It’s important to back up your iPhone regularly to avoid data loss. And when it comes to backing up data on your iPhone, the most convenient option is iCloud. You can either back up your data manually or let your iPhone back up to iCloud automatically. Once iCloud is set up and your iPhone is plugged into a power source and connected to WiFi, this process almost runs itself on our devices.

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From time to time, however, unforeseen events occur. Many iPhone users have complained that their backups to iCloud don’t work and they receive error messages. Regardless of the cause, this problem is very easy to fix and affects practically every user. In this article, we’ll show you how to fix the problem of the iPhone not backing up to iCloud to avoid data loss on your device.

Why is my iPhone not backing up to iCloud?

As mentioned earlier, your device must be connected to a stable WiFi network and plugged into a power source for iCloud backup to work on your iPhone. This means that if you have a poor network connection, you will undoubtedly have the “iPhone will not backup to iCloud” problem. This problem can also be caused by your phone not being connected to a power source. Therefore, you should meet these requirements to ensure smooth backup to iCloud.

Your iCloud settings may also have been tampered with, making backups to your iPhone impossible. A simple reset of your iCloud settings and enabling iCloud backups on your device should be performed to fix this issue.

Finally, iCloud has a storage limit of 5GB, which means that only 5GB of data can be backed up at a time. So, if you have the “iPhone not backing up to iCloud” problem, you can check your iCloud storage to see if it can hold more data.

How to fix iPhone not backing up to iCloud?

If you haven’t backed up your data to iCloud, you run the risk of losing it if something happens to your iPhone. Of course, you may not know the exact causes of the problem on your device, but you need to try all possible options until the problem is fixed.

Almost all of these solutions are easy to implement by changing a few settings on your smartphone. So, if your iPhone doesn’t back up to iCloud, here are the best solutions.

Method 1: Check your WiFi connection and signal

If your iPhone backup doesn’t work, it’s usually due to a problem with your WiFi connection. Since the backup process doesn’t work only with a mobile data connection, you should make sure that your iPhone is connected to a strong WiFi network. Here’s how to set up your wifi network quickly:

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone and click on WiFi
  2. Toggle on the WiFi slider
  3. Then connect to your router by entering your password
Note: If this doesn’t solve the ‘iPhone not backing up to iCloud’ problem, try moving your phone closer to your router or resetting your router to improve network strength.

Method 2: Ensure iCloud backup is enabled on your iPhone

It’s possible that you tampered with your iCloud backup settings and forgot to change them back on. Automatic backups are unthinkable without this feature. To fix this error, follow the steps below:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone
  2. Tap on your Profile Name at the top of the Settings page
  3. Select iCloud on the resulting pagefix iphone not backing up to icloud
  4. Then scroll down and click iCloud backupfix not iphone backing to icloud
  5. Toggle on the iCloud Backup slider to enable iCloud backup on your iPhoneiphone not backing up to icloud
  6. You can also click Back up now to perform an immediate backup

Method 3: Connect your iPhone to a power

As mentioned earlier, your iPhone must be connected to a power source to perform the backup.

After connecting your smartphone to a power source, check if you can see the charging icon on the screen. If the charging icon is not displayed, try another charger or outlet to solve the problem.

Related: How to Fix ‘Last Line No Longer Available’ Error on iPhone

Method 4:Check if you have enough space for your iCloud backup

Insufficient iCloud storage is another factor that can cause iPhone not to back up to iCloud. Your iPhone will not back up your data to iCloud if your iCloud storage is full.

After signing up for iCloud, everyone gets a 5GB storage space, which can quickly fill up with data junk. To find out the available storage space, do the following:

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone
  2. Click on your Apple Profile Name at the top of the page
  3. Then click on iCloud
  4. The resulting page will show you the available space on your iCloud.
Note: You may expand your iCloud storage by removing large files or purchasing a new iCloud storage plan. You can get 50GB of storage for $0.99, or you can upgrade to a better plan that meets your needs.

Method 5:Ensure Apple iCloud backup is working

fix not iphone backing to icloud

It may happen that the iPhone doesn’t connect to iCloud for reasons that cannot be fixed by any of these approaches, mainly because Apple’s iCloud server is down.

In this case, the problem isn’t with your device; all you’ve to do now is wait until the server issue is fixed. You can also check the status of the iCloud server by visiting Apple’s System Status page.

Search for iCloud backup on this page. If this option shows a green light, everything is fine on Apple’s side and you should check these solutions again.

Related Read: How to Buy Extra Storage on iPhone

Method 6: Reset iPhone Settings

check icloud backup status

Another way to solve this problem is to reset the settings. This operation will not delete any of your data, but it will reset your settings to the default mode.

This way, all the settings you changed that may have caused iPhone not to back up to iCloud will be reset to the default state. Reset the settings of the iPhone:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone
  2. Click on General
  3. Then scroll down and select Reset
  4. Afterward, click on Reset All Settings to take all your settings back to normal

Method 7: Update iOS on your iPhone

If none of these options seem to work, the last resort is to update your iOS to the latest version. Most outdated iOS versions come with several software issues that could be the reason why your iPhone doesn’t back up to iCloud.

Here’s how to get the most recent version of iOS on your device:

  1. Connect your iPhone to a WiFi network and plug it into a power source.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Click on General and select Software Update.
  4. Tap Download and Install if any update is available.
  5. Then enter your password to process the download.

FAQs on Fixes for iPhone not Backing up to iCloud

If you happen to have used your free 5GB space on iCloud, you can do this to get storage space:

  1. Go to Settings and click on your profile name at the top of the page.
  2. Click on iCloud.
  3. Then select Manage Storage or iCloud Storage.
  4. Afterward, click Buy More Storage or Change Storage Plan.
  5. Then follow the on-screen prompts to buy an iCloud storage plan.

Yes, you can use your iPhone when it's backing up. It's even preferable to do this since automatic backup doesn't work while the device is locked. Just make sure not to add or remove anything on the device during the process.

Planning to back up your entire iPhone to iCloud? It is contingent on the size of iCloud storage space you have and the amount of data you're backing up. So, yes, you can back up your entire iPhone to iCloud if you have enough space. You can also purchase additional storage pages if you don't have enough space on your iCloud.

If you're finding for a way to back up notes on your iPhone without using the cloud, try the following:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable.
  2. Launch iTunes on the computer.
  3. Turn off iCloud backup on your iPhone as iTunes can't back up while iCloud is on. To do this, go to Settings>Click on your profile and select iCloud> Tap Storage and Backup and then toggle off the switch on the iCloud backup.
  4. Afterward, right-click on your device on iTunes and Select backup now.

If you are wondering why your photos are not backing up on iCloud, you must check if iCloud is enabled for the. To do so, follow these:

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone and click Photos.
  2. Then toggle on iCloud photos to allow the easy backup of your photos to iCloud.

If you don't have a reliable WiFi connection and your iPhone isn't plugged into a power source, your iCloud backup may continue to fail even if you have enough storage. Make sure your connection is strong and your iPhone is charged to remedy this.

There are multiple reasons for WhatsApp not backing to iCloud. To start with check if you are signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID. Check if iCloud Drive is turned ON. Turn iCloud Drive off and back on. Verify you have enough available space on your iCloud account to create a backup.

The amount of space you have in your iCloud account should be at least 2.05 times the actual size of your backup. Manually backup WhatsApp chats via Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back Up Now.

If you want to backup your iPhone to your Mac without iCloud, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Finder on a Mac running macOS Catalina or later.
  2. Use a USB cable to connect your device to your computer.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions if your device's passcode is asked for or if you are prompted to trust this computer.
  4. Your computer will ask you to select your device.
  5. Your Apple Watch or device must be encrypted if you wish to save Health and Activity data. Create a memorable password and check the "Encrypt local backup" checkbox.
  6. Click Back Up Now.
  7. If the backup is completed successfully, you will be able to see it after the process ends. Your last backup time and date will be available.
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