Back up and restore your iPhone or iPad on Mac or iCloud
One of the best ways of safeguarding the information on an iPhone or iPad against damage or loss is backing up, or copying, your files and settings to either your Mac or iCloud. Backing up is also useful if you get a new device and want to transfer your previous settings to it.
After you back up your device, you can use the backup to restore the information on your device whenever needed. If your device has issues that can’t be fixed by restoring from a backup, you can also restore your device to its factory settings and then restore a recent backup to see if that fixes the problem.
Back up your device
Connect your device to your Mac.
You can connect your device using a USB or USB-C cable or using a Wi-Fi connection. To turn on Wi-Fi syncing, see Sync content between your Mac and iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi.
In the Finder
on your Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar.
Select General in the button bar.
To select back up options, do any of the following:
Select the “Back up your most important data on your [device] to iCloud” button to store backup data on iCloud and not on your Mac.
Select the “Back up all of the data on your [device] to this Mac” to store backups on your Mac.
Select the ““Encrypt local backup” checkbox to encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password. To change your password later, click Change Password.
Click Back Up Now.
Restore your device from a backup
If your device has an issue, you can use a recent backup to restore the information on the device.
Connect your device to your Mac.
You can connect your device using a USB or USB-C cable or using a Wi-Fi connection. To turn on Wi-Fi syncing, see Sync content between your Mac and iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi.
In the Finder
on your Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar.Select General in the button bar.
Click Restore Backup.
Choose the backup you want to restore on the device from the Backup pop-up menu, then click Restore.
If your backup is encrypted, you must enter the password before restoring your files and settings.
Restore your device to its factory settings
You can reinstall the software originally on your device and restore it to its factory settings. You might need to do this if you’re having problems with the device (for example, if it freezes or crashes frequently) of if you’re getting ready to sell or give it away.
Important: Restoring a device to its factory settings deletes all your information and settings. However, before doing so, your Mac backs up your device. You can use this backup to restore your information and settings on the device.
Note: You must turn off the Find My app in iCloud Settings on your device before you can restore your device.
Connect your device to your Mac using a USB or USB-C cable.
You can’t restore your device using a Wi-Fi connection.
In the Finder
on your Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar.Select General in the button bar.
Click “Restore [device],” then follow the onscreen instructions.
![The “Restore [device]” button appears next to the “Check for Update” button.](https://help.apple.com/assets/5EF110D6680CE23B38350954/5EF110E3680CE23B3835095C/en_US/c668d0d043378da0084c8b6095a9484c.png)