6 Ways to Fix iCloud Backup Taking Forever So Slow

"iCloud backup is taking hours and days, but never finishes, like forever. It has exhausted all my patience, because every time I try to make a backup for my iPhone 6, iCloud backup is so slow."


How to speed up the iCloud backup? Maybe we should answer why does it work so slow first. It's because that iCloud uses Wi-Fi network to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod. And now here are 6 effective ideas about how to deal with this iCloud backup taking forever question.


Method 1. Clean and Free Up Space on Device before Backing Up to iCloud

Usually, the more space your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch has, the faster and smoother it can make the backup. Therefore, the solution is to clean out useless or unneeded data on your iDevice before backing up to iCloud, especially those junk files like caches and cookies. This is also helpful to fix iCloud backup not working.



Method 2. Turn Off Backup Option for Large Size File Types 

If you have some apps, photos or files that occupy a lot of space and meanwhile are not indispensable, I suggest you disable them. Because it will cause the online backup process takes hours to finish. Or you can alternatively back them up by using iTunes.



Method 3. Disable Useless Previous iCloud Backup 

Don't be addicted to hoarding. Only those essential and useful data types that matters, so you should turn off some unnecessary backup.

About how to turn off Apps that you do not often use it, you can follow the steps below:


On your iPhone or iPad, go to "Settings", and in General, find "Storage & iCloud Usage" and tap on it. Now you will see "Manage Storage in iCloud column" and tap on it. In "BACKUPS" column, you need to select the device you want to manage if you've logged in one Apple ID on more than one iDevice). Next, "CHOOSE DATA TO BACK UP" column and tap on "Show All Apps". This new page is used to select the unnecessary Apps and turn it off. Finally, tap on "Turn Off & Delete".



Method 4: Export Large Photos and Videos to PC/Mac, Not iCloud 

I am not going to persuade you into backing up your photos to the computer instead of iCloud, because I think sooner or later you will take this solution automatically. For example, it is not rare that we always have photos and videos to take up a large part of storage. So if keep on cramming them into iCould, it will be eaten up very fast.


Here is a recommended transfer tool - FoneCope Phone Manager. It can fastly put your large pictures and videos back and forth among iPhone, iPad, and computer.


download on Win    download on Mac

Step 1. Backup all pictures to a computer in one click

Download this software first. Unlike Windows or Mac built-in Applications, it is able to export all photos including camera roll, photo library, my photo stream, and photo shared. Click "Transfer" now.

toolkit home


Step 2. Backup multiple photos videos to a computer in bulks

Moreover, it also enables you to export multiple photos from iPhone to PC or Mac.

transfer photos videos from device to pc


Step 3. Remove the media files you transferred from your iPhone/iPad

When you have all the photo stored in your computer, you can remove them from the device before syncing to iCloud backup. This way can speed up the iCloud backup speed.

remove photos after backing up to pc


download on Win    download on Mac


Method 5. Make Sure Have A Good Wifi Internet Connection

As what have mentioned, iCloud backup is an Internet network based. It is reasonable that an effective & fast Internet connection can speed up the backup process. Likewise, close other working apps and programs that are sharing the internet.


Another easy and useful option is to make good use of your sleep time. Before you go to bed at night, connect iPhone to good Wi-Fi network as well as charge it so that iCloud can backup data online silently. Then in the next mornig you wake up, iCloud should already has your files backed up successfully.



Method 6. iCloud Backup Best Alternative: iOS Data Backup & Restore.

The above solutions are really helpful, but to be honest, they remove iCould backup's congenital deficiency. However, as some users have known, now, we have iCloud backup's best alternative: Fone Toolkit iOS Data Backup & Restore. This software gives you an option to selectively backup files, unlike iCloud. Moreover, it featured with one-click backup and can solve all your data backup problems in no time.


download on Win    download on Mac


And if you really want to get rid of iCloud backup taking forever, please follow the simple steps given below:


Step 1. First of all, you should download and launch the software on Windows PC/Mac. And then, the Backup & Restore is your choice. You need a USB Cable to connect your iOS device to the computer for the software to recognize it instantly.

toolkit home


Step 2. Next, this program will recognize the data stored on your iPhone/iPad that could be backed up. After that, all the files and content will be displayed before you as shown below. After you select the data which needs to be backed up "Backup" is the very button.

choose data type to backup and restore ios


Step 3. Just wait several minutes, and you will find the backup is already done. So just wait and see how long it will take.

view backup history ios


step 4. The backup data can be seen in a folder or individually as files and can be exported to a location of your choice.

iselect folder to export your ios data


Or you can just restore to device after selecting significant files.

restoring ios backup to device


download on Win    download on Mac



The Bottom Line

Definitely, iOS Data Backup & Restore toolkit is preferred for its increased speed and effectiveness. But we still have to admit that even though iCloud backup taking forever is time-consuming but still is preferred by many, thus, the tips given above can help you make it faster. So just choose one of them that you are familiar with.


Last Updated: January 04, 2019

Author: Daniel Lee  /     

Editor of FoneCope, does great in fixing Android and Apple device related problems, writing technical tips step by step.


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