You cannot back up an iPhone directly to an external hard drive

iPhones do not support direct connections to external drives the way a computer does. Apple's backup system works through either iCloud (Apple's cloud storage) or a Mac or Windows computer. If you want your iPhone data stored on an external hard drive, you must first back up to a computer, then move that backup file to the external drive yourself.

This two-step process takes longer than backing up to iCloud alone, but it gives you a physical copy of your data that you control entirely. You will need a computer with either macOS or Windows, a USB cable that connects to your iPhone, and an external hard drive with enough space — typically 50 GB to 200 GB depending on how much is on your phone.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhone backups happen on a computer or through iCloud, never directly to an external drive; you must back up to the computer first, then move the backup file to your external drive.
  • On a Mac, backups live in ~/Library/MobileDevice/Backups; on Windows, they live in AppData\Apple\MobileSync\Backup, and you can copy these folders to your external drive.
  • A full iPhone backup typically takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how much data is on your phone and how fast your computer and cable are.
  • External hard drives fail without warning, so keep at least two copies of important backups — one on the external drive and one elsewhere, such as iCloud or a second drive.

Back up your iPhone to your computer first

Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable. On your Mac, open Finder and click your iPhone in the sidebar under Locations. On Windows, open iTunes or the Windows Device Portal — iTunes is simpler if you have it installed. Your computer will ask if you trust this device; tap Trust on your iPhone screen.

On a Mac, click General in the Finder window, then scroll to Backup and choose "Back up all of the important data on your iPhone to this Mac." On Windows in iTunes, click the device icon at the top left, then click Summary, and under Backups choose "This computer." Click Back Up Now. Do not unplug your iPhone until the backup finishes — this usually takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how much data you have.

Your computer now holds a complete backup file that includes your apps, settings, messages, photos in the Camera Roll, and everything else on your phone. This file is encrypted with the same password you set during backup, so only you can restore from it.

Find and copy the backup file to your external drive

On a Mac, open Finder and press Command+Shift+G to open the Go to Folder dialog. Type ~/Library/MobileDevice/Backups and press Enter. You will see a folder with a long string of letters and numbers — this is your iPhone backup. Right-click it and choose Copy.

On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Apple\MobileSync\Backup. If you do not see AppData, click View at the top and check "Hidden items." You will see a folder with a long string of letters and numbers. Right-click it and choose Copy.

Connect your external hard drive to your computer. Open it in Finder or File Explorer, right-click in an empty area, and choose Paste. The backup folder will copy to your external drive — this can take 10 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your backup and how fast your drive is. Do not unplug the external drive until the copy finishes.

Verify the backup copied correctly

After the copy finishes, open your external drive and look for the folder with the long string of letters and numbers. It should be the same size as the one on your computer. On a Mac, you can right-click the folder and choose Get Info to see its size. On Windows, right-click the folder, choose Properties, and look at the Size field.

If the sizes match, your backup is safely on the external drive. If the external drive's copy is much smaller, the copy was interrupted — try copying again. Keep your external drive in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat, and do not move it around while it is powered on.

Restore from your external drive backup if you need it

If your iPhone is lost, broken, or you get a new one, you can restore from the backup on your external drive. Connect the external drive to your computer, then copy the backup folder from the drive back to your computer in the same location where it came from — ~/Library/MobileDevice/Backups on Mac or C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Apple\MobileSync\Backup on Windows.

Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. On a Mac, open Finder, click your iPhone, and click General. Under Restore, click Restore Backup and choose the backup you just copied. On Windows in iTunes, click the device icon, click Summary, and under Backups click Restore Backup. Your iPhone will restart and restore all your data from the backup — this takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how much data is being restored.

Keep multiple copies of important backups

External hard drives fail without warning. A drive that works today can stop working tomorrow, and when it does, the data on it is usually gone forever. For this reason, do not rely on a single external drive as your only backup.

The safest approach is to keep at least two copies: one on your external drive and one somewhere else. You can set up iCloud backup to run automatically in the background — go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photos, then go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and turn it on. This way, if your external drive fails, you still have a backup in iCloud. Alternatively, you can copy your backup folder to a second external drive and store it in a different location, such as a safe deposit box or a trusted friend's house.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I back up my iPhone wirelessly to an external drive?

No. iPhones only back up wirelessly to iCloud, not to external drives. Wireless backup to an external drive would require the drive to be connected to your network and support Apple's backup protocol, which consumer external drives do not. You must use a USB cable and a computer as the middleman.

How much space do I need on my external drive?

Your backup will be roughly the same size as the amount of storage your iPhone is using. If your iPhone shows 128 GB used, your backup will be around 128 GB. External drives come in sizes from 500 GB to 20 TB, so a 1 TB or 2 TB drive gives you room for multiple iPhone backups or backups of other devices.

What if I encrypted my iPhone backup — can I still restore it?

Yes. When you back up to your computer, you can choose to encrypt the backup with a password. This password is required to restore from that backup, so write it down and store it somewhere safe. If you forget the password, you cannot restore from that backup. The password is not the same as your iPhone passcode.

Can I back up my iPhone to a network-attached storage (NAS) device instead of an external hard drive?

Not directly. You must back up to your computer first, then copy the backup folder to the NAS. The process is the same as with an external drive — find the backup folder on your computer, copy it to the NAS over your network, and verify the copy finished. This works but is slower than copying to a directly connected external drive.

Do I need to back up to my computer if I already use iCloud?

No, iCloud backup alone is sufficient for most people. However, if you want a physical copy of your data that you control entirely, or if you have limited iCloud storage, backing up to an external drive gives you that option. Many people use both — iCloud for automatic daily backups and an external drive for a backup they keep offline.