How to Back Up iPhone Photos

Last Updated: January 25, 2023

This wikiHow explains how to back up iPhone photos. You can backup your photos to Google Photos, to iCloud, or to your iTunes account on your computer.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Backing up Your Photos with iCloud

1
Tap settings
on your home screen. This icon has a grey wheel on it.
2
Tap on your name at the top of the screen.

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3
Tap on iCloud
.
4
Tap Photos.
5
Turn the iCloud photos button to the on position
. You should now be able to view your photos from any device with iCloud enabled.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Gonzalo Martinez
Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
Expert Interview. 4 May 2021.}
- To view your saved photos, just open the iCloud app or navigate to iCloud.com in a web browser and login to your account. You'll have to select Photos to view your photos.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Backing up Your Photos to iTunes

1
Launch iTunes from your computer. Double click on the iTunes icon, or search for it using the Spotlight search
in the top right corner of your screen.
2
Plug in your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable. If prompted, tap on Trust this computer on your phone screen.
3
Click on the small iPhone icon in iTunes. This is located at the top of the menu screen.
4
Click on Photos. You should see this on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the iTunes window.
- If you've already set up your photos to backup to iCloud, you can view them by opening iCloud and logging into your account.^{[2]
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  Research source}
5
Select a location to backup your photos to. You can choose to backup your photos to a specific folder, or back them up to your photos app
.
6
Select which photos or videos to sync. You can either sync all of your photos and videos, or select certain albums to backup to your computer.^{[3]
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Research source}
7
Click on Apply. While your photos should automatically sync, you can manually begin the process by clicking on Sync.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Backing up Your Photos with Google Photos

1
Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone. The icon has a small colorful pinwheel on it.
- If you do not have Google Photos app you can download it from the App Store.
- Google Photos is a great alternative if you don't have access to another Apple device.^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Gonzalo Martinez
  Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
  Expert Interview. 4 May 2021.}
2
Login to your Google account if you aren't automatically signed in.
3
Tap ☰. This is located at the top right corner of the screen.
4
Tap settings
.
5
Tap Back up & sync.
6
Turn Back up & sync on
. This will backup your photos whenever you are connected to Wifi.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I back up iPhone photos without iCloud?

Gonzalo Martinez
Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store.

Gonzalo Martinez

Computer & Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

Another option you can try easily is Google Photos. Just install the app on your phone and open it to start backing up your pictures.
Question

How do I back up photos to a SIM card on my phone?

Irfana Salam

Community Answer

Launch iPhoto once the photos have been copied from the SIM card. Click "File" and select "Import to Library". Navigate to the folder where the photos are stored, and iPhoto will import the files. Plug your iPhone into a USB port on your Mac and launch iTunes if it doesn't start automatically.