How Do I Back up My iPhone to My MacBook Without iCloud?

There are several ways to back up your iPhone photos, videos, and other files. But if you’d rather safeguard your information on a local drive rather than use iCloud, backing up your iPhone to a MacBook is a good way to do so. To back up your iPhone to your MacBook without using iCloud, you’ll need to connect the two devices directly using a USB cable or adapter. You’ll also need to make sure your MacBook is running macOS X 10.9 or later.

How to Back up Your iPhone to Your MacBook Using Wi-Fi

Once you’ve successfully set up syncing between your MacBook and iPhone, you can turn on Wi-Fi syncing so you don’t need to connect the two devices with a wired connection in the future.

If your iPhone came with a Lightning to USB Cable, you’ll need either a USB-C to USB Adapter or a USB-C to Lightning Cable (both sold separately).If your iPhone came with a USB-C to Lightning Cable but your MacBook doesn’t have USB-C ports, use a Lightning to USB Cable (sold separately).

Why Can’t I Back up My iPhone to My MacBook?

If you can’t get your iPhone to backup to your MacBook, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and fix the problem:

Make sure your MacBook and iPhone are up to date: Check for software updates and ensure your MacBook and iPhone are running at least macOS X 10.9 and iOS 5, respectively.Make sure your iPhone is turned on: Your iPhone needs to be unlocked and on the Home screen in order for your MacBook to recognize it.Accept “Trust this Computer” alerts: The first time you connect your MacBook and iPhone, you’ll need to accept this prompt on both devices.Try a different USB port: The USB port on your MacBook may be faulty, so be sure to try a different port if you can’t get your iPhone to connect. You can also try unplugging other USB accessories or use a different cable.Make sure you have enough free storage space to accommodate the backup: If you don’t have enough free space, the back up won’e be able to complete. Restart your MacBook and/or iPhone.

You can also check to see if your MacBook is detecting your iPhone using the following steps: