How to Back Up Your iPhone to iCloud (and Back Up Now Manually)

Q: How do I know the backup worked?

Open Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup. The time of the last successful backup is shown under Back Up Now.

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read May 8, 2025 · by Ryan Bennett

Set your iPhone to back itself up to iCloud automatically, and run a manual backup on demand before you update iOS or move to a new phone.

Why: An iCloud backup is a copy of the information and settings on your iPhone that don’t already sync to iCloud — your app data, Home screen layout, settings, Messages, and more. If your phone is lost, broken, or replaced, you restore from that backup and pick up where you left off.

Step 1: Turn on iCloud Backup

Once this is on, your iPhone backs up automatically over Wi-Fi when it’s locked, charging, and connected to Wi-Fi — typically overnight.

Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
Tap iCloud, then tap iCloud Backup.
Turn on Back Up This iPhone.

If your device and carrier support it, you can also turn on Back Up Over Cellular so it uses cellular data when Wi-Fi isn’t available.

Step 2: Back Up Now manually before an update or a new phone

Before you install a big iOS update or transfer to a new iPhone, force a fresh backup so it has the latest data.

Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi.
Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup.
Tap Back Up Now.
Stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes. The same screen shows the date and time of the last successful backup.

Step 3: Make sure you have enough iCloud storage

Every Apple Account starts with 5 GB of free iCloud storage, which fills up fast. If you see a message that there isn’t enough space to back up:

Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage (or Manage Storage) to see what’s using space.
Tap Backups to remove old device backups you no longer need.
Or follow the on-screen steps to upgrade to iCloud+ for more storage.

FAQ

What does iCloud back up? The information and settings on your iPhone that aren’t already kept in iCloud — including app data, device settings, Home screen and app layout, ringtones, and Messages (if you’re not using Messages in iCloud). Things already synced to iCloud, like Photos and Contacts, aren’t duplicated in the backup.

How do I know the backup worked? Open Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup. The time of the last successful backup is shown under Back Up Now.

Sources: Apple Support — How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud, Apple Support — Back up iPhone