Smartphone and tablet on a desk next to a laptop, ready to back up before iPhone or iPad repair

How to Back Up Your iPhone or iPad Before a Repair

ByComputers Plus Staff

Your iPhone or iPad probably holds more of your life than any other device you own: photos, messages, contacts, notes. So before it goes in for repair, please back it up.

Some repairs can require a device to be erased, and a damaged device can fail in ways no one can prevent. Computers Plus can’t guarantee your data will be preserved during a repair. Our data service is device-to-device transfer only. We don’t do data recovery, and we don’t keep copies of your data. A fresh backup is the one thing that keeps your information safe no matter what happens.

Apple gives you two ways to back up: iCloud, or a computer. Here’s how to do both, based on Apple’s own support pages.

iCloud or a computer?

Apple’s backup methods guide explains the difference:

  • iCloud backups are stored in iCloud and always encrypted, and you can make them anywhere you have Wi-Fi. You’ll need enough iCloud storage.
  • Computer backups are stored on your Mac or PC. How much you can store depends on your computer’s free space, and encryption is available but off by default.

Apple also notes that iCloud backups don’t include things that already sync to iCloud, like iCloud Photos (if you use it) or Messages synced with iCloud, because those are already stored there.

You can use either one, or both.

Option 1: Back up with iCloud

Back up right now (from Apple’s iCloud backup guide):

  1. Connect to Wi-Fi.
  2. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
  3. Tap iCloud Backup.
  4. Tap Back Up Now, and stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes.

When it’s done, the date and time of your last backup show under Back Up Now. If you get an alert that you don’t have enough iCloud storage, Apple’s onscreen steps will walk you through your options.

Turn on automatic backups. In the same iCloud Backup screen, make sure Back Up This iPhone (or iPad) is on. Apple says your device then backs up automatically when it’s connected to power and Wi-Fi with the screen locked.

Smartphone charging on a nightstand near a Wi-Fi router during an overnight iCloud backup

Option 2: Back up to a Mac with Finder

On macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, you use the Finder (Apple Support):

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a cable.
  2. Open the Finder and select your device in the sidebar.
  3. If asked, trust the computer on both the Mac and your device, and enter your device passcode.
  4. If you want to save Health and Activity data, select Encrypt local backup and create a password. Apple warns that you can’t recover the backup without this password, so keep it safe.
  5. Click Back Up Now, and wait for it to finish.

On macOS Mojave or earlier, Apple says to use iTunes instead.

Option 3: Back up to a Windows PC

On a Windows PC, Apple’s Apple Devices app guide gives these steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC.
  2. In the Apple Devices app, select your device in the sidebar.
  3. Select General.
  4. Choose Back up all of the data on your [device] to this computer. You can also select Encrypt local backup to protect it with a password.
  5. Select Backup Now.

If your PC uses iTunes instead, Apple’s iPhone User Guide explains: connect your iPhone, click the iPhone button near the top left of iTunes, click Summary, then click Back Up Now.

Before you drop it off

A backup is step one. Here’s the rest:

  1. Check that the backup finished. Look for the date and time of your latest backup.
  2. Turn on Ready for Repair or Trade In (iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 or later) or turn off Find My (version 26 or earlier). Our guide to preparing your Apple device for repair shows you how, step by step, including what to do if your screen is too broken to use.
  3. Know your passcode and Apple Account password, but don’t share them with anyone. If they’re needed for software support, you’ll enter them yourself.
  4. Bring your receipt if you have it (some repairs might require proof of purchase) and a photo ID.

If you can’t back up first

If your iPhone or iPad won’t turn on or the screen is too damaged to use, you may not be able to make a new backup. If you’ve had iCloud Backup turned on, you may already have a recent backup in iCloud. Either way, bring the device in and tell us what matters to you. Just know that we can’t guarantee your data will be preserved during a repair, and we don’t offer data recovery.

Bring it in

Once you’re backed up, bring your iPhone or iPad to Computers Plus at 301 RHL Boulevard Suite 2, Charleston, WV 25309, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. It’s walk-in drop-off, with no appointment needed. As an Apple Authorized Service Provider, we’ll diagnose it and quote the repair, and no work is done until you approve it.

See our iPhone and iPad repair service for more, or call us at 304.744.1832.

Steps in this post are based on Apple Support documentation as of October 2026. Apple updates its menus over time, so check the linked Apple pages if something looks different on your device.

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