or incompatible, or there's not enough disk space, find your error message below to learn what to do next.
  7. Contact Apple Support.

If an alert says that an error occurred

If a message says that iTunes can't back up your device because an error occurred, check that you have the latest version of iOS. Then open the App Store on your iOS device, tap Updates, and make sure that all of your device's apps are updated. If you need more help, contact Apple Support.

If an alert says there's not enough disk space

If a message says there’s not enough disk space when you try to back up your device, free some space on your Mac or PC. If you still see a disk-space error after you free enough space, contact Apple Support. 

If an alert says that your backup is corrupt or incompatible

If iTunes can't restore from a backup because the backup is corrupt or incompatible, make sure that iTunes is updated. If you see an error that says your iOS software is too old, find out how to update your device to restore the backup. If you still can't restore the backup, you might not be able to use that backup. Try to use an alternate backup or an iCloud backup, or Contact Apple Support for more help.

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