How to Back Up iPhone to Flash Drive/USB/Thumb Drive in 3 Easy Methods?
It's a traditional idea to save iPhone backup to a portable USB flash drive when copying the iPhone data to another computer. And in other cases, your iPhone is running out of storage before you want to free up space on it by deleting useless photos, videos, or whatever; then, a flash drive is surely a great tool for storing iOS content. Well, this brings us to today's topic - how to back up iPhone to flash drive?
OK, we are glad to let you know three proven means to save your iPhone backup to your USB flash drive in this easy guide. Now just move on to get them.
Option 1: How to Back Up iPhone to Flash Drive via Assistant for iOS
After browsing some threads on the Internet, we find that many Apple users don't know how to copy the iTunes backup content from a computer to a USB flash drive because they can't find the location of backups. So, it would be great if you have an iTunes alternative to keep away from the inconvenience of this tool, right?
Today, we'd like to familiarize you with a flexible and easy-to-use tool - MobiKin Assistant for iOS (Win and Mac). Other than backing up the iPhone to USB drive directly, it also makes it easy to find iTunes backup files on your PC/Mac after the backup and allows you to transfer them to your hard drive afterward.
Key features of MobiKin Assistant for iOS:
- Offer 2 ways to back up iPhone to USB flash drive without iTunes.
- One click to restore iPhone/iPad/iPod from iTunes/PC/Mac.
- Selectively transfer data between iOS devices and computers.
- Works for such data types as Contacts, Text Messages, Video, Photo, Song, eBook, Notes, Safari Bookmarks, Voice Memo, Podcast, Ringtone, Playlist, etc.
- Let you manage iOS files on any computer directly.
- It features ease of use, quick backup/transfer, totally secure, etc.
- Run smoothly nearly all iDevices, including iPhone 13/13 Pro (Max)/13 mini, iPhone 12/12 Pro (Max)/12 mini, iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max, iPhone X/XR/Xs/Xs Max, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6S/6 Plus, iPod touch, iPad, etc.
- It won't interfere with your privacy.
>> Way 1: Back up iPhone to USB flash drive with Assistant for iOS directly
Step 1. Run the software and link the iPhone to the computer
Install the utility on your computer after the download. Connect your iPhone to the PC/Mac via USB and launch the program. Then the tool will automatically detect the connected device soon. (What to do if my iDevice fails to connect?)
Step 2. Preview and pick the desired files for backup
Once your iPhone is recognized, please click the data types you want to back up from the left. Next, just preview and handpick the specific items on the right.
Step 3. Back up iPhone to flash drive directly
Insert your flash drive into this computer. Click on "Export" from the top menu. Finally, save the chosen iPhone files to the linked USB flash drive.
>> Way 2: Back up iPhone to USB drive via Assistant for iOS by running a backup first
Step 1. Back up your iPhone to iTunes/computer
Follow the drill above to have your iPhone recognized by the assistant for iOS. Then highlight "Super Toolkit" from the program interface and choose "iTunes Backup & Restore". Subsequently, please click "Backup" to back up your iPhone to iTunes default location or your customized one.
Note: To find and jot down the location quickly, you are recommended to specify an iTunes backup location by clicking the "Browse" button as shown below.
Step 2. Save iPhone backup to flash drive
Plug your thumb drive into this computer. Next, go to the iTunes backup location on your PC. Lastly, copy and paste the database to the linked USB hard drive.
Related Pages:
- [100% Success] How to Back up iPhone/iPad to External Hard Drive
- [Step-by-step Tutorial] How to Backup iPhone to Google Drive?
Option 2: How to Back Up iPhone on Flash Drive via iTunes
It could be an easy way to use a flash drive for backing up iPhone to USB drive by copying and pasting the iTunes backup. To achieve this, please first back up your iPhone via iTunes and find the iTunes backup on your computer; then plug in USB flash drive to the PC's USB port, drag the backup files from the computer, and drop to the connected memory stick.
iTunes backups contain tons of personal files on iPhone, such as contacts, text messages, pictures, videos, etc. So you may need to free space on your flash drive if required.
How to back up iPhone 13/12/11/XR/XS/X/8/SE/7/6 to USB flash drive via iTunes?
- Download and install the latest version of iTunes on your computer.
- Plug your USB flash drive into the PC.
- Connect the iPhone to the computer via a USB cable.
- Click the "Device" tab > choose "This Computer" > tap on "Back Up Now" to start the backup.
- For Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, copy and paste \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
- For Windows XP, copy and paste \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
- For Mac, copy and paste ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ (The "~" represents the "Home" folder. You can hold "Option" and click the "Go" menu to go to this folder).
- Else, if you want to see the specific backup, please open iTunes > click iTunes in the menu bar > Preferences > Devices > control-click the backup > Show in Finder.
What if I cannot find "AppData"? Well, it is possibly hidden, and you can make it appear in different cases: For Windows 10/8, go to "View" at the top of the toolbar from Windows Explorer and check "Hidden items". For Windows 7, Open Computer > Organize > Folder > Search options > View > choose "Show hidden files, folders and drives".
Further Reading:
- [Easy Guide] How to Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud?
- How to Recover Lost Data from iPhone 13/12/11/X/8/7/6S/6
Option 3: How to Save iPhone Backup to Flash Drive Directly
In addition to backing up iPhone to USB drive with the two methods above, can I use other means to get past it? Or how to back up iPhone to memory stick directly? It's not that hard; you should first follow the directions to change iTunes backup locations. You don't have to be tech-savvy, but you must acquire some computer-related background knowledge.
To simply put, for Windows PC, the default iTunes backup location is in the Windows system drive. The solution is to establish a junction point on your computer, mapping your iTunes backup path to a new folder on your flash drive. By doing so, iTunes won't save iPhone backup in the default folder whenever you run the iPhone backup with it but directly back up the iDevice to USB drive as you specified.
Words in the End
As can be seen clearly from the above, MobiKin Assistant for iOS is the most flexible way to back up iPhone to thumb drive. It not only lets you save your iPhone backup to your flash drive directly but enables you to customize the location of the backup for easy viewing before the transfer. Apparently, these are beyond the reach of the other two methods. So, just download the program and give it a whirl now.
Related Articles:
6 Best Ways to Transfer Photos from iPad to Flash Drive
[Proven Tips] How to Transfer Music from iPhone/iPad to Flash Drive/USB?
How to Transfer iTunes Library to External Hard Drive?
3 Ways to Transfer Photos from Android Phone to USB Flash Drive
[Solved!] How to Transfer Text Messages from iPhone to Android?
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