How to back up an iPhone without iCloud

By Isaac Griffiths, developer of SMBDrop · 7 October 2026

iCloud is the default way to back up an iPhone, and it's convenient. But it's also a monthly bill that grows with your library, and a copy of your life that sits on someone else's servers. If you'd rather keep your backups on hardware you own, you have good options. None of them is a single switch, though, and it helps to know what each one actually covers.

Disclosure: I make SMBDrop, which is method 1 below. I've put it first because it's the most direct way to get photos and videos onto a NAS or PC you own. It is not a full-device backup; for that, use method 2 as well.

First: two different kinds of backup

"Backing up an iPhone" can mean two things, and they need different tools:

A full-device backup is a snapshot of the phone's settings, app data, messages, Health data and more, which you can restore onto a new iPhone. Without iCloud, this means a Mac or a Windows PC.
A photo and file backup is a copy of your photos, videos and documents as ordinary files you can open anywhere. For most people, this is the part they can't afford to lose.

The sensible setup without iCloud is usually one of each: a regular full-device backup to a computer, and a photo backup to a NAS or drive. Here are the methods.

1. Send photos, videos and files to your NAS or PC with SMBDrop

Covers: photos, videos and files. Needs: an SMB share, such as a NAS or a shared folder on Windows or macOS.

SMBDrop sends the original files from your photo library straight to your own SMB share over your home network. No account, no cloud, no subscription: £2.99 once.

Originals are sent untouched: HEIC stays HEIC, videos aren't re-encoded, metadata is kept, and Live Photos keep both halves.
Use Select All for the first big send; transfers continue in the background, and failures wait in a retry queue.
Turn on Automatic Backup to send every new photo and video to your share when you open the app and overnight while the iPhone is charging.
Works with Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, UGREEN, Unraid, Windows and macOS file sharing, and Samba on Linux.

Setup guides: Synology, Unraid and TrueNAS, Windows shared folder.

2. Full-device backup to a Mac or Windows PC

Covers: nearly everything on the phone, for restoring to a new iPhone. Needs: a computer and a cable (or the same Wi-Fi after the first sync).

On a Mac: connect the iPhone, open Finder, select the iPhone in the sidebar, and under Backups choose Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac. Tick Encrypt local backup. Encrypted backups also include saved passwords, Wi-Fi settings and Health data.
On Windows: use Apple's Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store (or iTunes on older setups), select the iPhone, and back up to this computer, again with encryption on.

Store the encryption password somewhere safe; without it the backup can't be restored. Note that a device backup is a restore image, not a photo archive (you can't easily browse it), which is why it pairs well with method 1.

3. Import photos to a computer

Covers: photos and videos. Needs: a computer and a cable.

On a Mac, the Photos app or Image Capture can import from a connected iPhone; on Windows, the Photos app can. One setting matters here: on the iPhone, go to Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC and choose Keep Originals. Apple notes that the default, Automatic, may convert HEIF and HEVC to JPEG and H.264 for compatibility. Imports are manual and the phone has to be plugged in, but it's free and it works.

4. Your NAS maker's photo app

Covers: photos and videos. Needs: a Synology or QNAP NAS.

Synology Photos and QNAP's Qfile Pro and QuMagie back up the camera roll into the NAS's own photo library, and give you a polished browsing experience. They're free if you already own the hardware, but each only works with its own brand. The NAS backup apps comparison covers them in detail.

5. Self-host Immich or Nextcloud

Covers: photos and videos (Nextcloud also handles files, calendars and contacts). Needs: a server you run.

Immich is a free, open-source alternative to Google Photos that you run yourself, usually in Docker; its iOS app backs up in the background. Nextcloud is a broader self-hosted cloud with photo auto-upload. Both are excellent if you enjoy running services, and a lot to maintain if you don't.

6. Copy to an external drive

Covers: photos, videos and files. Needs: a USB-C drive (iPhone 15 and later) or a Lightning adapter.

The Files app can see external drives. In Photos, select items, tap Share → Save to Files and choose the drive. Set the share sheet's Options format to Current if you want originals, then spot-check that files on the drive keep their original type and size. It's manual and best for occasional archives, but it's a useful offline second copy.

7. Another cloud service

Google Photos, OneDrive, Dropbox and others all offer iPhone photo backup. They get you off iCloud, but not off the cloud: there's still an account, a storage plan beyond the free tier, and your photos on someone else's servers. Worth it for some people; not what most "without iCloud" searches are after.

Before you switch off iCloud Photos

If you've been using iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage on, the full-resolution originals of older photos may only exist in iCloud, with smaller versions on the phone. Before turning iCloud Photos off, switch to Settings → Photos → Download and Keep Originals and let it finish downloading (you'll need the free space). Then make your NAS or computer backup, check it, and only then turn iCloud Photos off.

A sensible setup

Encrypted full-device backup to a Mac or PC, every week or two.
Photos and videos to a NAS or PC with Automatic Backup (SMBDrop, or your NAS maker's app).
A second copy of the NAS somewhere else (an external drive you rotate, or an offsite backup), plus snapshots if your NAS supports them.

FAQ

Can I back up my iPhone without iCloud?

Yes. Make full-device backups to a Mac (Finder) or Windows PC (Apple Devices app), and back up photos and videos to a NAS, a computer or an external drive with an app like SMBDrop, your NAS maker's app, or a manual import.

What's the best way to back up iPhone photos without iCloud?

For automatic, local backups of the original files, send them to a NAS or a shared folder on your computer over your home network. SMBDrop does this to any SMB share with no account; Synology Photos and QNAP's apps do it for their own NAS.

Does a Finder or Apple Devices backup include my photos?

A device backup includes photos stored on the phone, but only as part of a restore image you can't easily browse. If iCloud Photos is on, photos synced with iCloud aren't included in the local backup. Keep a separate photo backup.

Will turning off iCloud Photos delete my photos?

Not if you're careful. With Optimize iPhone Storage on, the phone may only hold smaller versions, and iOS asks whether to download the originals or remove the iCloud photos from the iPhone when you turn it off. Switch to Download and Keep Originals, let it finish, and make a backup elsewhere first.

More guides

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