By Michael | Last Updated
In our digital age, the importance of backing up your iPhone cannot be overstated. With a device that holds our photos, messages, apps, and more, losing this data could be catastrophic. While iCloud offers a convenient option, many prefer the reliability and control that comes with local backups. This is where using an external hard drive for iPhone backups comes into play. Not only does it free up space on your computer, but it also offers a tangible backup solution that you can store separately from your device.
When it comes to backing up your iPhone, you typically have two main options: iCloud or local backups via iTunes (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac). iCloud backups are automatic and convenient but require sufficient cloud storage, which often comes with a cost. Local backups, on the other hand, are stored on your computer, giving you more control and avoiding additional fees. However, these backups can consume significant space on your computer’s hard drive. That’s why an external hard drive becomes an ideal solution, offering ample space without burdening your computer’s storage.
Before we dive into the steps, let’s go over what you’ll need:
An External Hard Drive: Ensure it has enough space to accommodate your iPhone backups. At least twice the size of your iPhone’s storage capacity is recommended.
iPhone: unlock iPhone if there is a screen lock and make sure it has enough power.
Computer (Windows or Mac): with the latest iTunes/Finder installed.
USB Cables: To connect your iPhone and external hard drive to your computer.
Tips: Make sure your external hard drive is formatted correctly. For cross-compatibility between Windows and Mac, exFAT is the preferred format. If you’re using the drive only with Windows or Mac, NTFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) might be better choices.
iSunshare iSyncGenius is a user-friendly alternative to iTunes for backing up your iPhone. Whether you want to back up all your data or just select files, iSyncGenius makes it easy to store your iPhone data on your Windows computer or an external hard drive. With its intuitive interface, you can directly back up iPhone data to an external hard drive.
Here’s how to back up your iPhone using iSunshare iSyncGenius:
Step 1: First, connect both your iPhone and the external hard drive to your Windows computer using USB cables. And get iSunshare iSyncGenius on your computer.
Step 2: Open iSyncGenius and the program will automatically detect your connected iPhone. Select your iPhone model from the list and click "Next" to proceed.
Step 3: You’ll see a list of all the data that will be backed up under All Backups tab. Click the "Choose" button to select a folder on your external hard drive as the backup location.
Step 4: Once everything is set, click the "Start" button to begin the backup process.
Step 5: After the backup is finished, you’ll find your iPhone data safely stored in the selected folder on your external hard drive.
If you want to restore the iPhone backup, it is much easier to do that with iSyncGenius. You can click the Restore option and select the backup file in your external hard drive. Then follow the on-screen instructions to finish the restoring process.
If you do not want to use the third-party software, iTunes can quickly back up your iPhone data on the computer. After that, you can copy iPhone backup file to the external hard drive folder.
Step 1: Open iTunes on your Windows computer and get your iPhone connected.
Step 2: Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust on the Trust This Computer prompt.
Step 3: Open the iTunes and click the iPhone icon on the interface. After that, click Back Up Now to back up your iPhone data to Windows computer.
Step 4: Go to the Backup location on your computer:
C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Step 5: Copy the backup folder from your computer to the external hard drive. After that the backup file is saved on the external hard drive.
If you want to save iPhone backups directly to your external hard drive, you can change the iTunes backup location to the external hard drive. It is easy to do that with a symbolic link, which makes iTunes think the backup is still in the original location, while it’s actually on the external hard drive.
Now open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the code:
mklink /J "C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "E:\New Backup Location"
You should Replace “E:\New Backup Location” with the path to your external hard drive folder.
From now on, when you click "Back Up Now" on iTunes, iTunes will create a backup in the location you specified on your external hard drive. But if you want to restore the backup on external hard drive, you should move the backup file back to its default location.
Step 1: Open Finder or iTunes. For macOS Catalina and later, open Finder. For macOS Mojave and earlier, use iTunes. These applications manage iPhone backups on Mac.
Step 2: Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone and make your iPhone trust the computer.
Step 3: Locate the Current Backup Folder: The backup folder is usually located at:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
After that, drag this backup folder to your external hard drive. And now you should open Terminal to execute this command to create a symbolic link:
ln -s /Volumes/[External Hard Drive Name]/[New Backup Location] ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
Tips: Replace the placeholders with your actual paths.
Step 4: Go to Finder or iTunes, select your iPhone, and choose "Back Up Now". Now your iPhone backup will be stored in the external hard drive. You can check the external hard drive to ensure that the backup has been successfully stored.
1. Can you backup iPhone to external hard drive without computer?
Although you can connect the external hard drive to the iPhone with the USB-to-lighting adapter, it does not support for data backup. For the backup of several photos or videos, you can directly share to the external hard drive.
2. How to backup iPhone to Seagate external hard drive?
All the above methods can apply to the Seagate external hard drive. That is to say, you can backup iPhone to Seagate external hard drive with iTunes, finders or iSyncGenius.
3. Can I encrypt the iPhone backup on an external hard drive?
Yes, you can choose to encrypt your backup during the backup process.
Compared to iTunes or Finder, it is easy to back up iPhone to an external hard drive with iSunshare iSyncGenius. But this software can only work on Windows computer. If you decide to move the backup location, think twice, as you might not restore the backup once the default location is changed.
