How to Back Up iPhone in macOS Catalina
For many years, you had to use iTunes to back up your iPhone. Since iTunes was retired starting with macOS Catalina (10.15), you might expect that Apple Music, the program that replaced it, is where you back up your iPhone. That’s reasonable, but it’s not right. Instead, in macOS Catalina, you back up your iPhone right in the Finder. Here’s what to do: You can also back up your iPhone to your Mac over Wi-Fi. To set up that option, follow steps 1-3 from the last section. On the iPhone management screen, check the box next to Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi and then click Apply. From now, you can sync your iPhone to your Mac when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.
How to Back Up iPhone Using iCloud
Another way to back up your iPhone without iTunes is to use iCloud. With iCloud, all of your back ups are wireless, and can be done automatically when your iPhone is locked, connected to Wi-Fi, and plugged into a power source. Here’s how to set up your iPhone to back up to iCloud:
How to Back Up iPhone Using Third-Party Programs
Not interested in using the Finder or iCloud for your iPhone backups without iTunes? There are third-party programs you can use instead. These paid programs let you back up your iPhone to a Mac or PC. They also often add additional features that other backup options don’t have, such as letting you recover deleted files or access hidden files. Remember, you don’t need them—the Finder and iCloud backup are good choices (and already included with your Mac). There are dozens of third-party iPhone backup programs and we haven’t reviewed them all, so we don’t have a recommendation for which to use.
