How to Back Up an iPhone 8 (Plus) to a Mac

My iPhone 8 (Plus) won't hold a call; the Apple Store told me to Back-Up my phone to my computer and bring it back down to the store for repair. If I don't back up all the information on my phone first, then it will be lost. So, how do I Back-Up my iPhone 8 (Plus) to my Mac?

Backing up your iPhone 8 (Plus) isn't a particularly exhilarating and time-saving task, but it's worth doing so at regular intervals nonetheless. Your iPhone 8 (Plus) backup can be useful for safeguarding important iOS contents, becomes helpful when you plan on factory resetting your device, and even gives yourself a respite if natural or man-made disasters occur.

But if you're a new Apple user or get used to backing up iPhone 8 (Plus) on iCloud, the answer to the question of how to back up iPhone 8 (Plus) on Mac isn't apparent somehow. Don't worry, you can check out this guide introducing three easy ways to store your device backup on the Mac.

How to Back Up iPhone 8/ 8 Plus to Mac Computer (Free)

We'll start with two freeware backup utilities developed by Apple Inc. - Finder and iTunes. They both grant you to back up almost all data and settings stored on your iPhone 8 (Plus) on a Mac, including but not being limited to photos, images, music, apps, messages. If security of backup data is at the forefront of your mind, the Encryption feature offered by Finder & iTunes suits your need. Moreover, they support backing up multiple iOS devices to a single Mac.

Back Up iPhone 8 (Plus) with macOS Catalina

Since Apple has launched macOS Catalina 10.15, iTunes is being replaced with three apps for music, TV shows and podcasts. However, you can use Finder to do a backup of iPhone 8 (Plus) on the Mac. If your Mac still runs on Mojave, just skip to the next section by using iTunes.

• Connect your device to Mac via the included Lighting-to-USB cable.
• Launch Finder if it doesn't open automatically.
• Select your device under "Locations" section on the sidebar.
• Click on General tab in the right side of the window.
• Check the option for "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac".

If you check the box of "Encrypt local backup", passwords, health and activity data will be included in your backup.

• Click Back Up Now to start a backup from iPhone 8 (Plus) to Mac.

Back Up iPhone 8 (Plus) by iTunes

iTunes is always your pick before macOS Catalina. Before proceeding with backing iPhone 8 (Plus) up on the Mac, update iTunes with the latest version if you haven't done so.

• Plug your phone into the Mac.
• Fire up iTunes.
• Find and hit the iPhone icon.
• Click on Summary under "Settings" section on the sidebar.
• Check the box of "This Computer".

Likewise, if you want to back up your saved passwords, health or activity data, check "Encrypt local backup" and type a password. Then the backup will start automatically.

• Click Back Up Now button.

Tip: The "Back Up Now" button will grey out when the backup is in progress. Once the backup is finished, the latest backup date and time will be displayed under "Latest Backups". This makes it a breeze to check if your backup has been created successfully.

Generally speaking, iTunes or Finder is the top dog among backup tools for making a full backup from iPhone 8 (Plus) to Mac. Most likely you don't want to back up the whole device, or just want to back up only contacts, which leads to our next option.

How to Back Up iPhone 8 (Plus) on a Mac via a 3rd-Party tool

Available on every version of macOS, iOS Data Backup & Restore is a decent backup application for backing up files and data from iPhone 8 and 8 Plus to the Mac. It comes equipped with powerful quick and deep scan, which kicks in when you start a backup, and all types of file on your phone are listed in a matter of seconds. An important aspect worth mentioning is that the tool offers the convenience of access to individual items within the backup file while restoring.

With a straightforward user interface, the program helps you get everything backed up from iPhone 8/ 8 Plus to Mac effortlessly. The steps to do are the following:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone 8 (Plus) to a Mac

Firstly, initiate the utility on your mac computer and plug your phone into it using a USB cable. Then, go over the option of "More tools" and hit it.

From the next window, click on "iOS Data Backup & Restore" tab to continue.

In the screen like the screenshot below, you should press iOS Data Backup button for the computer backup of iPhone 8/ 8 Plus.

Next, a window appears. You could make no change or check the box next to "Encrypted backup" to make sure your backup is password-protected.

Afterwards, hit Start button.

Tip: The "To view the previous backup files" option under "Start" button is available for check the backup data you made before.

Step 2: Choose what you'd like to back up

Now, your iPhone data is sorted into different types, and the box next to "Select All" is checked by default.

If you'd rather back up certain type(s) of data to the Mac, hover your mouse pointed over the option you don't want to save, and then untick the checkbox next to it.

Step 3: Selectively back up contents of iPhone 8 (Plus) onto Mac

At last, click on Next button. The backup of your iPhone 8 (Plus) kicks off on Mac computer. Luckily, the program is a set-and-forget tool so you can let it work in the background.