How to Make iCloud Backup Without Photos [Detailed Guide]

This post will show you the way to make an iCloud backup without photos. Any iPhone user can back up everything except photos to a new iPhone without deleting any photos. Please keep reading!

May by May Updated December 8, 2023
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How do I back up my iPhone without photos?

As I am planning to move to a 1TB iPhone, but I don’t want to pay 10 euros a month for the iCloud storage to make backups. Is there a way to iCloud backup without the photos included?

- Question from Reddit

How to Back Up iPhone to iCloud Without Photos

If you have enabled the iCloud Backup feature, iCloud will back up everything (such as photos, videos, contacts, notes, and more) on your iPhone by default. So, how to make iCloud backup without photos? Please follow the steps below to do that:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your old iPhone and tap Apple ID > iCloud. Then, choose Photos and turn on iCloud Photos and Shared Albums.

Turn on iCloud Photos and Shared Albums

Step 2: Go back to the iCloud page and tap iCloud Backup. Then, make sure your iPhone is connected to a stable network connection and tap Back Up Now to perform an iPhone backup.

Backup iPhone via iCloud

★Tip:
iCloud only provides each user with 5GB of free storage. Please make sure you have enough storage space to complete an iPhone backup.

Step 3: After completing a backup on your old iPhone, you need to set up your new iPhone. Once you get to the Apps & Data screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.

Restore from iCloud Backup

Step 4: Then, go to Settings on your new iPhone and follow Step 1-2 above to turn off iCloud Photos.

After that, all your iPhone data except photos will be restored to your new iPhone.

How to Make iPhone Backup Without Photos Easily

iCloud does help you make an iPhone backup to iCloud without photos. However, if your network is not stable or iCloud storage space is not enough to perform a full backup, you will easily lose your data. In this case, it’s highly recommended to use a professional backup tool.

FoneTool is a free and safe backup and transfer tool that can help you selectively back up your iPhone with a few clicks. With FoneTool, you can backup iPhone to iPhone/PC easily. Some benefits of using FoneTool to create a backup are as follows:

Selective and Full Backup: FoneTool offers you two backup modes (Selective Backup & Full Backup). You can choose one or several files to back up or create a full iPhone backup.
Backup Without Network: FoneTool doesn’t require a network (cellular data or Wi-Fi) to perform a backup, so you don’t need to worry about a backup stuck problem.
Unlimited Backup Space: There is no limit on backup storage space with FoneTool. You can back up your iPhone to your external hard drive, NAS, and local computer folders.
Fast Backup Speed: Compared with other tools (such as iTunes and iCloud), FoneTool can help you make an iPhone backup at super-fast speed.

How to use FoneTool to back up everything except photos to the new iPhone? Follow the steps below to do that:

Step 1: Free download and install FoneTool to your PC. Run FoneTool and connect your old iPhone to your PC using a USB cable.

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Step 2: Choose Phone Backup in the left menu bar > Choose Selective Backup > Click Get Started.

Choose Selective Backup

Step 3: In this window, all supported backup items will be listed. Check Music, Videos, Contacts, and Messages > Click Backup Storage Path to choose a backup storage location > Click the Start Backup button.

Choose Items to Backup

So, how to restore this backup to your new iPhone? The steps are listed below:

Step 1: Connect your new iPhone to your PC by tapping Trust. Then, choose Backup History in the left menu bar and click Restore.

Click Restore

Step 2: Choose the items you need to restore and your new iPhone as the target device, and then click Start Restore to continue.

Click Start Restore

Bonus Tip: Effortlessly Optimize Your iCloud storage on PC

If you don’t want to store a lot of photos on iCloud, one of the easiest ways to do this is to preview and select the ones you don’t need to delete. FoneTool is a powerful and free iOS management tool that provides a seamless solution for organizing your iCloud files. Please follow the steps below to ensure a smooth process:

Step 1: Launch FoneTool and direct yourself to My iCloud > Sign in with your Apple ID, proceeding to the Manage iCloud section.

Click Manage iCloud

Step 2: Click the Photos icon to select specific photos or checkmark the Select All option > Click the Delete button to start the entire process.

Delete Files

FAQs on iCloud Backup Without Photos

Here are 3 frequently asked questions about iCloud backup. Let’s have a look!

1. What If I Don’t Want to Back Up Everything to a New iPhone?

If you don’t want to back up everything to your new iPhone, you can use FoneTool (which has the Selective Backup feature) to help you selectively back up data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone.

2. How to Turn Off iCloud Photos?

Here are the steps to turn off iCloud Photos on iPhone/iPad:

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad,
  2. Tap Apple ID > iCloud and then turn off iCloud Photos.

Turn Off iCloud Photos

3. What Happens If I Turn Off iCloud Photos?

iCloud Photos is an optional feature that stores photos taken on your iPhone/iPad. When you turn off iCloud Photos, you won’t be able to create a backup of any new images you’ve captured on your device.

The Bottom Line

That’s all about how to make iCloud backup without photos. If you have enough iCloud storage space, you can use iCloud to back up everything except photos to your new iPhone. However, if you have a lot of data on your iPhone for backup, you will easily get the iCloud backup stuck issue.

Therefore, if you don’t want to spend much time backing up your old iPhone, you can use FoneTool. With this backup tool, you can back up your iPhone without any stuck issues. Download and use it right now!

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