How to backup iphone to external hard drive on my Windows PC

If you want to safely back up iPhone to an external hard drive without modifying system folders or using complex commands, FreeFileSync is a simple and practical option. It does not change iTunes’ storage location but automatically copies backups to the external hard drive.

Best for: Keeping a second copy of backups

How to back up iPhone to an external hard drive

1. Set iTunes to save backups to the default local location on Drive C.
2. Download and install the software from the official website.
3. Set up a folder synchronization task:
4. Left folder: %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
5. Right folder: E:\iPhoneBackups\Backup
6. Click “Compare” to check for file differences, then select “Sync” to start copying.
7. Save this task as a batch job to enable regular automatic synchronization.

It can serve as an additional layer of protection and is ideal for creating a secondary backup of existing data.

This allows you to easily save a complete backup of your iPhone to an external storage device.

It avoids high-risk system modifications, ensures data security, and enables you to set up and perform regular backups with just a few simple steps.

Cons

• Original iPhone backups still take up space on the local C drive, so they do not fundamentally reduce the amount of space used on the system drive.
• They must be triggered manually or on a schedule, so real-time automatic synchronization and backup are not possible.