How to Backup Phone to Computer on Win/Mac: 100% Useful

How to Backup iPhone to Computer without iTunes

I want to save my media files and contacts from my iPhone to computer, but iTunes does not support partial backup, so is there anyone could tell me how to backup iPhone to PC without iTunes?

- Question from an iPhone User

Can You Backup Phone to Computer?

Mobile phone could carry a lot of important data from you. Losing some photos/videos or unexpectedly deleting contacts would surprise you. You should take precautions for that bad situation, especially when you are going to upgrade your AndoridOS/iOS system or jailbreak your phone. It's necessary to back up your device in case of data loss.

Can you easily backup your phone to computer? The answer is Yes! Keep reading to learn more.  Whether you're using an iPhone or Android, you can easily find solutions in this article.

How to Backup Phone to Computer Free (For Windows)

For Windows users, this section will help you easily back up your iPhone (Part 1) or Android phone (Part 2) to computer. For Mac users, you can skip to the next section to find detailed steps.

Part 1. How to Backup iPhone to Windows PC

If you use iTunes, it would not tell you what would be saved to computer because you would just find a button “Back Up Now” in iTunes. Even if you complete the backup, you would not view content in iTunes. What makes it more annoying is that restoring iPhone from iTunes backup would clear everything on iPhone.

It seems Apple emphasizes your privacy too much and leaves you with no choice of your own. If you want to backup iPhone to Windows PC via an easier way, you could try the professional FoneTool to back up iPhone without iTunes or iCloud.

You can follow the steps mentioned in Option1 to back up the entire iPhone or learn how to selectively back up iPhone media, contacts or messages from Option 2.

FoneTool

Free iPhone Backup Software

• Developed by a team that has focused on data security for 14+ years.
• Fully/selectively backup iPhone data as you like.
• Safely restore iPhone from backup without deleting files.
• Supports all iPhone models from iPhone 4 to the latest iPhone 15.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

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Option 1. How to Backup iPhone to PC without iTunes - Full Backup

FoneTool can help you make a full backup of your iPhone. It will backup all iPhone content and settings including photos, videos, contacts, call history, text messages, memos, calendars, etc. 

1. Launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to computer via a USB cable.

2. Click Phone Backup > Go to Full Backup and click Get Started.

3. Enable backup encryption to backup private data > Select a path to save the backup and click Start Backup. 

When you want to restore the backup, please go to My Backups > click the three-dots icon > click Restore to make it. The backup can be restored to any other device. 

Option 2. How to Backup iPhone to PC without iTunes - Selective Backup

FoneTool also supports selective backup. You can preview and choose the data you want to backup/restore instead of all of them. It will not erase any existing data during the restoration.

1. Open FoneTool > Plug in your iPhone.

2. Click Phone Backup and go to Selective Backup.

3. Click the icon of Photos, Videos, Music, Contacts, or Messages to view and choose the data you want to backup. 

4. Click Start Backup and you would find everything you have selected would be backed up to computer in seconds.

Part 2. How to Backup Android Phone to PC

The primary method for transferring files from an Android to a PC involves using a USB connection. The same cable used for charging can establish a link with the PC for initiating a backup. Follow these steps:

1. Connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable.

2. On your phone's notification panel, tap the "Charging This Device via USB" notification.

3. Choose "Transfer Files" or "File Transfer" from the "Use USB To" pop-up message.

4. Click the PC notification to receive a pop-up message.

5. Select "Open Device To View Files" from the pop-up message.

   

6. Browse your Android phone data and copy-paste the required files to PC storage.

How to Backup Phone to Computer (For Mac)

If you are a Mac user, you can choose an appropriate backup method based on the device you are using. If you need to backup iPhone on Mac, go to Part 1 to find answers. To backup Android to Mac, just skip to Part 2 to make it.

Part 1. Backup iPhone to Mac

iTunes is no longer available with macOS Catalina and Finder replaces it for device backups. If you use a Mac running macOS Catalina and wish to back up your iPhone to the computer, Finder is the solution.

Despite being able to view or access the backup contents, they are typically stored in an unreadable format. The only official method to extract files from the backup is by restoring an iPhone from it.

Now just follow the instructions below to learn how to back up iPhone to Mac without iTunes.

Step 1. Connect your iOS device to the computer and open Finder.

Step 2. Unlock your phone and trust the computer. If necessary, enter your iPhone password to proceed.

Step 3. Click [your iPhone's name] under Locations.

Step 4. Click Back Up Now to initiate the iPhone backup to the computer without iTunes.

If necessary, you can locate your iPhone backup by navigating to Finder > [your device] > General > Manage Backups. Subsequently, right-clicking on the backup allows you to choose Show in Finder.

It's important to note that any attempt to edit, relocate, rename, or extract content from the backup may result in file corruption.

Part 2. Backup Android phone to Mac

Follow the guidance below to backup your Android device:

Step 1. Install Android File Transfer on your Mac, launch it, and connect your phone via USB.

Step 2. On your Android, select "Transfer Files" from the USB options.

Step 3. The app will open on your Mac, allowing you to drag and drop files for backup.

Please note that contacts, text messages, and specific items are not included in this backup method.

Bonus: How to Backup iPhone without A Computer

iCloud provides the option to back up your iPhone wirelessly without using a computer. An iCloud backup encompasses nearly all your device's data and settings, including Line chats or WhatsApp messages. However, accessing the iCloud backup requires restoring an iPhone, iPad, or iPod with it.

Before initiating the process, ensure you have sufficient iCloud storage for your iPhone data and connect to a stable network. Follow the steps below to back up your iPhone using iCloud.

To perform an iPhone backup without iTunes:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. Navigate to Settings > iCloud > Backup.

Step 3. Enable iCloud Backup.

Step 4. Ensure a Wi-Fi connection and choose Back Up Now.

Step 5. Confirm the backup by navigating to Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage.

If you need to restore your iCloud backup to your iOS devices, just find detailed steps from this page: How to Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup

Conclusion

If you want to back up your mobile phone to computer, this full guide will help you a lot. With this free iPhone backup software called FoneTool, you can easily backup your iPhone or Android phone whether you are using a Windows PC or a Mac. If there isn't a computer at your hand, you can also use iCloud to back up your iPhone efficiently!