3 Fixes to iPhone/iPad Not Backing Up to iCloud

Updated on Jun 19, 2024 | by Woodward

Quick Navigation:

Why Is My iPhone Not Backing Up
How to Fix iPhone or iPad Not Backing Up to iCloud
Tip 1. Get More iCloud Storage
Tip 2. Check Network Connection
Tip 3. Update iOS
Bonus Tip: How to Back Up iPhone to Computer
The Bottom Line

Why Is My iPhone Not Backing Up

iCloud is one of the official solutions to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. By connecting your iDevice to a Wi-Fi network, you can back up all data and settings to the cloud storage wirelessly. However, convenient as it is, you may encounter the issue of "iPhone not backing up" that prevents you from backing up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud successfully.

Then why is your iPhone not backing up? Generally, your iPhone or iPad failed to back up to iCloud mainly because:

There is not enough iCloud storage available to store the iPhone backup
The network connection is unstable or problematic
The iOS version is outdated

How to Fix iPhone or iPad Not Backing Up to iCloud

Based on the possible factors that lead to "iPhone/iPad not backed up," there are the fixes:

Tip 1. Get More iCloud Storage

First, you need to make surewhether the cause is insufficient iCloud storage, which you can do in the Settings app.

Step 1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2. Tap [your name] and click "iCloud."Here you can see how much iCloud storage is left.

Step 3. Click "Backups" and select the iPhone or iPad you need to back up.

Step 4. Now you can check the "Next Backup Size" here.

Check Next Backup Size on iPad

If the next backup size is larger than the free iCloud space available, that's the reason why you can't back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud. In such a case, you need to get more space in iCloud so that you can back up your device to iCloud successfully. To make more iCloud space, there are some common solutions for you:

Delete past device backups
Reduce the size of iCloud Photos
Exclude some apps from the backup list
Buy more iCloud storage

For more workable tips to free up your iCloud storage, refer to the guide on how to manage your iCloud storage.

Tip 2. Check Network Connection

Check whether you have connected your iPhone or iPad to a stable network connection. If not, switch to another Wi-Fi network instead.

Tip 3. Update iOS

To ensure a high success rate of making a backup, you'd better update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.

Step 1. Go to the Settings app on your iDevice.

Step 2. Tap "General" > "Software Update."

Step 3. If there is a new version of iOS or iPadOS available, click "Download and install" to update your iOS.

Update to the lastest version of iPadOS on iPad

If you still can't back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud after trying the fixes above, you can contact Apple Support for help.

Bonus Tip: How to Back Up iPhone to Computer

iCloud is not the only way to back up your iPhone. If your iPhone or iPad is not backing up to iCloud, you can choose to back up the device to computer with iPhone transfer software like Qiling MobiMover. With it, you can:

Back up iPhone/iPad files selectively or all at once
Transfer files between an iPhone/iPad/iPod and a computer
Transfer data from one iDevice to another
View and manage iDevice content from a computer

Besides, it is also a video downloader that can be used to download online videos from websites to your computer or iDevice.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

To back up your iPhone or iPad to a computer:

Step 1.Connect your iPhone to your PC and trust the computer. Launch Qiling MobiMover and go to "Backup Manager" > "Back up".

Step 2.Since all the supported files are selected by default, click "One-Click Backup" directly to start backing up your iPhone to computer.

Step 3. Wait patiently until the backup process completes. When you need to restore the backup, go to "Backup Manager" > "Restore" and follow the onscreen instructions to continue.

After the backup is made, you can access and view it from your computer whenever you want to. If you need to restore data from the backup, just choose the "Restore" feature in the Backup & Restore section.

The Bottom Line

When your iPhone or iPad is not backed up to iCloud, don't worry. There are proven fixes for you to solve the problem. If the problem remains after you try these fixes, you can choose an alternative way to back up your iPhone or iPad without iCloud.