How to Backup your iPhone, iPad or iTouch using iTunes.

iTunes represents your media library. All the media on your PC is organized once your download iTunes to your computer. If therefore for any reasons you would like to backup your device. iPhone, iPad or iTouch. You can save all your media in iTunes. Syncing your device to iTunes will help you do this automatically. Below are some instructions for users to help you accomplish this. This post is in response to our earlier post on how to update your device with the new iOS 4. Basically you need to save all your media on your device before installing the new iOS4. Use iTunes to get all your media stored and then update. 

To further discuss this please leave comments.

Long version (meant for OS X but Windows users should be able to figure out the differences):

1. Open iTunes


2. Go to Preferences


3. Choose Devices


4. Select the iPhone you want to back up


5. Remove the iPhone backup (press the Delete Backup button)


6. Press OK and exit Preferences


7. Exit iTunes and disconnect your iPhone


8. Reconnect your iPhone and open iTunes if it doesn’t open automatically


9. Sync your iPhone

Thats it. You now have a fresh backup of your iPhone. Have fun.

Apple has this to say about backing up your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch device with iTunes.

Your device is backed up by iTunes each time you:

• 
  Sync with iTunes (automatically on the first sync, every time you connect it to the computer)
  


• 
  Update in iTunes (occurs automatically without prompting)
  


• 
  Restore in iTunes (prompts you to create a backup before the restore process begins)
  

Although iTunes backs up most of your device's settings, downloaded applications, your audio, video, and photo content are not included in the backup.

If restoring from an iTunes backup, your device settings, downloaded applications, audio, video, and photo contents will re-sync to the device because the "Sync" option under the respective tabs will be checked in iTunes when restoring from a backup. If you choose to restore your device as a new user, downloaded applications, audio, video, and photo content will not be synced until you select the "Sync" option in iTunes under each tab.

You can manually back up or restore your iPhone or iPod touch from a backup. To do so, Control-click or right-click the iPhone or iPod touch icon on the left side of the iTunes window and choose Back Up or Restore from Backup*:

iTunes will not offer the option to restore from backup if no backups have been performed prior to accessing this option. For a list of content that iTunes backs up, as well as more information about backups, see iPhone and iPod touch: About backups and iPad: About backups.

* Restoring from backup is different from performing a full software restore. Restoring from backup restores the settings, application data, and other information saved in a previous backup. Performing a full software restore will delete the contents of your device and restore it to the original factory settings. More information about the "Software Restore" function is below.

An original post by

Sociolatte