8 Ways to Fix iPhone Won’t Backup to iCloud

Every iPhone user depends either on iCloud or iTunes to back up their iDevice. But, not all the time things go smoothly and unexpected things happen. Recently, lots of users come up with kind of problems like their iPhone won't back up to iCloud. If you have encountered this same issue, then you most probably wonder why my iPhone won't backup to iCloud. Well, there could be several reasons behind this issue - your iCloud backup feature could be turned off, insufficient storage space on your iCloud account, and a weak internet connection to name a few.

But, the good news is that you can fix the problem with ease. So let's proceed further and try the following steps that could probably help you come out of this annoying problem.

Step 1. Check Your iCloud Settings

To back up to iCloud, you must have the iCloud backup feature turned on your iPhone. So, before proceeding further, ensure that iCloud backup is enabled on your iPhone.

  • Go to "Settings"> "[Your Name]"> "iCloud".
  • Scroll down and click "iCloud Backup".
  • Hit the slider of iCloud backup so to move into the green position.
  • Tap "Ok" when prompted.

    icloud backup enabled

Step 2. Check iCloud Status

If you can't back up your iPhone to iCloud even after enabling the iCloud backup feature, it could be possible that there is a breakdown in the iCloud server. You can ensure this by visiting the Apple System Status page to ensure that there are no scheduled maintenances and outages currently affecting iCloud.

  • Go to Apple System Status Page 
  • If you see the "Green bubble" before the iCloud Backup, it means that there's nothing wrong with the Apple end.

    check apple system status when you cant backup iphone to icloud

Step 3. Make Sure That Your iPhone is Connected to Wi-Fi

If you are not connected to a reliable internet connection, then your iDevice won't be able to back up to the iCloud. Thus, ensure that you are using a stable Wi-Fi network to fix your new iPhone won't backup to iCloud issue:

  • On your iPhone, go to "Settings"> "Wi-Fi".
  • Ensure that the Wi-Fi slider is in the green "on" position.
  • If your device doesn't automatically connect a known network, then choose your Wi-Fi network and enter its passcode.

    check network connection

Step 4. Restart Your iPhone

Try restarting your iPhone. If there's not a major issue in your device, then it can be easily resolved after rebooting it. So, we recommend users who reported my iPhone won't backup to iCloud that don’t worry and instead perform a reboot on your device at least.

On iPhone X/11

  • Press and hold down either volume button and the side button until you see the power off slider.
  • Drag the slider to turn off the device.
  • In a while, press and hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.

    restart iphone 11

On iPhone 8/7/6/SE (2nd Generation)

  • Press and hold down the side button until you see the power off slider.
  • Drag the slider to turn off the device.
  • In a while, press and hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.

On iPhone SE (1st Generation)/5 or earlier

  • Press and hold down the top button until you see the power off slider.
  • Drag the slider to turn off the device.
  • In a while, press and hold down the top button until the Apple logo appears.

    restart iphone 8 when icloud wont backup your iphone

Step 5. Sign Out of iCloud and Sign In Again

Try sign out of and sign in to iCloud on your iDevice. This can resolve any verification issues that could be preventing iCloud backups from happening.

  • On your iPhone, open "Settings".
  • Scroll down and click "Accounts & Passwords".
  • Scroll down again to the bottom and click "Sign Out".
  • When you get a choice to keep or delete iCloud on your iPhone, click on the "Keep on My iPhone" option.
  • In a while, sign back in using the same iCloud credentials and turn on the iCloud backup feature.

    sign out of icloud and then sign in again

Step 6. iPhone Won't Backup to iCloud Not Enough Storage

You get free storage of only 5GB on your iCloud account. Of course, it can be exhausted quite quickly. As mentioned earlier, one of the possible reasons why your iPhone won’t backup to iCloud could be not enough free space on your iCloud account.

So, check the first available iCloud storage:

  • On your iPhone, open "Settings"> "[Your Name]".
  • Click "iCloud".
  • Choose "Manage Storage".

    check icloud storage

Once you're on the iCloud Storage space, then you might notice that you have used up all 5GB of your available space. If yes, then you can fix the problem "your iPhone won't backup to iCloud not enough storage" in two ways.

You can either delete old iCloud backups or simply upgrade your iCloud storage.

  • On the iCloud storage page, click the app you want to delete backed-up data for.
  • Hit "Delete Data". For some applications, you may instead see "Delete Documents & Data, or Turn off and Delete".
  • Choose "Delete" to confirm. Rather than deleting backups, you can upgrade your iCloud storage. To do this, simply click "Upgrade".

Step 7. Update iOS

Is your iPhone up-to-date? Sometimes, not updating your device to the latest iOS version problem leads to several unexpected problems or errors like the one you're facing now. So, simply check if the updates are available and if yes, then update right away.

  • On your iPhone, go to "Settings"> "General".
  • Click "Software Update".
  • If any updates are available, then click "Download & Install".

Step 8. Reset All Settings

If nothing above works to help you fix iPhone cannot backup to iCloud problem, then it's time to reset your iDevice's settings. This won't erase any data from your device - only the systems setting such as Wi-Fi network passwords. This, in turn, may wipe any settings that interfere with your iCloud backups.

  • Open "Settings" on your iPhone.
  • Click "General".
  • Scroll down and click "Reset".
  • Choose "Reset All Settings" and confirm that you would like to proceed.

    reset all settings on iphone

Still, Your iPhone Won't Backup to iCloud

What to do if none of the above steps help you fix the problem? Then, it’s time to look for alternative options to backup your iPhone. So, let's see what those options are:

1. Backup iPhone to iTunes

As mentioned before, every iPhone user either use iCloud or iTunes to back up their device. So, if the iCloud option does not work for you, then simply turn to iTunes. Below is the step-by-step guide to help you learn how to backup iPhone to iTunes:

  1. Step 1: To begin with, connect your iDevice to your computer with the help of a USB cable and then run iTunes.
  2. Step 2: Tap the iPhone icon at the top of the iTunes window.
  3. Step 3: Under the Backups section, click "This Computer" under the Automatically Back Up section. Then, tap the "Back Up Now" button to backup your device to iTunes.

    alternative method to backup iphone without icloud

2. Third-Party Backup Software

If you're one of those users who find iTunes not a reliable way to backup your iPhone, then give a try to UltFone free iPhone backup software. With the help of this professional iPhone backup software, there won't be any need to rely on iTunes or iCloud to backup your device. The software offers a one-click solution to backup an iOS device for free to the computer. Most importantly, the backup feature is 100% free in this software.

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Let's first have a look at the software's key advantages over iTunes/iCloud for backup:

  • Back up iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to computer for free without any space limitation.
  • Support for selective backup, you can select specific files to backup.
  • Support to preview files before backup, which enables you to choose the target files to backup.
  • Whether you want to backup photos, videos, contacts, music, app attachments, WhatsApp attachments, the software has supported for more than 30 file types.
  • Quick backup, the software helps you backup files in no time.

So, are you now ready to try this iOS Data Manager? Get it from its official site on your computer and then follow the below steps:

  • Step 1 Run this program, connect your iPhone to the computer, and then click "Backup & Restore"> "Device Backup & Restore" option.

    backup iphone to computer
  • Step 2 Select the target file type you want to backup, click the "Backup" button, and then let the software complete the backup process.

    click backup now
  • Step 3 Upon successful backup, click "View Backup Data" to preview. To send backup data to a computer, click "Export to Computer", select the location you would like to save, and tap "Ok".

    back up iphone to computer

The Bottom Line

If your iPhone 7 won't backup to iCloud and you don't want to go through the hassle of trying several steps to fix the problem, then simply turn to UltFone iOS Data Manager. Use this reliable free iOS backup software, and backup all the important files on your device in just one-click.

Manage Your iPhone The Way You Want
  • One click to backup iPhone to computer for free.
  • Selectively restore backup to iPhone/iPad.
  • Transfer files on iPhone/iPad/iPod to/from computer freely without limitation
  • One click to export photos to computer
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