How to backup iphone to mac catalina

For iPhone and iPad users who still connect their devices to a Mac for syncing and backups (and there are a lot of people who still do this), there are changes in the latest version of the Mac operating system. In macOS 10.15 Catalina, the iTunes app is gone.

Now you use the Finder, similar to how you see a hard drive or a server. Here’s how to use your device in the Finder and how to back it up.

Your iOS device in the Finder

When you connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a Lightning cable, it will appear in a Finder window. In macOS Catalina, your device is in the left column in the “Locations” section. (If this is the first time you are connecting the Mac and iOS device, you will be asked to pair the two on the Mac, and you’ll have to trust the Mac on your iOS device.)

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You’ll be asked if you want to pair your device if it’s new to your Mac.

When you click on your iOS device in the left column, the window will fill with some information that looks a lot like the info you used to see in the iTunes app.

How to back up your iOS device in macOS Catalina

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a Lighting cable.

2. Open a window in the Finder (Command-N).

3. In the Locations section in the left column of the Finder window, look for your device and click on it.

4. Information about your device should appear in the right side of the window. Click on the General button near the top of the window if it’s not already active.

5. Look for the section labelled Backups. You have a few options to consider:

  • You can choose to back up “your most important data” to iCloud, or you can back up all of your device’s data to your Mac.

  • If you want to encrypt the backups on your Mac, check the box for “Encrypt local backup.” You will need to create a password.

6. When you are ready to back up your device, click the Back Up Now button. You can also click the Sync button at the bottom of the window.

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Backup options for your iOS device.

How to restore your iOS device in macOS Catalina

If you need to restore your iPhone or iPad using a backup on your Mac, here’s how it’s done.

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a Lighting cable.

2. Open a window in the Finder (Command-N).

3. In the Locations section in the left column of the Finder window, look for your device and click on it.

4. Information about your device should appear in the right side of the window. Click on the General button near the top of the window if it’s not already active.

5. Look for the section labelled Backups. Click on the Restore Backup button.

6. A window will appear where you pick what backup to use to restore. If you click the pop-up menu labeled “backup,” you can pick which backup to use. Pick one.

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7. Enter your password in the Password section.

8. Click Restore to start the process. This will take a few minutes to complete.

How to manage your iOS device backups in macOS Catalina

When you back up your iOS device to your Mac, it doesn’t always replace the previous backup. This is handy in case you want to restore from a different point in time. But each backup takes up storage space. Here’s how you can delete backups you don’t want.

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a Lighting cable.

2. Open a window in the Finder (Command-N).

3. In the Locations section in the left column of the Finder window, look for your device and click on it.

4. Information about your device should appear in the right side of the window. Click on the General button near the top of the window if it’s not already active.

5. Look for the section labelled Backups. Click on the Manage Backups button.

6. A list called “Device backups” will appear. They’re labeled based on the name of the device that was backed up, and the date. You can select one of these, and then click Delete Backup if you want to delete it.

How to backup iphone to mac catalina
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How to backup iphone to mac catalina

Taking a backup of your data is essential to keep important files safe and secure while freeing phone space. You will need to take backup on iCloud, but macOS Catalina is a great option if you do not want to pay for iCloud space.

If you are not willing to pay for the storage space of iCloud, backing up your iPhone with a Mac Catalina is a good option. Apple has replaced the iTunes app with new apps, including Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV in macOS Catalina. The best part is that you can take back up all the iPhone data on Mac Catalina with ease. Further, it will keep your data safe in the long run and allow you to restore your data anytime.

Suppose you have no knowledge about how to backup iPhone Catalina; this guide is for you. In this article, we will teach how to backup the iPhone to Mac Catalina.

Take a look!

  • Method 1: Sync Data to Backup iPhone on Catalina
  • Method 2: Third-Party Apps to Backup
  • Method 3: Wi-Fi Sync to Backup

Method 1: Sync Data to Backup iPhone on Catalina

Synchronizing data allows you to back up your device data safely to your Mac. You can sync all files or only selected files for backup. Here are the steps that you will need to follow to sync data backup.

    • Connect your iPhone to your MAC or system. On your Mac with macOS Catalina, open Finder.
How to backup iphone to mac catalina
    • You may receive a message of device passcode or to Trust This Computer.
    • Follow the steps of the process and if you forget the passcode, get help.
    • Now, look for your iPhone on your system. If your device doesn't appear on the list, then try to reconnect it.
How to backup iphone to mac catalina
  • When you found your device, you can select the files you want to back up your iPhone on Catalina.

Here are the examples of data files to backup on Catalina. This will helps you to save your files on Catalina. Have a look!

Example 1.1 How to sync music, podcast, videos, and audios to your Mac Catalina

    • Open Finder in Mac
    • From the left side of the screen, select your device
    • On the right-hand side, you will see options of files, and there click on the music, audios, videos, and podcast tab one by one
How to backup iphone to mac catalina
  • Check the box Sync Music, audio, videos, and podcast onto your device
  • Under Sync, you can select Entire files or choose selected albums, artists, topics, etc.
  • Click Apply. This will sync all needed files between your MAC and iPhone

Example 1.2 How to sync photos to your iPhone on macOS Catalina

  • Click on the Finder
  • Select your device from the left side of the screen
  • Click on the photo tab from the right-hand side
  • Tick the files to sync and click apply

Note: To Sync the data, you will need your passcode. If you forget it, you will not be able to recover or restore your data from backup. We have discussed third-party apps in the below section for people who do not want to use Catalina for backup data.

Method 2: Third-Party Apps to Backup

If you are not running macOS Catalina and do not want to use iTunes for backup, you can use a third-party app. There are many third-party apps available to backup the iPhone, but only a few of them are safe to use. Following are the two apps that you may consider to backup your iOS device. Please choose the best among them.

App 1: Dr.Fone-Phone Backup

There are many third-party apps to backup or restore iPhone data, but the best one is Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS).

It is a very easy-to-use app that can backup all your device's data in a single click. Plus, you can preview and restore any file from the backup to your iOS/Android devices. The best part is that, it not only restores backup, but also helps restore iTunes as well as iCloud backup files.

Why Choose Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS)

    • It offers flexible backup

As compared to backup iPhone data with iTunes or iCloud, Dr.Fone offers a flexible solution to restore and backup data. It can backup selective data without overwriting the existing data on your device.

    • Backup iPhone is easy

The whole backup process will only take a one-click after you connected your device to the system successfully. Plus, the new backup file will not overwrite the old one.

    • Easy to restore backup data

With Dr.Fone, you can review your data and can backup or restore what is necessary. The whole process is straightforward and time-saving, as well. With just one single click, you can restore the data that you need.

How to Backup iPhone with Dr.Fone?

Making a backup of an iPhone or iOS device with Dr.Fone is very easy and simple. Here is the step by step guide for you that will help you to backup iPhone data. Take a look!

    • First, connect the iOS device to the system

Download, install and launch the Dr.Fone on your system. After this, choose the Phone Backup option from its tool list.

How to backup iphone to mac catalina

When installed, connect your iPhone or iPad to your system with a lightning cable. Now, select Device Data Backup & Restore option.

How to backup iphone to mac catalina
    • Choose file types you want to take backup

After selecting the Device Data Backup & Restore, you will see file types on the screen, and you can choose any file type to backup. Then tap on "Backup."

How to backup iphone to mac catalina

Further, you can also opt for the folder below the file types to customize the saving path.

You only need to wait for few minutes for the backup process to complete. Once the backup is completed, Dr.Fone will display all the supported data.

    • View the data you backed up

When the backup is completed, you can View the Backup History anytime, anywhere. Also, you can import these files into your system. You can either select one by one or can select all to export on the system.

How to backup iphone to mac catalina

All in all, backup iPhone data with Dr.Fone is straightforward and safe as well.

App 2: CopyTrans Software for iPhone Backup

CopyTrans is another software that you can use to take the backup of your iPhone. It is easy to use tool that offers easy options to delete and edit files. Also, it keeps your data safe while managing your files sensibly.

How to backup iphone to mac catalina

The best part is that you can choose which data you want to backup or not with this tool. After backup, you can easily restore images, messages, calendars, notes, app data, SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, and much more. To keep data safe, it is important to make regular backups of your iOS device. CopyTrans allows you to back up and restore your iOS data without the need for iTunes or iCloud.

The drawback of this software is that it can only transfer 50 contacts for a single purchase. If you need to backup more content, then you need to make another purchase.

Method 3: Wi-Fi Sync to Backup

    • First, you will need to connect your iOS device to your computer with a USB cable. Also, make sure that your device is unlocked. A message may appear on your device about whether to trust the computer or to confirm things. Agree on that and confirm.
    • Now that your iPhone gets successfully connected with iTunes. You will see a small device icon below the menu bar; click on that device icon.
How to backup iphone to mac catalina
  • After this, look at the sidebar and select a summary from the list of the sidebar.
  • Now, you will need to choose "this computer" as your destination device. Rest it is up to you; if you do not want to make the system your destination, you can encrypt it, but remember the password.
  • Now, under the "Options," choose Sync with this iPhone or iOS over Wi-Fi. This ensures your backups get Sync correctly over Wi-Fi.
  • Do not forget to click Done to save the changes.

Note to make Wi-Fi backup work

With the above steps, you will learn about how to backup iPhone or iOS over Wi-Fi. But there are certain conditions that you will need to keep in mind while syncing data over Wi-Fi

  • Both devices that are your iPhone and system must be on the same Wi-Fi network
  • iTunes needs to be open on the system.
  • Your iPhone or any other iOS device should be charged fully.

Conclusion

Backups are critical to secure the data in the long run. If your iPhone memory gets full or planning to free memory space, then make a backup of Catalina's iPhone. In the above article, you will learn about how to backup your iPhone on Catalina and save your data in a safe place.

If you want an easy and simple way to backup or restore your iOS data, Dr.Fone is a great tool. It is safe to install and easy to use. With just one click, you can make a backup of your whole data. Try it now!

How do I completely backup my iPhone to my Mac?

Back up iPhone using your Mac.
Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable..
In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, select your iPhone. ... .
At the top of the Finder window, click General..
Select “Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.”.

Why can't I backup my iPhone to my Mac?

Make sure your Mac or PC is up-to-date. If you're using iTunes, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, and locate your device on your computer. If your device doesn't appear in Finder or iTunes, learn what to do.

How do I restore my new iPhone to Catalina?

Restore your device to factory settings.
On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, open the Finder. ... .
Connect your device to your computer..
If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. ... .
Select your device when it appears on your computer. ... .
Click Restore [device]..