How Much Storage Do You Need to Back Up iPhone Devices?

As an iPhone user, I know how frustrating it can be when your device runs out of storage space. I recently ran into this issue and spent some time researching how much storage I really needed to back up my device. After some testing, I’m here to share what I learned and the solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll explain how much storage you need to back up iPhone devices and offer some tips on maximizing the storage on your device.

The amount of storage you need comes down to how much data you want to back up. Typically, light users need around 5GB of backup storage. However, some users tend to back up more data and might need alternatives, like backing up through a PC.

Topic	Description
Storage for iPhone Backups	The amount of storage needed for an iPhone backup depends on the amount of data to back up. Light users may need around 5GB, while others might need more and should consider alternatives like backing up through a PC.
Determining Backup Storage Needs	Navigate to Settings > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups > Backup Size to estimate the required backup storage. The space needed for a full backup is usually equal to the space used on the iPhone.
Freeing Up Backup Storage	1. Check iPhone storage in Settings > General > iPhone Storage. 2. Manage the photo library by manually deleting photos and videos. 3. Stop backing up obsolete apps. 4. Delete old messages and attachments by setting the phone to delete message history automatically. 5. Delete voice memos in the Voice Memos app.
Finding Enough Space for a Full Backup	Options include: 1. Buying more iCloud storage (50GB, 200GB, or 2TB tiers available). 2. Backing up using a Mac with Finder after connecting the iPhone via USB. 3. Backing up through a PC with iTunes after connecting the iPhone via USB. 4. Using other cloud-based services like Google Drive or OneDrive.
Conclusion	The amount of storage needed for a full iPhone backup depends on the user and their data. Balancing cloud-based storage services, iTunes, and regular PC file backups can help manage storage needs.

Table of Contents

How Much Storage Do You Need to Back Up iPhone Devices?

Backing up your iPhone can give you peace of mind that all your information is stored in one safe space. It can also make the process of setting up a new device easier and faster.

To determine how much backup storage you need, you can navigate to your Settings and click iCloud. Next, tap Manage Account Storage, then go to Backups. After clicking the Backup Size, you’ll get an estimate of the space needed.

All in all, you can expect to require exactly the amount of space you take up on your phone’s storage for a full backup.

If it turns out that you need more space than the space available on your iCloud, you can delete data to save more space, or you can just opt to use other storage backups.

How Do You Free Up Backup Storage on Your iPhone?

If you want to stay under the 5GB limit, here’s how you can free up space on your iCloud storage:

Check Your iPhone Storage

Knowing what takes up your storage the most will help you manage your iCloud storage.

So, navigate to Settings. Once you click iPhone storage from the General menu, you will see a breakdown or summary of Apps, media, and files that take up your storage.

Plus, you might get some recommendations on how to manage the storage to make the most out of the available space.

Manage Photo Library

With your iPhone’s high-resolution camera, it’s easy to end up with full iCloud storage.

Unfortunately, the best solution that you can do is manually delete photos and videos in your library.

Stop Backing Up Obsolete Apps

iCloud automatically backs up the data of your applications after you install them.

Yet, you might have some apps that you don’t use that often or don’t use at all. By deleting or stopping the backup of these obsolete apps, you can empty up some space.

Delete Messages and Attachments

Since text messages and attachments are saved in your iCloud storage, they can gobble up space.

However, you can delete old messages by setting your phone to delete your message history automatically on a monthly or annual basis.

Delete Voice Memos

Voice Memos can take up more iCloud space than you might think. So, if you need to free up your storage, you can easily delete your voice recordings.

First, go to your Voice Memos, tap Edit on the top right corner of your phone, then select the recordings you want to remove. Then, you’ll just need to tap the trash icon to delete.

How Can You Find Enough Space for a Full iPhone Backup?

If you think the free 5GB on your iCloud isn’t enough, here are a few other options that you can try:

Buy More iCloud Storage

iCloud storage is the easiest way to back up your iPhone, but it does have its limits. While 5GB storage is free, Apple offers three price tiers: 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB.

Backup Using MAC

After the release of macOS Catalina, the backups are no longer handled by iTunes. Instead, iTunes was split into several apps. Now, the Finder manages all the backups on the device.

So, connect your iPhone to your mac via USB. Then, on your mac, open Finder and select your Device from the sidebar. Next, tap the General menu, then click Backup Now.

Backup Through PC

If you have iTunes on your windows, you can use it to back up your phone.

Connect your device to your PC and open iTunes. From the top left side, click the iPhone icon. Go to Backup and choose This Computer under Automatically Backup.

User Other Cloud-Based Services

If iCloud doesn’t cut it, you might want to branch out to alternatives like Google Drive or OneDrive for your phone backup needs.

Wrapping Up

There’s no set limit to how much storage you need for a full iPhone backup. You’ll need as much storage space as you currently occupy on the device.

That’s why you might need a balance between cloud-based storage services, iTunes, and regular PC file backups to keep things in order.