What Should You Do to Fix iCloud Backup Taking Forever? (6 Ways)

iCloud Backup Taking Forever

Backing up your iPhone is very important to keep data safe. iCloud is one option for iPhone backup. Via iCloud, you can back up app data, photos/videos/music on iPhones, iPad, and iPod touch, HomeKit data, visual voicemail, call logs, iMessage/text (SMS)/MMS messages, etc.

However, a common issue always appears: you may find that iCloud backup is very slow. Badly, it seems to never finish. Then, you ask: why is my iCloud backup taking so long? How long does iCloud backup take?

The time is indeterminate and it depends on various factors including the network speed, the number of files to backup, and device condition. If you encounter iCloud backup taking forever, perhaps there are too many media files (photos, videos, etc.) or too many data-heavy apps, or the Internet connection is unreliable.

So, how to speed up iCloud backup to get rid of this situation? Proceed to the next part.

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Fixes for iCloud Backup Taking Forever

Clean Your iPhone to Free up More Space

To make iCloud backup faster, cleaning cookies and cache stored in the Safari browser is a good option. This can also speed up your device. Also, you can choose to remove photos, music, and videos that take up a lot of space in your device.

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Disable Large Apps and Files Data Backup

Apple offers you a feature to decide what to back up. If you find a certain app and its data are too large, you can choose to toggle off the app’s backup option since it may lead to iCloud backup taking forever.

To do this work, go to the Settings menu, tap on your name, click iCloud and then switch the backup option to off.

Avoid Unnecessary Backups

In your iPhone, some data is important for you but some data is unnecessary and takes up much space. To speed up iCloud backup, you can choose to avoid some unnecessary backups to reduce iCloud backup size.

1. Go to Settings > iCloud > Manage Storage.
2. Select your device under the BACKUPS
3. Tap Show All Apps and find the unnecessary app.
4. Toggle the app off and then hit Turn off & Delete.

Delete Old Backups

If you have old iCloud backups, you can choose to delete them. Otherwise, the backup may fail since iCloud couldn’t add new content to it. Just delete old backups to free up iCloud storage.

Use a Reliable Internet Connection

As stated above, the Internet speed can impact the iCloud backup progress. If you encounter iCloud backup taking forever, check your Internet connection and make sure it is reliable and smooth. Fast Wi-Fi is recommended.

Back up Your iPhone to a Computer Instead of iCloud

For most iOS users, photos and videos occupy much storage on the device. Perhaps you are also the one. When using iCloud to perform a backup, this data takes up almost half of the free iCloud storage. Badly, it takes a long time to create iCloud backup.

In this situation, you can back up photos and videos to your computer. Then, after finishing the backup, delete them from your iPhone. (Here is a related article: How to Backup iPhone to External Hard Drive on PC & Mac?) This can reduce the iCloud backup size and speed up iCloud backup.

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Final Words

How to speed up iCloud backup when encountering iCloud backup taking forever? After reading this post, you know some simple ways. Just follow them to make iCloud backup fast. If you have any other ways, you can tell us in the comment section below.