If you can't back up your iOS or iPadOS device to a computer or restore it from a backup
If you can't back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a computer, or if you can't restore your device from a computer backup, learn what to do.
Try again after each step
Make sure your Mac or PC is up-to-date. Make sure that you have the latest version of the Apple Devices app or the latest version of iTunes.
Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, and locate your device on your computer. If your device doesn't appear in Finder, iTunes, or the Apple Devices app, learn what to do. If you forgot your passcode or your device is disabled, learn what to do.
Restart all your devices.
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.
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.
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.
If an alert says that an error occurred
If a message says that your computer can't back up your device because an error occurred, check that you have the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
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 an alert says that your backup is corrupt or incompatible
If your iOS or iPadOS device can't restore from a backup because the backup is corrupt or incompatible, make sure that your computer is updated. If you see an error that says your iOS or iPadOS 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.
Get more help
If you can't restore your iOS or iPadOS device from a backup because your software is too old
If you need help with an iCloud backup
If you can't back up your iOS or iPadOS device to a computer or restore it from a backup, contact Apple Support.
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