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How to back up an iPhone on Windows (and find the backup)
You need a backup on your computer to save or print your whole message history. It's free, and it takes about 10–30 minutes depending on how much is on your phone.
What you need
- A Windows 10 or 11 PC with enough free space (about as much as the used storage on your iPhone)
- Your iPhone's USB cable
- Apple's free Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store (or iTunes, which works the same way)
Step 1: Install Apple Devices
Open the Microsoft Store, search for Apple Devices, and install it. If you already use iTunes, you can use that instead.
Step 2: Connect and trust the computer
- Plug the iPhone into the PC and unlock it.
- When the iPhone asks "Trust This Computer?", tap Trust and enter your passcode.
- Your iPhone appears in the Apple Devices sidebar.
Step 3: Turn off encryption, then back up
- Select your iPhone and open the General tab (in iTunes: Summary).
- Under Backups, choose "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this computer".
- Make sure "Encrypt local backup" is not ticked. If it is, untick it. You'll need the backup password you set before. If you don't remember it, you can reset it on the iPhone under Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Reset › Reset All Settings. This resets settings like Wi-Fi passwords and wallpaper, but not your messages or photos.
- Click Back Up Now and wait until it finishes. Keep the phone connected.
Encrypted backups protect health and password data, but TextTranscript can't read them yet. You can turn encryption back on after you've made your PDF.
Step 4: Find the backup folder
Press Windows + R, paste one of these, and press Enter:
| If you used | Paste this |
|---|---|
| Apple Devices app, or iTunes from the Microsoft Store | %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup |
| iTunes downloaded from apple.com | %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup |
Inside you'll see a folder with a long name like 00008110-001A2B3C4D5E801E. That folder is your backup. If there are several, the newest one is usually the one with the latest "Date modified".
Step 5: Copy it to your Desktop
Browsers don't let websites open folders inside AppData or other system folders. Right-click the backup folder, choose Copy, and paste it on your Desktop. Copy it; don't move it, so the original stays where Apple's app expects it.
Step 6: Open it in TextTranscript
Go to the app in Chrome or Edge, click Open backup folder, and choose the folder on your Desktop. When you're done, you can delete the Desktop copy.
Want the whole conversation as a PDF? TextTranscript turns your backup into a clean transcript with dates, times, phone numbers and page numbers. Free preview, $12 for the full PDF, and nothing is uploaded. Open the app
On a Mac instead
- Connect the iPhone and open Finder. Select the iPhone in the sidebar.
- In the General tab, choose "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac", untick "Encrypt local backup", and click Back Up Now.
- Click Manage Backups, right-click the backup, and choose Show in Finder.
- Copy that folder to your Desktop, then open the copy in TextTranscript using Chrome or Edge.