How to Backup iPhone 5

Keep your iPhone 5 data saved and secured

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by Luis E. Chavez Saenz
Luis Chavez is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a System Administrator with 5+ years' experience writing about technology for end users.
Updated December 20, 2018

So you need to know how to backup an iPhone 5. It's always a good idea to have a backup of your phone and, fortunately, there is a couple of ways you can accomplish this using either iCloud or iTunes.

Why Backup an iPhone 5?

There are multiple reasons why you might need to do so:

  • You lost your phone and need to set up a replacement.
  • You got a new phone and need to transfer all your data.
  • You accidentally deleted something from your phone.

If you are trying to figure out which way is better, there are many factors you need to consider, including budget, security, flexibility, ease of access, etc. In the end, it's really a matter of preference between an online backup vs. a local backup. Think of iCloud as your online backup and iTunes as your local backup.

How to Backup iPhone 5 to iCloud

There is a couple of things you need to consider before using iCloud for backups:

If you worried about using the data on your mobile plan or don't have a strong signal, use a Wi-Fi connection.

  1. Tap Settings on your Home screen.

  2. Tap your initials to access your Apple ID account.

  3. Tap iCloud to access your iCloud settings.

  4. If iCloud Backup is off, tap it to turn it on. If it's already on, proceed to step 8.

  5. Toggle on iCloud Backup.

    

  6. You'll be notified this will prevent your iPhone from automatically syncing with iTunes, tap OK.

    

  7. Wait for iCloud Backup to turn on.

  8. Tap Back Up Now to start the backup process.

  9. Wait for the backup to complete.

  10. Once complete, the Last Backup time will change from "Never" to the current date and time.

How to Backup iPhone 5 Using iTunes

Using iTunes is the way to go when trying to back up your iPhone to your Windows or macOS device. One of the main advantages of using iTunes is it's compatible with both operating systems.

Having the latest version of iTunes installed will simplify things in this process, you should update iTunes before continuing.

Once you have the latest version of iTunes go ahead with starting the backup process.

  1. Launch iTunes.

  2. Connect your iPhone 5 to your PC or Mac. Once connected, select the iPhone icon next to the media dropdown box.

    

  3. Ensure Automatically Back Up is set to This Computer.

  4. Select Back Up Now.

  5. Wait for the backup process to complete.

  6. The backup will have completed once the Latest Backup shows the current date and time.

  7. You have successfully made a backup of your iPhone 5.