How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows or Mac

Nowadays, data loss is a common occurrence. Therefore, to ensure safety, it's best to back up your phone. For Apple users, you can back up your iPhone to iCloud and a computer. However, iCloud's free storage space is limited, and computers are not easy to carry. Therefore, backing up your phone to an external hard drive is the best option. So, how to back up your iPhone to an external hard drive? You can find the answer by reading this article.

Part 1. How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows & Mac

Whether you're a Windows or a Mac user, this section will equip you with the knowledge and skills to seamlessly and efficiently back up your iPhone to an external hard drive.

Method 1. How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive by Coolmuster iOS Assistant

Coolmuster iOS Assistant is a trusted and user-friendly software solution designed to facilitate the management and back up of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod data. This versatile tool empowers users to seamlessly transfer, back up, and restore their iOS device data. With this tool, you can easily back up iPhone photos, music, videos and other data to an external hard drive with just a few clicks.

Some of its notable features include:

• Back up the iPhone to an external hard drive or computer.
• Transfer specific files like contacts, messages, photos, and more between iOS devices and computers.
• Support both Windows and Mac operating systems.
• Preview and selectively recover or transfer data before performing the actual operation.
• Suitable for a range of iOS devices, including the latest iPhone, iPad, and iPod models.

Free Download for PC

 

Free Download for Mac

Follow these steps to move the iPhone backup to an external drive.

At the same time, Coolmuster iOS Assistant supports selecting iPhone data to back up to an external hard drive.

Video Tutorial:

Method 2. How to Move iPhone Backup to External Drive Through iCloud

Moving your iPhone backup to an external drive through iCloud can be a practical way to free up space on your local storage while keeping your data accessible. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to save iPhone backup to external hard drive:

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to "Settings". Tap your "Apple ID" at the top, then select "iCloud".

Step 2. Scroll down and select "iCloud Backup", then tap "Back Up Now" to initiate a new backup.

Step 3. On your computer (Windows or Mac), open a web browser, go to iCloud, and sign in with your Apple ID and password.

Step 4. Click on "Settings". Scroll down to "Advanced" and select "Restore Files". You'll see a list of available backups.

Step 5. Choose the one you want to download. Select "Download" and then follow the instructions to save the backup on your computer. It will typically be directed to your Downloads folder by default.

Step 6. Link your external hard drive to your computer. Locate the downloaded iCloud backup file on your computer. Copy this backup file to your external hard drive.

Tips: Read this guide to learn how to download iCloud backup.

Part 2. How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows by iTunes

You cannot directly back up your iPhone to an external hard drive using iTunes on Windows. iTunes stores iPhone backups on your computer's internal hard drive by default. However, you can back up your iPhone to your computer and then manually move the backup files to an external hard drive. Here's how you can do that:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Windows computer with a USB cable. Open iTunes and select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes.

Step 2. In the left sidebar, click on "Summary". In the "Backups" section, click "Back Up Now". iTunes will generate an iPhone backup on your computer's built-in hard drive.

Step 3. The location of the iPhone backups on your Windows PC will vary depending on your operating system. Here are the default locations for Windows:

Windows 11/10/8/7: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Step 4. Duplicate the complete "Backup" folder onto your external hard drive. You can do this by right-clicking on the folder and selecting "Copy", then pasting it into your external hard drive.

Part 3. How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac via Finder

To back up your iPhone to an external hard drive on a Mac using Finder, you can follow these steps:

Step 1. Plug your external hard drive into one of the USB ports on your Mac. Make sure your Mac properly recognizes it.

Step 2. Open your external hard drive in Finder and create a new folder where you want to store your iPhone backup.

Step 3. Click on the "Finder" icon in your Mac's Dock to open a Finder window.

Step 4. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Mac. If you haven't connected your iPhone to this Mac before, you may need to tap "Trust This Computer" on your iPhone and enter your device passcode.

Step 5. In the Finder window, you should see your iPhone listed in the sidebar under "Locations". Click on your iPhone.

Step 6. In the iPhone management window, you'll see various options. To back up to your external hard drive, select the "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac" option and then click "Back Up Now".

Step 7. Once the backup process is complete, open the "Go" menu and select "Go to Folder".

Step 8. Enter the following path: "~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup".

Step 9. Copy the folder and paste it onto your external hard drive.

Part 4. FAQs About How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive

Q1. What is the advantage of backing up to an external hard drive over a computer?

Backing up to an external hard drive offers an additional layer of redundancy and security. If your computer fails, you still have a backup on the external hard drive.

Q2. What should I do if my external hard drive is full?

If your external hard drive is running out of space, consider deleting older backups or moving them to a larger drive. You can also compress backups to save space.

Q3. Why back up to an external hard drive?

While cloud-based backup solutions like iCloud offer convenience, there are several compelling reasons to consider creating a local backup on an external hard drive:

• Added Redundancy: Diversifying your backup locations reduces the risk of data loss. If anything happens to your iCloud or iTunes backups, you'll have a secure copy on your external hard drive.
• Complete Control: With a local backup, you have complete control over your data, and you don't rely on an internet connection or third-party services to access your backups.
• Privacy and Security: Storing sensitive data locally on your external hard drive can provide an extra layer of privacy and security since it's not stored on remote servers.

Conclusion

Backing up your iPhone to an external hard drive is a prudent way to safeguard your valuable data. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create and maintain reliable local backups of your iPhone, providing you with peace of mind in the event of data loss or device failure. In the above methods, we highly recommend Coolmuster iOS Assistant because it is secure and fast. Give it a try and download it now.

Related Articles:

3 Simple Ways to Back Up iPhone to Flash/USB/Thumb Drive [Reassuring Guide]

How to Back Up iPad to External Drive with/without Computer?

2 Easy Ways to Transfer Music from iPhone/iPod to an External Hard Drive

How to Transfer iCloud Photos to External Hard Drive with Ease