How to Back Up Your iPhone to a USB Flash Drive

Simple, step-by-step instructions on how to back up or transfer pictures from your compatible iPhone to USB.

How to Back Up Your iPhone

How to Make Space on Your iPhone

What You’ll Need: The Right Gear

Why Transfer Your iPhone Photos to a USB Drive?

1-Icon_Free

Free up space on your iPhone for more apps, videos, and memories.

2-Icon_Create

Create a reliable, physical backup with no internet needed.

3-Icon_Save

Save money on cloud subscriptions by avoiding recurring fees.

Recommended Backup Method

Back Up Your Compatible iPhone to USB

Backing up your photos means making a copy on another device — like a USB drive — while the originals stay on your iPhone.

STEP 1

First, download the SANDISK app from the App Store.

STEP 2

Connect your Sandisk USB flash drive, then open the SANDISK app.

Tip: Some USB flash drives may need a firmware update. Learn More

STEP 3

Make sure your phone is selected. In the Shortcut menu, tap Back Up My Phone.

STEP 4

Select what you want to back up, and tap Run Backup.

Note: If you enable Auto Backup, you will be prompted the next time you open the app with the same drive.

STEP 5

You can also Pause, Resume, and Cancel your backup to return at your convenience. ​

Note: Each backup thereafter will be incremental, where only new content will be backed up.

STEP 6

Once your backup is complete, you will see a completion screen.

Download the SANDISK App1

Simplified data backup, access, and management.

Recommended Transfer Method

Make Space on Your Compatible iPhone

Transferring your photos means copying them over to another device, and then deleting the originals to free up space on your iPhone.

STEP 1

First, download the SANDISK app from the App Store.

STEP 2

Connect your Sandisk USB flash drive, then open the SANDISK app.

Tip: Some USB flash drives may need a firmware update.
Learn More

STEP 3

Make sure your phone is selected. In the Shortcut menu, tap Copy from Phone.

Tip: You may need to provide the app access to your photos and videos.

STEP 4

Select the photos and videos you want to transfer to your Sandisk USB flash drive, then tap Next.

STEP 5

You will see your USB flash drive at the top of the screen. Tap Start Copy.

STEP 6

Once copied over, you will see a completion screen. At the bottom, tap Delete from Phone.

Note: This step is necessary to make more space on your iPhone.

What You’ll Need: The Right Gear for the Job

4-Icon_TypeC

For iPhones with a USB-C™ Port

With the latest iPhones — starting with the iPhone 15 Pro — backing up your data is  easy. They support standard USB-C flash drives, so you can plug in and start transferring.

BEST FOR STORAGE EXPANSION

{{productReferenceObject.badgesInfo.tagTitle}}
{{productReferenceObject.pageTitle}}
Capacity: {{productReferenceObject.capacity}}

Starting at {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.amountFormatted}} / {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.billingPlanName}}

BEST FOR CREATIVE WORKFLOWS

{{productReferenceObject.badgesInfo.tagTitle}}
{{productReferenceObject.pageTitle}}
Capacity: {{productReferenceObject.capacity}}

Starting at {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.amountFormatted}} / {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.billingPlanName}}

5-Icon_Lightning

For iPhones with a Lightning Port

For older iPhones, a dual-port USB flash drive with both Lightning and USB-C ports makes it easy to move files from old devices to new ones.

BEST FOR IPHONE UPGRADES

{{productReferenceObject.badgesInfo.tagTitle}}
{{productReferenceObject.pageTitle}}
Capacity: {{productReferenceObject.capacity}}

Starting at {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.amountFormatted}} / {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.billingPlanName}}

BEST FOR MULTI-DEVICE USE

{{productReferenceObject.badgesInfo.tagTitle}}
{{productReferenceObject.pageTitle}}
Capacity: {{productReferenceObject.capacity}}

Starting at {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.amountFormatted}} / {{productReferenceObject.minPricedSkuObj.prices.sale.billingPlanName}}

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Run into a snag? Here are quick fixes for the most common problems.

6-Icon_NotRecognized

USB Drive Not Recognized by iPhone

Try these steps:

  1. Check that your Sandisk USB flash drive is compatible with your iPhone here.
  2. Make sure the USB flash drive is fully plugged in.
  3. Check that the drive is formatted as exFAT (required for iOS).
  4. Restart your iPhone and reconnect.

Learn more about how to resolve a USB flash drive not being detected in the SANDISK app, by clicking here.

7-Icon_Slow

Slow Transfer Speeds

A common cause for slow transfer speeds is transferring thousands of small files at once. To resolve this, transfer in smaller batches (by album or year).

Another common cause for slow transfer speeds is using an iPhone with a USB 2.0 port.

More information about common causes and solutions of slow data backups and transfer speeds can be found here.

More Ways to Back Up Your iPhone

See our full range of iPhone-compatible products — from USB flash drives to external SSDs.

See Compatible Storage

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, using the SANDISK app1, you will be able to do the following:

  • Restore entire backup 
  • Restore files and folders 
  • Copy from drive 

Learn how by clicking here.

Related Content

SOLUTION

USB Flash Drives & SSDs for iPhone 15, 16, and 17

Explore USB flash drives and SSDs that are compatible with your iPhone model.

Read More

SOLUTION

Sandisk Creator Series for Content Professionals

Everything from portable SSDs to USB flash drives for the content creator in you.

Read More

SOLUTION

Find the Right USB Flash Drives for Your Devices

Compare USB flash drives, and learn about which works best for your device.

Read More

TOPIC

USB Flash Drives: Benefits, Specs and Uses Explained

Learn about USB flash drive use cases, performance, and more.

Read More

Disclosures

1. Download and installation required. Set up automatic backup within the app. Compatible with Android 8+, iOS 15+, macOS 11+, and Windows 10 & 11. A compatible host device is required. See www.sandisk.com/memoryzone for app details.

Compare