How to Back Up Data

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 11, 2023 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to back up the data on your computer, phone, or tablet. Backing up your data creates a copy of your files on an external drive or in the cloud. You can recover your backed-up files and data later if your computer, phone, or tablet is damaged or erased.

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Android (Google)

Download Article

1
Open your Android's
Settings. It's the gray gear icon on your home screen or in the app list. All Android users have at least 15 GB of free Google Drive storage. If this isn't enough for you to back up your Android's data, you can upgrade to a Google One plan at https://one.google.com/about.
- Use this method to back up the following data to your Google Drive: Contacts, Google Calendar events, SMS texts, Wi-Fi networks and passwords, wallpapers, Gmail settings, apps, display settings, language settings, and other app and data settings.
- If you want to back up your photos, you'll need to use the Google Photos app.
2
Tap System. You may have to scroll down to find it.
- Because all Android manufacturers release slightly different versions of their Settings apps, you may have to do a little digging for the right location.
- If you have a Samsung Galaxy model, tap Accounts and backup instead.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
If you don't see a "Backup" option, try searching your Settings app for the word "backup."
4
Toggle the "Backup to Google Drive" switch to On
. This tells your Android to automatically keep your data backed up to your Google Drive.
- If you don't see this option, you may have to tap Back up my data first.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- You may be prompted to confirm your Google password to before your backup begins.
It'll be near the top of the menu (although you may have to tap Google Account first on some Samsung Galaxy models). You can do this at any time to create an instant backup of your data to Google Drive.
If you want to automatically restore backed up app data and settings when reinstalling an app, toggle on the "Automatic restore" switch.

Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

iPhone or iPad (iCloud)

Download Article

1
Open your iPhone's Settings
. It's the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your app library.
- Use this method to back the data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your iCloud account. This ensures that your backed-up data stays in the cloud and is accessible anywhere you sign in.
- Backups will happen automatically when your iPhone or iPad is connected to power, locked, and has a wireless internet connection.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
It's the blue-and-white cloud icon.
4
Choose which data to back up. Under the "APPS USING ICLOUD" header, you'll see a list of apps with corresponding switches. If an app's switch is green (on), is synced to iCloud. Use the switches to toggle data backup for that app off or on.
- To back up your photos to iCloud, tap 'Photos at the top of the app list, and toggle "iCloud Photos" to the on position.
- Your iCloud account comes with 5 GB of storage.^{[4]
  X
  Research source} If you need more space for backups, you can upgrade by tapping Manage Storage near the top of the menu, and then selecting Change Storage Plan.
It's the green-and-white curved arrow icon toward the bottom of the menu.
6
Slide the "iCloud Backup" switch to On
. As long as this switch is on, the data you selected will be backed up automatically once per day.
- If you get a new iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can restore your backed-up data during the setup process.
- To make a manual backup, tap Back Up Now.

Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

iPhone or iPad (Finder or iTunes)

Download Article

Use the cable that came with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch (or one that is compatible).
2
Open iTunes (Windows) or Finder (macOS). If you're using macOS Catalina or later, click the two-toned smiley face on the Dock to open Finder. If you have an earlier version of macOS or Windows, open iTunes.
- If prompted to update iTunes, follow the on-screen instructions to do so.
Your phone, tablet, or iPod's name will appear in the left panel in Finder. iTunes users should click the phone icon in the upper-left area of iTunes.
4
Decide whether to encrypt your backup. If you want to require a password to restore from your backup, check the box next to "Encrypt local backup" in the "Backups" section. This is optional unless you want to back up your health and activity data from a synced Apple Watch.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If you encrypt the backup, click Change Password to create a new password.
It's under "Manually Back Up and Restore" in the "Backups" panel. Once your backup is complete, the date of the backup will appear under "Latest Backup."
It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. You'll be asked if you want to apply your changes.
Your data is now backed up. If you need to restore from your backup at any point, return to iTunes or Finder and click Restore Backup.

Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

Windows (External Drive)

Download Article

1
Connect an external hard drive to your Windows computer. You can do this by using one of your computer's USB ports. In order to back up your Windows computer, you will need an external hard drive on which to store the backup.
- Your external hard drive must be formatted for use with a PC for this to work. You can also use a high-capacity flash drive for this step.
- This method ensures that files in your Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and OneDrive folders are all backed up to your external hard drive. If you want other files to be backed up, drag them to one of these folders.^{[6]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Microsoft Support
  Technical support and product information from Microsoft.
  
  Go to source}
You can do this by opening the Windows menu and then clicking the gear icon in the lower-left side of the menu.
You'll find this option in the Settings window.
It's in the upper-left side of the Update & Security page.
It's under the "Back up using File History" header.^{[7]
X
Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
This will set it as your computer's backup drive.
It's the link below the "On" switch under "Back up using File History."
8
Click Back up now. This option is in the upper-left side of the page. This prompts Windows to assemble the backup and begin loading it onto your external drive.
- You may have to click Back up now a couple of times before your drive will begin backing up.
- You'll see a "Backup completed" notification in the bottom-right corner of your screen once the backup finishes, at which point you can eject and remove the external hard drive.

Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

Windows (OneDrive)

Download Article

1
Click the OneDrive icon in the notification area. This white cloud icon is on the part of the taskbar that contains the time. If you don't see it, click the up-arrow (^) left of the clock to expand additional icons.
- If you're not signed in to OneDrive, the cloud icon is gray.^{[8]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Microsoft Support
  Technical support and product information from Microsoft.
  
  Go to source} Click the Sign In button and log in with your Microsoft account details to continue.
- If you don't subscribe to Microsoft 365, you have 5 GB of available backup space on OneDrive. If you do subscribe, you can store up to 1 TB of backed-up data on OneDrive.
It's the three horizontal dots at the bottom-right corner of the OneDrive menu. A menu will expand.
This opens the Microsoft OneDrive window.
It's at the top of the Microsoft OneDrive window.
It's at the top of the tab.
6
Select the folders you want to back up. You can back up the files in the Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders so you don't lose any important data.
- When you select a folder to back up, the circle at its top-right corner will fill in with a checkmark.
- If you want to back up other files, move them to one of these folders.
7
Click the Start backup button. It's at the bottom-right corner of the window. The selected folders will now sync to OneDrive. You can watch the progress bar or close the window—the files will continue to back up in the background.
- You can access your backed-up data anywhere you sign in to OneDrive, including on the web at https://onedrive.com.
- To manage your backup settings, click the OneDrive icon in the notification area, and navigate to Help & Settings > Settings > Backup > Manage Backup.

Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

macOS (Time Machine)

Download Article

1
Connect an external hard drive to your Mac. You can do this by using one of your computer's USB-C, Thunderbolt, or FireWire ports.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Your external hard drive must be formatted for use with a Mac for this to work.
- You can also use a high-capacity flash drive for this step.
It's at the top-left corner of the screen.
It's the green clock dial icon.
5
Check the box next to "Back Up Automatically." This ensures that you'll always have the latest backups without having to remember to perform them manually.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- If you do want to create manual backups instead, leave this box unchecked.
It's near the top of the window.
7
Select your external drive. Click your external drive's name in the window.
- If you want to encrypt your backup so that a password is needed to restore the files, check the box next to "Encrypt backups."
8
Click Use Disk. It's at the bottom of the window. This sets the external drive as your Mac's backup drive. If you set up automatic backups, your first backup will begin.
- If the drive is not formatted, you'll be prompted to format it first. This will erase all of the data on the drive.
- When the backup is complete, you'll see a "Time Machine has finished..." message. At that point, you can eject and remove the external hard drive.
9
Create a manual backup. If you didn't set up automatic backups, you can create a manual backup now:
- Click the Time Machine icon, which is the clock dial in the menu bar in the upper-right area of the screen.
- Click Back Up Now on the menu.
- When the backup is complete, you'll see a "Time Machine has finished..." message. At that point, you can eject and remove the external hard drive.

Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

macOS (iCloud Drive)

Download Article

1
Click the Apple menu
. It's at the top-left corner of the screen.
- Use this method to back up data, such as your documents and images, to your iCloud account. This ensures that your backed-up data stays in the cloud and is accessible anywhere you sign in.
It's the gray Apple icon near the top-right corner of the window.^{[11]
X
Research source}
4
Click iCloud. It's the blue cloud icon in the left panel.
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID login and password to sign in.
It's the first option in the right panel.
It's at the top of the right panel.
It's at the top of the list.
If a green-and-white checkmark appears next to any of the app names below the Desktop & Document Folders header, files created with those apps will be backed up to iCloud.^{[12]
X
Research source} You can remove the checkmarks from any apps that you don't want to back up.
It's at the bottom-right corner of the window.
10
Select additional apps to back up. Other apps that use iCloud appear in the list under iCloud Drive. Any of the options with blue-and-white checkmarks are already backing up to iCloud. You can toggle these options on and off as needed.
- If you want to save hard drive space on your Mac, you can check the box next to "Optimize Mac Storage" below the iCloud app list. This makes it so that if you get low on disk space, older files will be moved off your Mac and saved to iCloud Drive until you need them.
- You can access your backed-up files on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch using the Files app, as well as on the web at https://www.icloud.com.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What is data mining?

Denneisk

Top Answerer

Data mining is the act of collecting various data from many specific sources (e.g., your social media habits). Data mining is (primarily) used to collect information which can then be used to target advertisements and other products towards you, although some people are afraid of companies using this information for nefarious reasons.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 5
Question

I want to use both Ubuntu and Windows 7 without any data loss. How can I do that?

Community Answer

I would recommend using Windows 10 since it's the more current version. There are plenty of Ubuntu virtual machines online where you can download Ubuntu and run it with no problem alongside Windows.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 3
Question

Where is my Android backup stored?

Community Answer

In the cloud, on your Google account drive. You can always access it later from another device.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

You can create a disc image of your hard drive that serves as a backup of all of your files, settings, and so on. This image can be burned onto a disc or series of discs to create a recovery disc should your computer crash.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
If you don't have an external hard drive and you only need to back up a few things, try using Google Drive or Dropbox to store your items.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Don't put all of your faith in scheduled backups. You should manually back up your information at least once a week for a personal or work computer.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1