Updating to iOS 17? How to Back Up Your iPhone Without Enough iCloud Space - CNET

Backing up your iPhone is simply a ever a worthwhile concern of your time. Regardless of whether you're readying connected upgrading to the new iPhone 15 oregon 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro oregon Pro Max, oregon simply conscionable updating to iOS 17 erstwhile it drops time (there are a clump of cool caller features to try) oregon preparing successful lawsuit your iPhone is mislaid oregon stolen, taking a fewer minutes to unafraid your important photos, videos and substance messages tin prevention you a aboriginal headache. Even better, you person respective ways to bash it. 

The easiest mode to backmost up your iPhone is done iCloud, but it does person its limits. You mightiness spot the dreaded "not capable iCloud storage" mistake message, which won't let you to backmost up, but don't fret. 

I'll besides locomotion you done backing up your iPhone to iCloud to some Mac and Windows, which don't necessitate unreality storage. And I'll adjacent amusement you however to troubleshoot and enactment astir immoderate of iCloud's limits. 

For more, cheque retired this checklist of things you should bash earlier updating to iOS 17 earlier it drops tomorrow. (Spoiler: Backing up is decidedly 1 of them.) 

iCloud: When everything works similar it's expected to

iCloud is simply a escaped work (more connected that later) that's tied to your Apple ID and that you tin usage to backmost up your iPhone. However, it doesn't backmost up everything connected your phone. Things you bargain with your Apple ID, specified arsenic apps oregon music, won't backmost up due to the fact that Apple has a receipt that you already bought them truthful you tin download them again for free. Email, contacts and calendars are usually synced with your email relationship similar Gmail, but successful immoderate cases, you mightiness besides sync these things with iCloud.

You tin double-check each this by going to Settings and past going into either Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes oregon Reminders. In immoderate of these settings, you tin pat Accounts to presumption your assorted accounts. Under each account, you tin spot what's being synced: mail, contacts, calendars and truthful on.

To commencement a backup to iCloud, link your iPhone to Wi-Fi and past spell to Settings and pat the Apple ID/iCloud tab astatine the top, which besides has your name. If you're not signed in, instrumentality a infinitesimal to bash truthful and past tap iCloud. On the adjacent page, scroll down and pat iCloud Backup, alteration iCloud Backup, and past pat Back Up Now to start.

The mounting that tells your telephone to support automatic iCloud backups, arsenic good arsenic the fastener to Back Up Now are buried heavy wrong the Settings app, 1 surface past the backup settings for idiosyncratic apps.

Screenshots by Mary-Elisabeth Combs/CNET

Depending connected however overmuch information you have, oregon if this is your archetypal clip backing up to iCloud, the backup process could instrumentality a fewer minutes oregon an hour. Check beneath the Back Up Now button to spot the nonstop clip and day your telephone was past backed up. Now, immoderate clip your iPhone is connected to power, locked and connected Wi-Fi, it volition automatically backmost up immoderate caller information you person to iCloud.

'This iPhone cannot beryllium backed up due to the fact that determination is not capable iCloud storage'

If that iCloud backup worked conscionable fine, past great, you're done. But I recognize a batch of radical won't beryllium capable to backmost up to iCloud without a small work. You mightiness spot this connection connected your iOS device: "This iPhone cannot beryllium backed up due to the fact that determination is not capable iCloud retention available."

Every iCloud relationship gets 5GB for free. But astir radical person much than 5GB of information connected their telephone -- oregon they person much than 1 iOS instrumentality that needs backing up. Hence, 5GB conscionable isn't capable space. And possibly 1 time Apple volition alteration its escaped tier to springiness america much information and marque backing up easier for everyone. But until then, we request to bash immoderate calculations to optimize our iCloud accounts.

Figure retired iCloud backup size

As I mentioned earlier, iCloud doesn't backmost up each past happening connected your phone. Instead, it takes a astute attack and won't backmost up things that are synced with your net accounts oregon that you've purchased with your iTunes Apple ID. To fig retired precisely however overmuch iCloud abstraction your backup record volition take, spell to Settings, pat connected your Apple ID and past spell to iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups. There's a database of devices that are backing up oregon trying to backmost up with your account.

By the way, if you spot aggregate backups of the aforesaid phone, instrumentality a look astatine however aged each 1 is. You mightiness person an older iPhone backup that you tin delete to unfastened up iCloud space. Once you're done purging this list, pat connected the sanction of the instrumentality you're presently using.

Give your telephone a fewer moments to fig things out, past look astatine the apical of the screen. You should spot the pursuing details: Last Backup, Backup Size and Next Backup Size. If you haven't backed up your iPhone to iCloud earlier oregon successful a agelong time, the Next Backup Size volition beryllium a beauteous ample magnitude of data. Obviously, if it's much than 5GB, you indispensable either bargain much retention oregon set what you're backing up.

Change what gets backed up to iCloud

Lower connected the surface nether Next Backup Size is simply a database wherever you tin Choose Data to Back Up. This database volition person apps and however overmuch information each has to backmost up. The database goes from what takes up the astir abstraction to the least. If you conscionable request a somewhat smaller backup file, uncheck larger information items from the database if you don't caput whether oregon not they're backed up.

If each you wanted to backmost up was your camera roll, the lone mounting you'd request to toggle would beryllium iCloud Photos. Besides Photos, determination is simply a database of each different iCloud-enabled app connected your iPhone, starting with Apple's ain apps. Besides Photos, the 2 biggest information hogs utilizing your iCloud retention thin to beryllium Mail and Messages. If you crook disconnected the iCloud backup settings for these 2 apps however, aged messages won't beryllium restored successful lawsuit you get a caller phone.

Buy much iCloud retention with iCloud Plus

This is the portion nary 1 likes to do, but Apple does connection 4 terms tiers for storage: the escaped 5GB, $1-per-month 50GB, $3-per-month 200GB oregon $10-per-month 2TB plans. iCloud Plus is getting 2 much options connected Monday that volition springiness users the enactment to bargain 6TB oregon 12TB retention plans for $30 per period and $60 per month, respectively. 

I recognize that the thought of paying Apple much wealth connected apical of what we already walk connected devices, accessories and AppleCare whitethorn not beryllium well. But if you mislaid your iPhone and were told you could download a backup of each of the information from your mislaid telephone for conscionable $36, you'd astir apt accidental yes. And that's however overmuch the 200GB other retention program connected iCloud costs for a year. (If you request much abstraction than that, well, it does get a spot spendier.)

Use your Mac

A fewer years ago, with the merchandise of MacOS Catalina, Apple replaced and fragmented iTunes, which utilized to beryllium however you backed up your iPhone. Now, you indispensable usage Finder, but the process to backmost up your telephone is inactive arsenic elemental arsenic ever.

On your Mac, unfastened a Finder model from the Dock. Next, prime your instrumentality from the sidebar nether Devices. Then connected the right-hand broadside click connected the General tab. Finally, click Back Up Now. Depending connected however overmuch information you have, this could instrumentality a while.

Use your Windows

If you're connected Windows, bully ol' iTunes is inactive live and kicking (you tin download it here), and you tin usage it to backmost up your iPhone. According to Apple, each you person to bash is plug your iPhone into your computer, springiness your devices support to speech to each different and past click connected the tiny iPhone icon connected the apical near broadside of the iTunes window.

Click Summary and past scroll down to the Backup section, and nether the Backup section click Back Up now. After immoderate time, your machine volition person a backup record of your iPhone. To double-check the file, spell to the iTunes menu, prime Edits, past Preferences and past take the Devices tab. From there, you tin spot a database of immoderate iPhone backups that you've made via iTunes.

Keep successful caput that your backup is lone arsenic existent arsenic the past clip you ran the process. Also, your backup record is lone arsenic harmless arsenic your machine is.

For more, here's how to preorder the iPhone 15 and how to preorder the Apple Watch Series 9.