Backup Planner

Am I backed up?

Pick the device. Osnivo shows Apple's own words on how to check you're backed up, the ways to back up, what a backup leaves out and how to restore.

Your devices:

Is your iPad backed up?

Check each one on your device. Ticks stay in this browser only.

of 6 checked

1 Turn on iCloud Backup Open the Settings app, then tap your name. Tap iCloud, then tap iCloud Backup and make sure that Back Up This [Device] is on. Connect your device to a power source. Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network. Make sure that your device's screen is locked. Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud ↗
2 Check the date of your last backup Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap iCloud Backup. Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process ends. Under Back Up Now, the date and time of your last backup is shown. Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud ↗
3 Make sure iCloud has room for it If you run out of iCloud storage, your device won’t back up to iCloud, new photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photos, and iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps won't stay up to date across your devices. If you get an alert that you don't have enough iCloud storage space to complete the backup, follow the onscreen steps to buy more iCloud storage. Apple: Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple device ↗ Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud ↗
4 Keep a second backup on your computer In case you ever need an alternative backup, you can back up your device using iCloud and also using your computer. Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗
5 Encrypt your computer backup Computer backups Apple: “You can't recover your backup without this password.” Activity, Health, and Keychain data (to back up this content, you'll need to create an encrypted backup) If you want to save Health and Activity data from your device or Apple Watch, select "Encrypt local backup" and create a password. Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗ Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with your Mac ↗
6 Keep an extra copy of what lives in iCloud Making an archive of what you keep in iCloud is one more way to keep an extra copy of your information. Then if you accidentally delete an important contact, email, or document, you can restore it from iCloud or from another copy that you have. Learn how to archive or make copies of your iCloud Drive files, photos and videos, Safari bookmarks, and more. Apple: Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud ↗

Ways to back up

Which method is best for you?

iCloud or your computer?

iCloud Stores backups in iCloud Offers up to 12TB of storage (combined with an Apple One Premier plan, you can get up to 14TB) Always encrypts your backups Lets you create and use backups from anywhere with Wi-Fi Computer Stores backups on your Mac or PC Storage depends on your Mac or PC's available space Offers encrypted backups (off by default) Lets you create and use backups from your Mac or PC Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗

iCloud

Back up now with iCloud

Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network. Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap iCloud Backup. Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process ends. Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud ↗

Choose which apps back up

Apple: “When you confirm that you want to Turn Off, iCloud Backup turns off for that app and removes all of its information from iCloud.” Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap Storage or tap Manage Account Storage. Tap Backups, then tap the name of the device that you're using. Turn off any apps that you don't want to back up. Tap Turn Off to confirm. Some apps are always backed up and you can't turn them off. Apple: Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple device ↗

Your computer

Back up to your Mac with the Finder macOS Catalina 10.15 or later

Connect your device to your Mac with a cable. If asked, click Allow to allow the accessory to connect. Open the Finder. In the Finder sidebar, select your device. If asked, click Trust to trust this computer. Click Trust on your device. If asked, enter your device passcode. 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. Click Back Up Now. Wait for your device to complete the backup. After a successful backup, the date and time of your last backup appear. Apple: How to back up your iPhone or iPad with your Mac ↗

Back up to a Windows PC

Apple: “Write down your password and store it somewhere safe, because there's no way to recover your encrypted backups without this password.” Switch to the Finder on your Mac, or open the Apple Devices app on your PC. If your PC doesn't have the Apple Devices app, or your Mac is using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes instead. Connect your device to your PC using the cable that came with your device. If asked for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. Click General in the Apple Devices app or Summary in iTunes for Windows. If you want to save Health and Activity data from your device or Apple Watch, you need to encrypt your backup: Select the "Encrypt local backup" checkbox and create a password. Click Back Up Now. When the process ends, the date and time of your last backup appears in the iTunes window. Apple: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Windows ↗

What a backup leaves out

Not in an iCloud backup
iCloud backups include all the information and settings stored on your device that don't already sync to iCloud. iCloud backups don't include: Notes that you already store and sync in iCloud Photos, if you turned on iCloud Photos iMessages, text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages, if you sync messages with iCloud Data stored in other cloud services, like Gmail and Exchange mail Apple Mail data Apple Pay information and settings Face ID or Touch ID settings iCloud Music Library and App Store content Offline maps Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗
Not in a computer backup
A computer backup of your device, which is not the same as a sync, includes almost all of your device's data and settings. A backup from a computer doesn't include: Content from the iTunes and App Stores, or PDFs downloaded directly to Apple Books Content synced from your Mac or PC, like imported MP3s or CDs, videos, books, and photos Data already synced and stored in iCloud, like iCloud Photos, iMessages, and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages Face ID or Touch ID settings Apple Pay information and settings Apple Mail data Activity, Health, and Keychain data (to back up this content, you'll need to create an encrypted backup) Offline maps Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗
Synced data lives in iCloud, not in the backup
iCloud Backup helps keep your data safe by making a copy of the information on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro that isn't already synced to iCloud. If you use Messages in iCloud, your messages automatically sync to iCloud so they aren’t included in your daily backup. When you use iCloud Photos, your photos, videos, and face information automatically sync to iCloud so they aren’t included in your daily backup. If the app uses iCloud Drive to store data, that information is stored in iCloud instead of your iCloud Backup. Apple: What does iCloud back up? ↗
Old iCloud backups expire
If you turn off iCloud Backup for a device, any backups stored in iCloud are kept for 180 days before being deleted. Apple: What does iCloud back up? ↗
Restoring onto a different kind of device
You can restore a device from a backup of another kind of device, like using an iPad backup for an iPhone, but certain types of content won't transfer: Photos, unless you use iCloud Photos Messages and attachments in Messages, unless you sync messages with iCloud Voice Memos Apps that aren't compatible with the device that you’re setting up. (For example, apps compatible only with iPad won't transfer to your iPhone.) Apple: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad ↗

Backup or restore not working?

Osnivo Fix: Apple's troubleshooting steps, one at a time.

Restore from a backup

Restore from an iCloud backup

Turn on your device. You should see a Hello Screen. If you already set up your device, you need to erase all of its content before you can use these steps to restore from your backup. Follow the onscreen setup steps until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, then tap From iCloud Backup. Sign in to your Apple Account. Choose a backup. Look at the date and size of each and pick the most relevant. Stay connected to Wi-Fi and wait for a progress bar to appear and complete. Finish setting up your device. Content like your apps, photos, music, and other information will continue to restore in the background. This may take several hours or days, depending on the amount of information on your device. Try to connect often to Wi-Fi and power to let the process complete. Apple: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup ↗

Restore from a backup on your computer

Open the Finder or the Apple Devices app on Windows. Open iTunes on Windows without the Apple Devices app or macOS Mojave or earlier. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable. If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in the Finder window, the Apple Devices app sidebar, or the iTunes window. Select Restore Backup. Look at the date of each backup and pick the most relevant. Click Restore and wait for the restore to finish. If asked, enter the password for your encrypted backup. Keep your device connected after it restarts and wait for it to sync with your computer. You can disconnect after the sync finishes. Apple: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup ↗

After a repair

Apple: “If you don't erase your device and restore from a previous iCloud backup, the new iCloud backups created when you set up the device as a new device, will overwrite your previously saved iCloud backups.” When you get your iPhone or iPad back from an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, keep in mind you might need to restore your device. If so, you need to restore it from an existing iCloud backup or a backup on your computer, or set it up as a new device. Apple: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup ↗

Your ticks here count toward the Backup part of your Setup Score, next to Recovery readiness (recovery contacts, Legacy Contact, Medical ID).

Deleted something or lost a device? Emergency → Moving to a new device? Migration Planner → Handing it on? Before You Sell →

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