How to Restore iPhone from an iTunes Backup

If you're wondering how to restore a backup to a new iPhone with iTunes, or you just need to know how to load an old backup onto your existing iPhone or iPad, this article will show you how. Note: These steps work for Mac users running macOS Mojave or earlier and for PC users. If you have a newer Mac, check out our article on how to restore an iPhone from Finder.

Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

Before you can restore a backup to your iPhone using iTunes, you'll need to make sure you have a backup stored on your computer. To learn how, check out our article on how to back up your iPhone to your Mac or PC. To learn more about keeping your iPhone safe and up-to-date, sign up for our Tip of the Day newsletter.

Before you begin, you'll need to turn Find My off in iCloud settings. We'll go over how to do that first.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your profile.
3. Tap Find My.
4. Tap Find My iPhone.
5. Toggle Find My iPhone off.
6. Enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off.
7. On your computer, open iTunes.
8. Plug your iPhone into your computer using your charging cable.
9. If you see a notification titled Trust This Computer? on your iPhone or iPad, tap Trust.
10. If needed, enter your passcode to continue.
11. In iTunes, click the icon indicating your iPhone or iPad.
12. Click Restore Backup.
13. Select the backup you want to restore.
14. Click Restore.
15. If your backup is encrypted, enter your password and click Restore again.
16. Keep your device plugged into your computer until restoration is complete.

Now your iPhone or iPad should be restored with your saved backup!