How to Move iPhone Backup to External Hard Drive [Quick & Safe]

Although backing up an iPhone is an excellent way of not losing them, you may also want them to be moved at times, for they occupy a lot of space on your iPhone. Moreover, moving iPhone backup to an external hard drive or other storage device, enables you to prevent further losing them. Now, how do you do that? For you to know how, then continue reading this post, for it features 3 efficient ways on how to move iPhone backup to an external hard drive! Explore them now.

How to Move iPhone Backup to External Hard Drive on Windows

The first option to show you how to move iPhone backups to an external hard drive is manually moving them using your Windows computer. A backup of your iPhone is automatically created once you sync your iPhone with iTunes. This backup is usually stored on your iPhone’s root system drive. Now, how to move the iPhone backup to an external hard drive Windows? Here are the steps you should follow:

Step 1Plug in the external drive on your computer and access the "File Explorer" program. After that, create a new folder on the external drive and name it something easily identified as a folder containing your iPhone backup.

Step 2Next, click the "This PC" folder, type "C:UsersuserAppDataRoamingApple ComputerMobileSyncBackup" folder location, and search this directory. Then, from the list of backups, select all "backups" you wish to move while pressing the "Ctrl-A" keys.

Step 3After that, drag and drop the selected "iPhone backups" to your external hard drive folder. Then, once they are moved, you can eject your external hard drive to your computer.

Use Finder to Move iPhone Backup to External Hard Drive on Mac

There you have it! That’s the simple way how to move iPhone backups to an external hard drive on Windows. Otherwise, you can use Finder to move your iPhone backups if you use a Mac. Similar to the above option, performing this option is also pretty simple. So, how do you move the iPhone backup to an external hard drive Mac? Here are the steps you must follow:

Step 1Plug in the external hard drive to your computer, access "Finder", and select the "Backup" folder (it is also named with a combination of numbers and letters). Next, drag it to the external drive under the "Locations" section. You might need to enter the administration password.

Step 2Then, rename the "iOS backup folder" on your external hard drive to "iOS_backup". After that, go back to the main "Finder window" and change the "old backup" name to "old_backup".

How to Directly Backup iPhone Data to External Hard Drive

That’s it! Those are the 2 workable ways how to move iPhone backup to an external hard drive on Windows and Mac. If you want to move your iPhone backup directly to your external drive in a much easier and faster way, the 4Easysoft iOS Data Backup and Restore tool is what you need to use! This tool lets you quickly back up your iPhone data in a batch simultaneously. Moreover, you can also use this tool to preview all your data on your iPhone and select which iPhone data to move to your external hard drive. Furthermore, if the data you wish to backup are confidential, you can use this tool’s Encrypted Mode, which lets you create a password to protect your data.

How to Move iPhone Backup to External Hard Drive on Mac Using 4Easysoft iOS Data Backup and Restore:

Step 1Download and install the 4Easysoft iOS Data Backup and Restore tool on your Windows or Mac computer. Then, select the "iOS Data Backup" option, link your iPhone (via a USB cable) and external hard drive to the computer, and click the "iOS Data Backup" button.

Step 2Next, choose between the "Standard backup or Encrypted backup" options. If you wish to backup private information, select the "Encrypted backup" option. After that, tick the "Start" button to proceed to the next step.

Step 3Then, select your desired data from Media, Messages, Contacts, and Memos based on which files you wish to backup. After that, click the "Next" button, and on the pop-up box, tick the "More" button, and select the plugged-in "external hard drive".

Step 4After that, click the "Backup" button to initiate the backup process of your iPhone data to your external hard drive. And that’s it! Those are the simple steps on how to move iPhone backup to an external hard drive on Windows and Mac directly.

FAQs about Moving iPhone Backup to an External Hard Drive

• How can I find the current iPhone backup on my Mac?

  To find the iPhone backup, run the Finder, go to Locations, and select iPhone. Then, click "Manage Backups", long-press the Control key, and tick a "backup name". Next, in the drop-down menu, select Show in Finder, and that’s it!

• How long does moving an iPhone backup to an external hard drive take?

  It depends on the file size of your iPhone backup. If the backup is too big, it might take a few minutes to finish. But that is definitely bearable on your end.

• Can I move iPhone data to an external hard drive without a computer?

  Yes, you can! To do this, connect the external drive to your iPhone via a USB-C cable or an adapter. Then, check the connection between the two devices by going to the Files and looking for the external drive directory. In case the connection is successful, you can now move data.

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