How to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac

After you back up your device, you have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.

Back up with the Finder

1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, open a window in the Finder.

2. Connect your device to your Mac with a USB cable.

   • If asked, click Allow to allow the accessory to connect.

   • If asked, click Trust to trust this computer.

   • If asked, enter your device passcode. Forgot your passcode?

3. When your device appears in the sidebar of the Finder window, select your device. Don’t see your device?

   

4. If you want to save Health and Activity data from your device or Apple Watch, select "Encrypt local backup" and create a password. You can't recover your backup without this password.

5. Click Back Up Now.

6. When the backup completes successfully, the window shows the date and time of your last backup.

   

Learn more

• If you can't back up your device

• Restore your device from a backup

• Locate and manage backups of your device

• Other backup methods for iPhone and iPad