How to Back Up iPhone Photos: iCloud, Computer or Drive

To back up iPhone photos, turn on iCloud Photos, copy them to a Mac or Windows PC, or save them to an external drive. iCloud Photos protects against a lost or broken iPhone. A separate copy on a computer or drive protects against a deletion as well.

The difference comes from how iCloud Photos works. Apple says photos you delete on one device are deleted everywhere you use iCloud Photos. The same page tells you to keep backup copies of your library. Covering both risks takes iCloud plus one copy outside it.

Back Up iPhone Photos to iCloud

Is iCloud Photos a backup?

iCloud Photos is a backup against a lost or broken iPhone, but not against a deletion. Apple says it stores your original, full-resolution photos in iCloud, so they outlast the phone. A photo you delete on the iPhone leaves iCloud too.

To turn it on:

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Turn on Sync this iPhone.

Apple says to check that iCloud has room for your entire collection first. Every account starts with 5 GB free, on top of the storage inside the iPhone. These are the monthly prices on Apple's iCloud+ page, published on 16 September 2026. UK prices include tax, and some US states add it.

A full plan ends the protection for anything new. Once storage runs out, Apple says new photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photos. Photos taken after that stay on the phone alone until you clear a full iCloud plan or upgrade it.

Optimise iPhone Storage changes what the phone holds. With it on, Apple says full-resolution photos and videos stay in iCloud and the iPhone keeps space-saving copies when needed. For those photos, iCloud can hold the only full-size original, which is the reason to copy it somewhere else.

Back Up iPhone Photos to a Computer

How do you back up iPhone photos to a computer?

To back up iPhone photos to a computer, connect the iPhone with a USB cable, unlock it, and tap Trust if asked. Then import the photos with the Photos app on a Mac, or with Microsoft Photos on a Windows PC.

With iCloud Photos on, get the originals onto the iPhone first. Apple's transfer guide says to download the full-resolution versions before importing to a PC. On iOS 27, go to Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos > iPhone Storage, then choose Download and Keep Originals. Originals use a lot of iPhone space, so check there is room.

On a Mac

1. Connect the iPhone with a USB cable, and click Allow if asked.
2. Open the Photos app. The Import screen shows your photos, or click the iPhone's name in the sidebar.
3. Unlock the iPhone, and tap Trust if asked.
4. Next to Album, pick an album or create a new one.
5. Click Import Selected or Import All New Items.
6. Wait for the import to finish, then disconnect the iPhone.

A Mac using iCloud Photos is not a separate copy. Its Photos library syncs with the iPhone, so a deletion on one reaches the other. A separate copy on that Mac takes two extra steps.

First, in Photos > Settings > iCloud, choose Download Originals to this Mac. Then select the photos and use File > Export > Export Unmodified Original, and save them to a folder outside the Photos library.

Image Capture skips the library altogether and imports straight to a folder. Pick the folder from the Import To menu. If the Action menu offers Delete after import, leave it off, so the iPhone keeps its photos until you have checked the copy.

On a Windows PC

1. Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store.
2. Connect the iPhone with a USB cable, and unlock it.
3. Tap Trust or Allow on the iPhone if asked.
4. Open Microsoft Photos, select Import, then select the iPhone.
5. Choose the photos to import and where to save them.

Microsoft's import steps warn that photos held in iCloud but not on the device may not download. A copy that stays on one computer still depends on that one machine, so a drive adds a second place.

Back Up iPhone Photos to an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive holds a copy apart from the iPhone and from iCloud. You can reach it straight from a USB-C iPhone or through a computer.

iPhone 15 and later have a USB-C connector, and Apple lists external storage devices among what it connects to. Apple's download steps ask for the latest iOS and a Wi-Fi connection, then run as follows:

1. With iCloud Photos on, choose Download and Keep Originals first.
2. Connect the drive, open Photos, and open your Library.
3. Tap Select, then choose the photos and videos.
4. Tap Share, then tap Export Unmodified Originals.
5. Tap the Back arrow, choose the drive under Locations, then tap Save.

The cable in the box runs at USB 2, so a large library takes longer. USB 3 needs a cable rated for 10Gbit/s. Apple lists it for iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro, 17 Pro, and 18 Pro models and iPhone Duo.

Through a computer, import the photos to a Mac or PC, then copy the folder to the drive. On a Mac, Image Capture can also save straight to a folder on the drive.

Back Up iPhone Photos to Google Photos

Google Photos keeps its own copy outside iCloud Photos, so it can act as a second cloud backup. In the app, tap your profile picture, open the settings, tap Backup, and turn Backup on. Each Google Account includes up to 15 GB, shared with Gmail and Google Drive.

Backup quality decides whether it counts as an archive. Original quality keeps the resolution you shot at. Storage saver resizes photos over 16 MP to 16 MP and cuts higher-resolution video to 1080p. Both count towards your Google storage.

Google's Free up space tool deletes photos older than 30 days from the iPhone and leaves them backed up in Google Photos. With iCloud Photos on, that deletion follows Apple's rule, so those photos leave iCloud too. Google's copy may then be the only one left.

Does an iPhone Backup Include Photos?

Does an iPhone backup include photos?

An iPhone backup includes photos only when iCloud Photos is off. With it on, Apple says your photos sync to iCloud and stay out of your daily iCloud Backup. A computer backup leaves out iCloud Photos as well.

A device backup saves the phone as a whole, which suits a reset or moving to a new iPhone. Each route ends at a Back Up Now button:

• iCloud: Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup, then Back Up Now, on Wi-Fi.
• Mac: connect the iPhone, select it in the Finder, then click Back Up Now.
• Windows: connect the iPhone, open the Apple Devices app, click General, then click Back Up Now.

Getting photos back from one is the harder part. Apple says to erase an iPhone that is already set up before restoring, and its steps restore a whole backup. They give no way to bring back one photo, which leaves one test for telling the routes apart.

Which iPhone Photo Backups Survive a Deletion

A backup survives a deletion when deleting a photo on the iPhone leaves the copy alone. Only some of these routes pass that test.

Recently Deleted is a 30-day window, not a backup. Apple says a photo deleted from that album can't be got back.

Check Your Backup Before You Delete Photos

A copy counts once you have opened it. Three checks show whether it is complete:

• Open a sample. Open photos and videos from your oldest and newest months, and confirm they display at full size.
• Compare the counts. Apple says a Mac exports a Live Photo as two files, a still and a video. A folder can therefore show more files than the iPhone shows photos.
• Redo a thin import. If iCloud Photos was on and the originals were not downloaded first, repeat the import after downloading them.

Keep the drive away from the computer, so one theft or fire cannot take both copies.

With a checked copy in place, a mistake while deleting photos from your iPhone can be put right. Photo cleaner apps help with a large library by showing one photo at a time and deleting only what you confirm.

Apps such as Swipe Quick do this on the device, month by month: swipe left to delete, swipe right to keep. Deleted photos go to Recently Deleted for 30 days. Nothing is uploaded, so the app is no backup in itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to back up iPhone photos?

The best way to back up iPhone photos is to keep two copies. Apple's iCloud Photos page also says to keep backup copies of your library. Keep one in iCloud Photos or Google Photos, and one on a computer or external drive. The first covers a lost or broken phone. The second covers a deletion.

Can you back up iPhone photos without a computer?

You can back up iPhone photos without a computer by using iCloud Photos, Google Photos, or a USB-C drive on iPhone 15 or later. For a drive, select the photos in Photos, tap Share, tap Export Unmodified Originals, and choose the drive under Locations.

If you delete photos from your iPhone, do they stay in your backup?

Photos you delete from your iPhone stay in your backup only when that backup is separate from iCloud Photos. A folder on a computer or drive keeps them, and so does Google Photos. With iCloud Photos on, the deletion also reaches iCloud and your other devices.