How to Backup iPhone to an External Hard Drive: A Comprehensive Guide

Backing up your iPhone is crucial. Losing precious photos, vital contacts, and essential data is a digital nightmare we all want to avoid. While iCloud is a convenient option, it has limitations. Backing up your iPhone to an external hard drive offers greater control, security, and can be significantly faster, especially for those with large amounts of data or limited internet bandwidth.

The process essentially boils down to utilizing your computer as an intermediary. You’ll use your computer to facilitate the transfer of your iPhone backup data from the phone itself to the external hard drive. We’ll walk you through the steps for both Mac and Windows systems.

Backing Up Your iPhone to an External Hard Drive: Step-by-Step

Backing Up Using a Mac

Apple has made the process relatively straightforward. Here’s how to get it done:

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac: Use a Lightning to USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Mac.

2. Open Finder: This is the file management application, identifiable by the smiling face icon in your dock.

3. Select your iPhone: In the Finder sidebar, under “Locations,” you should see your iPhone listed. Click on it.

4. Trust this Computer (if prompted): If it’s the first time you’re connecting your iPhone to your Mac, you’ll likely be prompted on both your iPhone and your Mac to “Trust This Computer.” Tap “Trust” on your iPhone and enter your passcode if required. Click “Trust” on your Mac as well.

5. Navigate to the General Tab: In the Finder window displaying your iPhone’s information, click on the “General” tab.

6. Select “Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac”: Under the “Backups” section, choose this option.

7. Choose Encrypted Backup (Highly Recommended): Tick the box labeled “Encrypt local backup“. This protects your data with a password, making it inaccessible to unauthorized users if your hard drive is lost or stolen. Choose a strong, memorable password and remember it. If you forget it, you won’t be able to restore from that backup.

8. Choose your external hard drive: Before starting the backup, you’ll need to change the default backup location. This is done using the Terminal application.

   • Open Terminal: You can find Terminal in your Applications/Utilities folder.

   • Enter the command: Copy and paste the following command into the Terminal window, but replace “YourExternalHardDriveName” with the actual name of your external hard drive (exactly as it appears in Finder):

     ln -s /Volumes/YourExternalHardDriveName/iPhoneBackup ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

     Important Note: This command creates a symbolic link (a shortcut) from the default iPhone backup location on your Mac to your external hard drive. The “iPhoneBackup” folder will be created on the external hard drive if it doesn’t already exist. Ensure the spelling of your external hard drive name is perfect, and that the drive is already formatted correctly for your Mac (APFS or macOS Extended).

   • Press Enter: Execute the command. You might be prompted for your Mac’s administrator password.

9. Click “Back Up Now”: This initiates the backup process. Your iPhone’s data will now be backed up to your external hard drive. The process can take a significant amount of time, depending on the size of your data.

10. Verify the Backup: Once complete, check the Last Backup timestamp in the Finder window to confirm the backup was successful. You can also check the iPhoneBackup folder on your external hard drive to ensure files are present.

Backing Up Using Windows

The process on Windows utilizes iTunes or, for newer systems, the Apple Devices app.

1. Download and install iTunes or the Apple Devices app: If you don’t already have it, download and install the latest version of iTunes from the Microsoft Store, or the Apple Devices app directly from Apple’s website for newer systems.

2. Connect your iPhone to your PC: Use a Lightning to USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Windows PC.

3. Trust this Computer (if prompted): As with macOS, you’ll be prompted on both your iPhone and your PC to “Trust This Computer.” Tap “Trust” on your iPhone and enter your passcode if required. Click “Continue” on your PC.

4. Open iTunes or the Apple Devices app: Launch the application.

5. Select your iPhone: In iTunes, you should see a small iPhone icon near the top left of the window. Click on it. In the Apple Devices app, your iPhone will appear in the sidebar.

6. Navigate to the Summary Tab: In iTunes, the Summary tab is usually the first tab displayed. In the Apple Devices app, click on “General.”

7. Select “This computer”: Under the “Backups” section, choose this option.

8. Choose Encrypted Backup (Highly Recommended): Tick the box labeled “Encrypt local backup“. As with macOS, this is strongly recommended for security.

9. Choose your external hard drive: This, again, requires a command-line intervention.

   • Close iTunes/Apple Devices: Ensure the application is completely closed before proceeding.

   • Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Search for “cmd” in the Windows search bar, right-click on “Command Prompt,” and select “Run as administrator.”

   • Enter the command: Type (or copy and paste) the following command into the Command Prompt window, but replace “X:” with the drive letter assigned to your external hard drive and “ExternalBackup” with the name of a folder you want to create on the external drive for the backups:

     mklink /J "%APPDATA%Apple ComputerMobileSyncBackup" "X:ExternalBackup"

     Important Note: This command creates a directory junction (similar to a symbolic link) from the default iPhone backup location on your PC to your external hard drive. Ensure the external hard drive is properly connected and recognized by your PC.

   • Press Enter: Execute the command. You should see a message confirming the creation of the junction.

10. Click “Back Up Now”: In iTunes or the Apple Devices app, click the “Back Up Now” button. The backup will now be saved to your external hard drive.

11. Verify the Backup: Once the backup is complete, navigate to the “ExternalBackup” folder on your external hard drive to confirm that the backup files are present.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 12 frequently asked questions about backing up your iPhone to an external hard drive, with detailed answers:

1. Why should I back up to an external hard drive instead of iCloud?

iCloud offers convenience, but its free storage is limited (5GB). Backing up to an external hard drive provides ample storage, complete control over your data, and can be faster, especially for large backups. It also avoids potential privacy concerns associated with cloud storage.

2. What type of external hard drive should I use?

Any USB external hard drive will work, including both HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive). SSDs are faster and more durable, but also more expensive. Choose one with enough storage space to accommodate your iPhone’s current data and potential future growth. Aim for at least 256GB, but 500GB or 1TB is recommended.

3. How long does it take to back up an iPhone to an external hard drive?

The backup time depends on the amount of data on your iPhone and the speed of your connection (USB 2.0 will be slower than USB 3.0 or USB-C). A small backup might take 15-30 minutes, while a large backup could take several hours.

4. Can I back up wirelessly to an external hard drive?

No, backing up directly and wirelessly to an external hard drive is not natively supported. The external hard drive needs to be connected to a computer which then facilitates the backup process.

5. How do I restore my iPhone from an external hard drive backup?

Connect your iPhone to your computer (the same one you used for the backup). Open Finder (on Mac) or iTunes/Apple Devices app (on Windows). Select your iPhone, and then click “Restore Backup…” Follow the on-screen instructions to choose the correct backup from your external hard drive.

6. What if I forget the encryption password for my backup?

If you forget your encryption password, you will not be able to restore from that backup. Apple provides no way to recover the password. This is why choosing a memorable password and storing it securely is crucial.

7. Will backing up to an external hard drive delete anything from my iPhone?

No, the backup process does not delete anything from your iPhone. It simply copies the data to the external hard drive.

8. Can I back up multiple iPhones to the same external hard drive?

Yes, you can back up multiple iPhones to the same external hard drive. Each backup will be stored in a separate folder.

9. Does backing up to an external hard drive also back up my photos in iCloud?

If your photos are stored in iCloud Photos, they will not be included in the local backup to your external hard drive. You’ll need to download them to your computer first if you want them included in the local backup.

10. What happens if my external hard drive fails?

This is why having multiple backups is always a good idea. Consider also backing up to iCloud or another cloud service as a secondary safeguard. Regularly check the health of your external hard drive.

11. Do I need to reformat my external hard drive before backing up my iPhone?

If the external hard drive is brand new, it might need to be formatted. For Macs, use APFS or macOS Extended (Journaled). For Windows, use NTFS. If the drive already contains data, you don’t need to reformat it, but ensure there’s enough free space.

12. Can I use a network-attached storage (NAS) drive as an external hard drive for iPhone backups?

While technically possible, using a NAS drive as a direct substitute for a locally connected external hard drive for iPhone backups is not officially supported by Apple. You can, however, back up to your computer, and then transfer that backup to your NAS drive for archival purposes. It’s an extra step, but provides redundancy.