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To enhance security and protect important data from falling into the wrong hands in case of device loss or theft, encrypting backups is crucial.
This article by Mytour will guide you through encrypting iOS and Mac backups using iTunes and Time Machine.
Encrypting iOS and Mac Backups
Encrypting iOS Backups
Encrypted iOS backups are much more secure than unencrypted ones. Encrypting backups will protect your passwords, web history, and other unencrypted data. Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Open iTunes on your Mac or PC where you sync and back up your iOS device. If you back up your iOS device to iCloud, your data will be encrypted on Apple's servers.
If you haven't installed iTunes yet, you can download and install it on your device here: Download iTunes
Step 2: Once iTunes is running, connect your iOS device to your Mac or PC.
Step 3: Click on the iDevice icon located near the top-left corner of the window, next to the music drop-down menu as shown below.
Step 4: In the Backups section, select This PC as the backup location.
Step 5: Check the box for Encrypt iPhone backup (encrypt iPhone backup).
Step 6: Now you'll be prompted to create a password.
Create a simple, memorable password but ensure that other users cannot guess and use it to access your computer unlawfully. In case of password loss or forgetfulness, there's no way to recover this password.
Unlike passwords created for logging into online services, this is a local password. Unless you check Remember this password in my Keychain to remember the password. iCloud Keychain saves all passwords related to your device, enabling access to encrypted backups on any device logged in with your Apple ID.
Step 7: Click on Set password (set password).
Step 8: Wait until the backup and encryption process is complete.
How to check if previous iOS backups were encrypted?
Step 1: Click on iTunes next to the Apple logo at the top-left corner of the screen, then select Preferences. Alternatively, press Command + , on Mac.
Step 2: Here, you click on Devices tab, and the screen will display a list of backups.
Step 3: If you see a small padlock icon next to the backup name, it means the backup is encrypted. If not, follow the instructions above to create a new encrypted backup and delete the old one.
However, in recent iTunes updates, the feature to encrypt old backups is no longer available.
Encrypting Mac Backups
On Mac, use Apple's Time Machine to back up data to an external hard drive or AirPort.
Step 1: Open Time Machine, you can find Time Machine in the Other folder of Launchpad.
Step 2: In the Time Machine Preferences window, select the drive where you want to back up your data. Also, ensure that the external hard drive is connected to your device or network system; otherwise, these external drives won't appear on the list of drives.
Step 3: Check Encrypt backups to start encrypting iOS and Mac backups.
Step 4: The final step is to create a strong yet memorable password, ensuring that other users cannot guess the password you use.
Note once again that this password cannot be recovered.
That's all you need to do; the encryption process will begin. This process may take a long time, depending on the amount of data you encrypt. The more data you have, the longer the encryption process will take. Typically, encrypting a 1TB drive will take about 2 and a half hours.
If you have any further questions about encrypting iOS and Mac backups or want to add additional data security solutions, contact Mytour by leaving your thoughts and comments in the comments section below! Mytour will respond to your inquiries as soon as possible.
