3 Best Solutions to Backup iPhone Data to Mac

iPhones are much more than their financial worth at the present day, as they are valuable possessions storing important data, contacts, photos and videos of special moments, and other content. Thus with so much importance attached to these little devices, they become very important to backup their data. iPhone backup prevents from losing data in case of theft, loss, damage and other such conditions. Moreover, if you wish to upgrade your iPhone to the latest model, you can quickly restore the content from backup. Therefore, it can be concluded that backup iPhone data to Mac and PC is very important to have peace of mind. The best solutions on how to backup iPhone data to Mac are listed below.

• Part 1. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with TunesGo (Mac)
• Part 2. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with iTunes
• Part 3. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with iCloud
• Part 4. The Comparison Table for The 3 Methods

Part 1. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with TunesGo (Mac)

Wondershare TunesGo (Mac) is an excellent way to backup your iPhone data. Using this third party software, you can conveniently backup photos to Mac. TunesGo (Mac) also allows to rebuild media library with backup on any device. The software is a must have phone manager, besides backup, offers an array of features to keep your iPhone data managed and organized. Wondershare TunesGo (Mac) also allows data transfer between your iOS devices, Android devices, PC/Mac and iTunes.

Steps to backup iPhone data to Mac using TunesGo (Mac)

Step 1 Download, install and launch TunesGo (Mac) software on your Mac. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable.

1. Backup Photos to Mac

Step 2 On the main software interface, tap on “Backup Photos to Mac” option.

A pop-up window will appear, from where select the target folder on your Mac where you wish to backup the photos, and click Save.

The backup process will start and all the files will be transferred to the selected folder.

2. Backup Media Files to Mac

TunesGo (Mac) enables you to backup iPhone media files to Mac as well.  You can choose one of the Media types you want: Music/Videos. Here we make Music for example. 

Step 2 Go to Music at the top menu> Music on the left panel > Check the songs you want to backup to Mac > Click Export  at the menu bar or right-click the selected songs to get it > then select Export to Mac from the drop down list.

Part 2. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with iTunes

iTunes is the solution to all iOS related functions, and backup is no exception to this. iTunes allows local iPhone data backup on Mac as well as PC. This method is a perfect choice when there are lots of large files and you wish to have a networked backup. With iTunes backup, you have the complete control over the copy of iPhone data and know exactly where they are located. iTunes backup also provides encrypting option where sensitive information can be protected through a password, so as to prevent any unauthorized access.

Steps to backup iPhone data to Mac using iTunes

Step 1 Launch iTunes on your Mac and connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable.

Step 2 Click on your iPhone icon on iTunes interface to open the device page. Under Settings, click Summary on the left panel.

Step 3 On the right panel, scroll down to Backups section and under “Automatically Back Up” select “This Computer”. Next, under "Manually Back Up and Restore" option, tap on “Back Up Now” to start the process.

Enable the option of “Encrypt iPhone backup” to secure your backup with a password. Once the backup is successfully completed, you can check at Preferences > Devices. The name of the device with the backup date and time will appear. 

Part 3. Backup iPhone Data to Mac with iCloud

The latest way to backup iPhone data is through iCloud service of Apple. iCloud backup gives you the freedom to access data from anywhere using WiFi connection. This wireless way of data backup is not device dependent, and thus you will not have to worry in case of any damage to Mac or PC where backup through other means were taken. The first time iCloud backup will take a little time, after which the process is quick, as only the changes are uploaded. Apple offers 5 GB of free iCloud space, per Apple ID, with additional data on fee plans. iCloud only performs backup of data that seems to be important to Apple, like Accounts, Settings, Camera Roll and documents. Thus it can be said that there is no full back, and the method is apt when you cannot reach your Mac and have limited data.

Steps to backup iPhone data to Mac using iCloud:

Step 1 Connect your iPhone to a WiFi network. On the home screen, tap Settings and scroll down to select iCloud option. If you don't sign in, please sign in with your iCloud ID.

Step 2 On the iCloud page, scroll down and tap Backup. Turn on iCloud Backup option. Then tap on Back Up Now to start the process.

To ensure that backup is successfully completed, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage and select your device. The details of backup with size and time will be shown.

Part 4. The Comparison Table for The 3 Methods

The comparison table of the above 3 methods is given below.The pros, the cons, and some features of these methods will help you to decide the method used to backup iPhone data to Mac.

Features/Method	With TunesGo	With iTunes	With iCloud
Selective data backup	Yes	No	No
Viewing backup files	Yes	No	Yes
Supported Devices	iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android devices	iPhone, iPad, iPod	iPhone, iPad, iPod
Third Party installation of software	Yes, needed	Official Apple software	No
Supported OS	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows
WiFi Support needed	No	Not necessary	Yes
Free or Paid	Free trail version + Paid version	Free	Free up to 5 GB iCloud space
Backup file target location	Mac/PC	Mac/PC	iCloud
Encryption feature	No	Optional	Yes, always

If you ever get stuck in a situation on how to backup iPhone data to Mac, consider the above article. The best 3 solutions are listed above with list of their additional features. There is no harm selecting more than one way to backup iPhone data. In fact, using two or more ways will add to the security of your iPhone data.