How to Back Up Your Phone: iCloud, Google Backup and Offline Options Compared

How do you back up your phone?

The quickest answer depends on the phone:

• iPhone, to iCloud: connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. To back up automatically, make sure Back Up This iPhone is on, and leave the phone connected to power and Wi-Fi with the screen locked ^[2].
• iPhone, to a computer: connect it by cable and use the Finder on a Mac (macOS Catalina or later) or the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC, then click Back Up Now ^[4][5].
• Android, to Google: open Settings, tap Google, All services, Backup, and turn backup on or tap Back up now; the first backup can take up to 24 hours ^[7].
• Any phone, offline: copy photos and files to a computer by USB cable, then to an external drive ^[10][11].

Apple says you can use iCloud, your computer, or both ^[3], and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommends backing up anything you value, meaning anything whose loss would inconvenience you ^[11]. Keeping copies on more than one type of storage, with one copy away from home, is the idea behind the 3-2-1 rule explained below ^[12].

What is a phone backup, and why do you need one?

The NCSC defines a backup as a copy of your important data kept in a separate safe location, usually cloud storage on the internet or removable media such as a USB stick, SD card or external hard drive ^[11]. If you lose access to the original, you restore from the copy ^[11]. Apple describes the purpose the same way: a backup gives you a copy of your information if your device is replaced, lost or damaged ^[1].

The NCSC lists common reasons people need one: getting a new device, loss or theft, a broken device, accidental deletion, malware such as ransomware that erases data or locks you out, and storage that has to be erased or replaced ^[11].

Is syncing the same as backing up?

Not exactly. Apple distinguishes a computer backup, which includes almost all device data and settings, from syncing ^[3]. Data that already syncs to iCloud, such as iCloud Photos, is left out of an iCloud backup because it lives in iCloud already ^[3].

What is the 3-2-1 rule?

A long-standing rule, set out in guidance produced for US-CERT and published by CISA, is to keep 3 copies of any important file (one primary and two backups), on 2 different media types, with 1 copy stored offsite ^[12].

How do you back up an iPhone with iCloud?

1. Connect to a Wi-Fi network ^[2].
2. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud ^[2].
3. Tap iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now; stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes ^[2].
4. Check the date and time of the last backup shown under Back Up Now ^[2].
5. For automatic backups, keep Back Up This iPhone switched on and leave the phone on power and Wi-Fi with the screen locked, for example overnight ^[2].

If you get an alert that there is not enough iCloud storage, follow the on-screen steps to buy more ^[2]. Every iCloud account includes 5 GB free ^[6]. As of 3 November 2026, Apple's US prices for iCloud+ are $0.99 a month for 50 GB, $2.99 for 200 GB, $9.99 for 2 TB, $29.99 for 6 TB and $59.99 for 12 TB ^[6]. Apple says iCloud backups are always encrypted and can be up to 12 TB, or 14 TB with an Apple One Premier plan ^[3].

What does an iCloud backup leave out?

An iCloud backup includes the information and settings that do not already sync to iCloud ^[3]. It does not include, among other things, notes already synced in iCloud, photos if iCloud Photos is on, messages if Messages in iCloud is on, data stored in other cloud services such as Gmail and Exchange mail, Apple Pay information, Face ID or Touch ID settings, iCloud Music Library and App Store content, and offline maps ^[3].

How do you back up an iPhone to a computer?

On a Mac

1. Connect the iPhone with a cable and click Allow if asked ^[4].
2. Open the Finder (macOS Catalina 10.15 or later) and select the device in the sidebar; on macOS Mojave or earlier, use iTunes ^[4].
3. Trust the computer and enter the device passcode if asked ^[4].
4. To save Health and Activity data, select Encrypt local backup and create a password ^[4].
5. Click Back Up Now and wait for the date and time of the last backup to appear ^[4].

On Windows

Open the Apple Devices app, or iTunes if the PC does not have it, connect the iPhone, select it, click General (or Summary in iTunes), optionally tick Encrypt local backup, and click Back Up Now ^[5]. Apple warns that there is no way to recover encrypted backups without the password, so write it down and store it safely ^[5].

A computer backup's size is limited only by the computer's free space, and its encryption is off by default ^[3]. It does not include App Store and Apple Books content, content synced from the computer, data already in iCloud such as iCloud Photos and iMessages, Face ID or Touch ID settings, Apple Pay information, Apple Mail data, offline maps, or Activity, Health and Keychain data unless the backup is encrypted ^[3].

How do you back up an Android phone?

Android backs up to your Google Account. Google's steps are: open Settings, tap Google, then All services; under Backup and restore, tap Backup; turn backup on, or tap Back up now for a manual backup ^[7]. You can choose photos and videos, device data, or both, and the backup can take up to 24 hours ^[7]. Menus vary by manufacturer and Android version, and Google refers owners to their device maker for help ^[7].

What gets backed up?

By default: apps and app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and SMS and MMS messages ^[7]. RCS messages are included when you use Google Messages, call settings and blocked numbers when you use Phone by Google, and photos and videos when you use Google Photos ^[7]. Google warns that not all apps can back up or restore all their settings and data ^[7].

How much space and how secure?

You can back up to 15 GB at no charge ^[7], but that 15 GB is shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos ^[9]. Google says data is encrypted in transit between the phone and its data centres, and some data is further end-to-end encrypted with your screen lock PIN, pattern or password; photos and videos in Google Photos are not encrypted with the screen lock ^[7]. Google recommends a PIN, pattern or password rather than swipe or Smart Lock to protect backed-up data ^[7].

Limits to know

• You cannot restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone running a lower one ^[7].
• Backups are not available for work profiles or company-owned phones ^[7].
• Google Photos backs up to one Google Account at a time, with photos up to 200 MB or 200 MP and videos up to 10 GB ^[8].
• WhatsApp backups are managed together with device backups in the Google Account dashboard, and choosing Delete all data there permanently deletes both ^[7].
• If an account stays over its storage quota for 2 years, Google says all its content may be removed, including the Android device backup ^[9].

How do you make an offline backup of your phone?

An offline copy does not depend on an account, a subscription or an internet connection.

1. Android: unlock the phone, connect it to a Windows computer by USB, tap the Charging this device via USB notification, choose File Transfer and drag files across; eject the device before unplugging ^[10]. Not all USB cables can transfer files, so try a different cable if nothing appears ^[10].
2. iPhone: make a computer backup with the Finder, the Apple Devices app or iTunes ^[4][5].
3. Copy to removable media. The NCSC suggests an external hard drive, USB stick, SD card or discs, noting removable media can hold amounts of data beyond what cloud plans offer ^[11]. If your phone cannot write to removable media directly, back up to the computer first and then to the drive ^[11].
4. Disconnect the drive afterwards. Malware such as ransomware can spread to attached media, leaving you with no clean backup ^[11].
5. Store one copy elsewhere, for example away from your home, to follow the 3-2-1 rule ^[12].

When is offline the better choice?

The NCSC says cloud backup may not suit you if your connection is slow or unreliable, if you pay for metered data, or if your backups are very large, such as lots of video ^[11]. Paid cloud space is also not sold everywhere: Google offers extra storage through Google One “where available” ^[9], and Apple's iCloud+ price list, checked on 3 November 2026, does not include Iran ^[6]. In those situations, a computer and an external drive are the dependable option.

How do you check that a backup actually works?

A backup that has never been checked may not contain what you expect. The NCSC advises confirming that backups hold your important data, for example that the cloud copy contains recent photos and newly created files ^[11].

• iPhone: the date and time of the last successful backup appear under Back Up Now in iCloud settings ^[2] and in the Finder or Apple Devices app after a computer backup ^[4][5].
• Android: open Settings, Google services, Backup and review Backup details to see which data and apps are included ^[7].
• Protect the account: anyone who gets into your cloud account can reach your backups, so use a strong password and turn on 2-step verification ^[11].
• Know how restore works: on Android, you restore during the initial setup of a new phone or after a factory reset ^[7]. On iPhone you can restore from a backup of a different device type, such as an iPad backup onto an iPhone, but some content, including voice memos and apps that are not compatible, does not transfer ^[3].

Cloud or offline backup: what are the pros and cons?

Cloud backup

• Pros: backups can run automatically, so they are more likely to be recent and you do not have to remember them ^[11]; a copy survives loss of the phone or a local disaster ^[12].
• Cons: needs a reliable connection and enough cloud space ^[11]; free tiers are small, 5 GB on iCloud ^[6] and 15 GB shared on Google ^[9]; users have little direct control over the provider's infrastructure ^[12].

Offline backup

• Pros: handles large amounts of data ^[11]; works without internet ^[10]; a disconnected drive is protected from ransomware on the computer ^[11].
• Cons: unlike automatic cloud backups, you must remember to run it ^[11]; removable drives are prone to loss or theft, which is why the 3-2-1 rule keeps one copy offsite ^[12].

Using both covers the weaknesses of each, which is the point of the 3-2-1 rule ^[12].