Why and How to Fix iPhone Not Backing up to Computer

iPhone not backing up to computer

iPhone is loved by thousands of users. You can use it to take pictures, communicate with friends, and enjoy thousands of apps with the stable iOS. Someday, you might need to export data to have more space on iPhone or you just want to save some important information, so you need to backup iPhone.

iTunes is commonly chosen by iPhone users to backup iPhone to computer but sometimes users have the problems that iPhone not showing in iTunes or iPhone not backing up to iTunes. There are some factors which could lead to problems. You can find the reason and solutions in the following content.

Why iPhone won't back up to PC?

When backing up iPhone to computer with iTunes, you connect iPhone to computer with a USB cable, so there could be 3 reasons for your failed iPhone backup:

1. The physical connection cannot be built.

2. iTunes is incompatible with the current iOS.

3. Computer cannot recognize iPhone or store iPhone backup.

Before you try the solutions, you can restart iPhone and computer to fresh the system.

How to fix when iPhone won't backup to computer

If iTunes won’t backup or sync iPhone, the 6 solutions will help you troubleshoot the problems with both hardware and software.

#1. Change USB cable

Why can't you see iPhone on computer? The connection might not be able to be built even if you can use the cable to charge iPhone. You can try a new cable that supports transferring data between iPhone and computer.

#2. Try another USB port

The port you are using might be loose or broken. If you left the ports unused for a long time, the connection would be affected so the USB port could only be used to charge your device or be of totally no use. You can try another port on your PC to connect your iPhone.

#3. Disable antivirus software

There are proven case that sometimes Malwarebytes could block iTunes connection and cause iTunes backup session failed. Temporarily disable firewall and antivirus will help connect iPhone to iTunes.

#4. Install Apple driver

Apple mobile device USB drive is required by iTunes to connect your iPhone to the computer. Sometimes you need to manually update the driver.

Right-click the Start Button on the desktop > Select Device Manager > Select Portable Devices > Find your device > Right-click on the device name > Select Update driver > Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

#5. Update software

Make sure you have the latest iOS and the latest version of iTunes. If you have used iTunes before but find iPhone not backing up to computer issue this time, you can update both iOS and iTunes to fix it.

#6. Change iTunes backup location

Make sure that there’s enough storage in the partition. iTunes would save your backup in C Drive by default. If you find C Drive is almost full, you can change the backup location to another partition or move iPhone backup to external drive.

If you still have other questions, seeking support from the authority would be a good choice. You can contact the Apple Support or the support of the software you are using.

Better iTunes alternative to flexibly back up iPhone to PC

If iPhone backup keeps failing with iTunes, you can try a new tool to take care of your iPhone data. FoneTool could be your plan B. It is a free professional iPhone backup software, that allows you to copy photos, videos, messages, contacts, and music from iPhone to PC within a few steps.

Highlights:

 You can use FoneTool to selectively or fully back up iPhone while iTunes only supports full backup.

 Unlike iTunes' frequent unknown errors, FoneTool runs stably on Windows 11/10/8/7 PC. 

 You can directly view and find the backups from the computer and don't need any iPhone backup extractors to make it.

 Fast backup speed allows you to accomplish the backup efficiently and saves lots of time.

 Its wide compatibility supports various iPhone models and iOS versions, including the latest ones.

Now you can follow the guidance below to get how to back up iPhone on Windows PC. You can go to Part 1 to selectively back up your iPhone or go to Part 2 to fully back up iPhone.

Part 1. Selectively back up iPhone to Windows 11/10/8/7

Step 1. Download FoneTool for free. Connect iPhone to computer and tap Trust on it.

Step 2. Click Phone Backup > Locate Selective Backup and click Get Started. You could click an icon to select files in the folder. After selecting the needed files, click OK to return.

Step 3. Click the button Start Backup and your task will be completed soon.

Part 2. Fully back up iPhone to computer

Step 1. Launch FoneTool and connect your iPhone to the computer > If asked, tap on Trust on your iPhone to comtinune.

Step 2. Go to Phone Backup > Choose Full Backup > Click on Get Started. 

Step 3. If necessary, you can check Enable Backup Encryption option to encrypt private data such as Fitness records, Health and Keychain > Choose Backup Storage Path to change the backup location on PC > Click Start Backup to begin the task.

If you need to view or restore your backup, you can go to My Backups page > Click the View or Restore icon to finish the process.

Conclusion

From this passage, you can know why iPhone not backing up to computer and the problem can be solved by the above 6 solutions. If you have already been tired of iTunes errors, you can try the free iPhone backup software named FoneTool to save iPhone to computer in a new way to free up iPhone storage or protect important information.

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