How Do I Backup My Entire iPad?

The best way to back up your entire iPad is to use iCloud, as it captures not only your data but also your device settings. This works for any iOS device, so you can create an iPhone backup as well as backups for iPads and iPods.

How Do I Backup My iPad Without Using iCloud?

On a PC, you can back up using iTunes. Alternatively, you can connect your iPad directly to your Mac and back it up to your computer.

How Do I Know if My iPad Is Backed Up?

If you use iCloud to back up your iPad, you will see the latest backup data stored in your iCloud account.

Where Is iPad Backup Option?

The option to backup your iPad using iCloud is located in the Settings app through your Apple ID.

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How to Back Up Your iPad to iCloud in 2024: A Complete Guide

If you have an iPad and haven’t backed it up, you run the risk of losing your data should the worst happen. However, if you want to learn how to back up iPad using iCloud or other methods, we’ve got you covered.

Written by Jason Stagnitto (Writer)

Reviewed by Brett Day (Writer, Editor)

Facts checked by Simona Ivanovski (Fact-Checker)

Last Updated: 03 Sep'24 2024-09-03T10:29:33+00:00

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

Key Takeaways: How to Backup iPad to the Cloud

Access your Apple ID by opening the Settings app.
Open iCloud and turn on iCloud Backup.
Touch the “back up now” button to start the process.

Facts & Expert Analysis About iPad Backup with iCloud:

Thirteen years and counting: iCloud came out in 2011, but before that, Apple had a product called MobileMe, which was largely considered a failure. ¹
Instant success: When iCloud launched, it had 20 million users within the first week. ²
Market domination: In 2024, the iPad owned a 35.6% market share in terms of the number of tablets sold in the first quarter. ³

Best Backup App for iPad

iPad users have many options available to back up precious data contained on their Apple handheld devices. The simplest and most straightforward option is to use iCloud. However, as you will see in our guide on how to backup iPads, there are a few options available, including choosing from one of the best online backup services.

iCloud may be the default way to back up your iPad, especially considering it comes already installed on your device. Additionally, once you create an Apple ID, you get 5GB of iCloud storage.

Meet the experts

Jason Stagnitto (Writer)

Jason Stagnitto is a seasoned writer with over a decade of experience, specializing in cloud storage and online backup, and contributing to Cloudwards for over a year. Holding a Masters in IT from SNHU and a Bachelors in English and Historical and Political Studies from Chaminade University, Jason’s extensive educational background is complemented by his professional writing stints for platforms like Dogtown Media and CBT Nuggets. Beyond his technical expertise, he harbors a love for fantasy and sci-fi literature, movies, and a keen focus on health and well-being.

More about Jason Stagnitto

Brett Day (Writer, Editor)

Brett Day is an experienced writer and editor at Cloudwards, specializing in project management. With over 14 years in retail management for top-tier companies like CVS, Old Navy, and Kohl’s, he brings a diverse and enriched background to his writing. Brett has also owned a photography business for six years, and his written work has been featured on renowned platforms such as Yahoo, GotGame, and The Phoblographer. Brett also holds a Six Sigma White Belt certification. Outside of his professional pursuits, he’s an avid gamer, passionate hiker and enthusiastic photographer.

More about Brett Day

Learn more about our editorial team and our research process.

07/29/2024 Facts checked

We have rewritten our guide to how to back up your iPad to iCloud with new information and an easier-to-read format.
updates

How to Backup iPad or iPhone to iCloud

There are a few ways to backup your iPhone, iPad and iPod to iCloud. You can take a set-it-and-forget-it approach by enabling automatic backups, or you can be more hands-on by manually backing up your Apple device. Either method works well, so let’s take a look at both manual and automatic iCloud backup processes.

Backup iPad Manually

Backing up your iPad to iCloud starts by navigating to the Settings app. Often it is located on the first page and looks like a set of gears. If you can’t easily find the Settings app, pull down on the screen to open the search bar and search for “settings.” To back up your iPad manually, follow the steps below.

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Open the Settings App
The first step is to open the Settings app. It’s the gear icon.
Open Apple ID
To access iCloud, touch the panel in the upper left corner that contains your profile image and the text “Apple ID,” “iCloud,” “media” and “purchases.”
Open iCloud
To open iCloud, locate it about halfway down the right side of the screen and touch the “iCloud” option.
Turn on iCloud Backup
To enable the backup, tap “iCloud Backup.” This will open the iCloud backup menu.
Back Up Your iPad
Tapping the “back up now” option will start the manual backup process. You can click on “back up now” anytime you want to back up your iPad.

Backup iPad Automatically

Once you turn on iCloud Backup, iCloud will periodically back up your data without you needing to do anything else. Below, we show you how to enable automatic backups.

Turn on iCloud Backup
Follow the steps above to access iCloud Backup and touch the toggle next to “backup this iPad” to enable backups.
Back Up Now
After you touch the “back up now” link, you don’t need to do anything else, as iCloud backup will periodically back up your data as long as you have storage space.

How to Restore iPad From Backup

In addition to creating backups, there are a few ways to restore your iPad from a backup you created in iCloud.

When restoring fully, you will see an option to “restore from iCloud.” This will restore your iPad from the most recent iCloud backup available.
When you connect your iPad to your computer, you will see an option to “restore backup” from the menu in Finder. Clicking the “restore backup” button will begin the restoration process.
If you are using a PC, you can find the option to restore from the iTunes app after you connect your iPad to your computer.

Is It Better to Backup With iCloud or Mac?

Using iCloud to back up your iPad is not your only option. If you connect your iPad to your Mac, you will have the option to back up to your computer. There are pros and cons to using either method, as you will see in this quick comparison:

iCloud Backup	Computer Backup (Mac, PC)
Stores data in the cloud (as long as you have enough iCloud storage space)	Stores data locally
Doesn’t take up hard disk space	Requires hard disk space, but it’s easy to pick a backup location
Can’t encrypt your backup	Uses your computer to encrypt local backup(s)

Other Ways to Backup Your iPad

Even though an iPad comes with iCloud installed and you get 5GB of storage with an Apple ID, you are not limited to using only Apple’s iCloud backups or backing up your iPad to a computer. Below, we list different methods you can use to back up your iPad.

Backup iPad to iTunes

iTunes is the app you’ll use when you want to back up your iPad using a PC.

You can download iTunes from Apple’s website. Once downloaded and installed on your PC, you can connect your iPad to begin the backup process.

Backup iPad to Mac

To back up your iPad to your Mac, simply connect the two devices.

Once connected, open the Finder app. You will see your iPad in the “locations” section.
Click on your iPad and thenselect “back up now.”

Backup iPad to the Cloud

You can use any cloud storage provider that supports mobile apps and provides backup services. Google Drive is one such option. Be sure to read our Google Drive review for more information. For other options, check out our roundup of the best cloud storage services. To back up to Google, follow these steps:

Download the Google One app to your iPad and then log in to your Google account.
You can sync your photos, contacts and calendar by accessing Settings and then tapping “sync settings” in the app.

Backup iPad to Computer (Windows PC)

As highlighted above, you’ll need the iTunes app to back up your iPad while using a PC.

Download the iTunes app from Apple to your PC and then log in using your Apple ID.
Connect your iPad to your PC and begin the backup process from the iTunes window that will be open on your PC.

Backup iPad to an External Hard Drive

Using an external hard drive to back up your iPad is a little tricky, as Apple does not offer native support for saving backup files beyond iCloud or locally on a computer.

You can use a backup service such as IDrive, which lets you save to external devices. Be sure to read our IDrive review to learn more about the platform.
As with other third-party apps, you can save data like iCloud photos or contacts, but not device settings.

Final Thoughts

Backing up your iPad to iCloud is an effortless and seamless experience as long as you have enough storage space. Additionally, you are not locked in to only using iCloud. As an alternative, you can back up your iPad to a Mac or a PC using iTunes. No matter which method you choose, it’s important that you back up your iPad regularly, as you never know when disaster may strike.

Which method do you use to back up your iPad? Do you use a method other than iCloud? Is there another way to back up your iPad that we didn’t cover? Let us know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading our article.

FAQ: iPad Backup

The best way to back up your entire iPad is to use iCloud, as it captures not only your data but also your device settings. This works for any iOS device, so you can create an iPhone backup as well as backups for iPads and iPods.
On a PC, you can back up using iTunes. Alternatively, you can connect your iPad directly to your Mac and back it up to your computer.
If you use iCloud to back up your iPad, you will see the latest backup data stored in your iCloud account.
The option to backup your iPad using iCloud is located in the Settings app through your Apple ID.