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How to restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

If you’ve just purchased a new iPhone, gotten a replacement, or need to bring back all your information to your iPhone for another reason, restoring from an iTunes backup is an easy way to pick up where you left off.

If you’re not sure if you have an iTunes backup or not, follow along and you’ll find out soon enough. Alternately, you may have an iCloud Backup that you could use to restore your information.

Keep in mind if there is any new information on your iPhone now that isn’t included in your last backup, it’s best to complete a new backup if possible.

If you don’t have the previous device or can’t complete another backup, you can also save the information manually with your Mac, PC, or a device such as SanDisk’s iXpand Drive. You can start with restoring your iPhone with the last available backup and then bring any information not included in the backup to your iPhone later (you can only restore an iPhone from one iTunes backup).

How to restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

  1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac or PC (launch iTunes if it doesn’t open automatically)
  2. If the iPhone Summary screen doesn’t appear automatically click on the iPhone icon in the top left area of iTunes (shown below)
  3. Click Restore Backup… (you may need to turn off Find My iPhone before proceeding)
  4. Select the particular backup you would like to restore to your iPhone from the drop down list
  5. Click Restore

Here is a more detailed walkthrough of the process with images:

Once you plug in your iPhone and have iTunes open, click on the iPhone icon in the upper left area of the iTunes window if the iPhone Summary page doesn’t appear automatically.

Click Restore Backup…

You may need to turn off Find My iPhone before continuing. On your iPhone navigate to Settings → Tap on your name at the top → iCloud → Find My iPhone.

Make sure to select the exact backup you’d like to restore from as you may have multiple backups and/or devices to choose from.

When the restore process is complete, eject your iPhone by clicking the eject icon in the top left area of iTunes.

And that’s how to restore an iPhone from an iTunes Backup. For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide.


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