[3 Ways] How to Backup iPhone before Factory Reset

Why Backup iPhone before Factory Reset

Are you in one of the following situations?   

● Want to reset iPhone to have a new start. After a long time of use, all kinds of information and data will be stored on the iPhone. We can reset iPhone to clear the space and improve the running speed of iPhone.
● Want to reset iPhone to fix iOS error. iPhone sometimes goes wrong. If you have tried all the methods but cannot solve the problem, resetting the iPhone is the last option.
● Want to reset iPhone before selling. If you want to sell your old iPhone to someone else, you definitely want to delete the data on the iPhone to ensure no one can access the private information.

However, the factory reset will erase all content and settings on iPhone. So we should first backup iPhone to ensure the safety of our data. If we have a backup, after the reset, we can choose to restore the backup to current iPhone or set up new iPhone from backup quickly.

How to Backup iPhone before Factory Reset

When it comes to iPhone backup, most people will first think of iTunes and iCloud, but in fact, these two methods are not so perfect.

● iCloud only offers 5 GB of free storage space for you, which is far from enough to back up all your data.
● You can also use iTunes to backup iPhone to computer, but it also doesn't allow you to select the data you want to back up.
● Both iTunes and iCloud do not support selective backup. In addition, backup data cannot be viewed - until it is restored to the iPhone.

Fortunately, there’s one iTunes alternative for iPhone that offers an easier backup way. You can select the data that needs to be backed up and check the backup files on computer anytime you want. Let’s start to see how to backup iPhone before resetting.

Way 1. How to Backup iPhone before Factory Reset - Use FoneTool

FoneTool is one iPhone data management tool for Windows users, which supports data backup and transfer. It offers various backup options - full backup, custom backup, incremental backup to help you quickly backup iPhone in different situations.

If you want to backup iPhone before factory reset, you may let the full backup or custom backup help you backup all content or selected files. Next we will introduce these two backup methods in detail.

FoneTool Free Download

You can click the download button to get FoneTool and follow the steps below to backup your iPhone. It supports all iPhone models from iPhone 4 to the latest iPhone 14.

★ Full Backup

The Full Backup will backup all content and settings on your iPhone, such as photos, contacts, call history, text messages, calendars, system settings and so on.

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

2. In the home interface, click Phone Backup function > Go to Full Backup and click Get Started.

3. If you want to backup private data such as Fitness records, Health and Keychain, please enable backup encryption > Select a path to store your backup > Click Start Backup.

★ Selective Backup

If you do not want to backup all content on iPhone, you can use the Selective Backup feature to help you back up the files that are important to you. This not only saves storage space but also reduces backup time. In addition, it can also help you restore selected files to iPhone without deleting any data on the device.

1. Open FoneTool and plug in your iPhone.

2. Click Phone Backup and go to Selective Backup.

3. Then you can click an icon to view your data.

4. Select the items you want to backup and click OK to continue.

5. Select a path to save your files > Finally, click Start Backup.

When backup is complete, you can go to Backup History to manage your backup task. You can view your backup files, restore the backup to iPhone or delete the backups.  

Note: If you want to wipe iPhone for trade in, you can let the iPhone Eraser function of FoneTool deeply erase your iPhone. It will erase the iPhone several times to ensure that the data is 100% unrecoverable.

Way 2. How to Backup iPhone before Factory Reset - Use iTunes

iTunes can help you make a backup package for your iPhone. You cannot select the data that needs to be backed up. If you want to know what data iTunes will back up for you, you can refer to this what does iTunes backup include guide to get more info.

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes on computer.

2. Connect iPhone to computer while USB cable.

3. Find the Device tab in iTunes and click it.

4. Choose Summary > Select This Computer > If you want to save Health and Activity data, you should select the Encrypt local backup checkbox and create a password > Click Back Up Now to make it.

Way 3. How to Backup iPhone before Factory Reset - Use iCloud

If you have no computer at hand, you can choose to backup iPhone with iCloud. Please make sure that you have enough iCloud storage to save all your data.

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

2. Go to Settings app > Tap [your name] > Tap iCloud > Turn on iCloud Backup.

3. Tap Back Up Now to create a backup at once.

Final Words

That’s all about how to backup iPhone before factory reset. Compared with iTunes and iCloud, FoneTool offers an easier way to help you backup the data you need to back up. You can take full control of your backup files.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email or leave a comment to let us know. We will reply to you as soon as possible.