iTunes Could Not Back Up the iPhone Because Not Enough Free Space? 6 Easy Fixes

I plan to update to iOS 14, so I am trying to back-up my iPhone 12 to a MacBook pro, but get an error message saying that I do not have enough free space. After emptying my trash and checking my available HD space, it shows that I have over 200gb left, enough to back up my 128GB iPhone. I do not have time machine set up and my HD is not partitioned. Is anyone else having this problem? Any suggestions?

Many iPhone iPad users reported that when they’re backing up their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iTunes, they get an alert message that says, “iTunes could not backup the iPhone because not enough free space is available on this computer”, just like the user above. If you are also stuck on this iTunes backup error, then here are some solutions to help you solve this not enough space to backup iPhone problem. Also, we will share with you an iTunes alternative to backup your iPhone with ease.

6 Fixes for iTunes Could Not Backup the iPhone Because Not Enough Free Space

When you receive the message “iTunes could not backup the iphone because there is not enough free space on this computer”, you should first check your computer usage, and make sure that you have enough available space on a computer. If your computer is running out of space, you can refer to this How to Free up Space guide to getting several solutions.

However, if iTunes says not enough space for backup but there is, you can try performing the possible methods below.

Method 1. Restart Your Computer and Device

Some temporary system errors will cause backup failure and you will get the notification saying iTunes could not backup the iPhone because not enough free space is available on this computer. You can easily get rid of these temporary system errors by restarting your iPhone and computer. Here are the steps.

Restart iPhone X or later: Press and hold the Side button and either volume button until the power off slider appears > Drag the slider to turn your device completely off > Press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo.

Restart iPhone 8 or earlier: Press and hold the Top (or Side) button until the power off slider appears > Drag the slider to turn your device completely off > Press and hold the Top (or Side) button again until you see the Apple logo.

Restart PC: Go to “Start” and click on “Restart”.

Restart Mac: Click the Apple button on your desktop and when you see the dialog box, click on the Restart button.

Method 2. Upgrade iTunes Version

If you have installed an outdated version of iTunes, then it would lead to the iTunes not enough free space on this computer problem. So, check if your iTunes is updated to the latest version. If not, just update it to fix the iTunes could not back up the iPhone because not enough free space issue.

Method 3. Best iTunes Alternative to Backup iPhone

If the above methods didn’t solve this problem, you can try using an iTunes alternative to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. AnyTrans – iPhone Data Manager is the best iTunes alternative that you can rely on. With AnyTrans, you can backup all iPhone data to Windows or Mac, including photos, videos, text messages, contacts, notes, music, and more. With this tool, you can back up all the data in 1 click and 3 minutes, or, you can also check and select what to back up, just as you like.

Moreoever, AnyTrans also allows you to switch data from Android to iPhone with 1 click, transfer data between iDevices, restore iPhone backup, etc. All iPhone models and iOS versions are supported. Now, let’s check some of its main features.

Now, Download AnyTrans on your computer, and then follow the steps below to backup your iPhone quickly.

Step 1. Launch AnyTrans on your computer > Connect your iPhone to the computer with USB cable > Click on the Backup Manager function on the main interface > Check Back Up Now to backup all files on your iPhone.

Step 2. Click on the Back Up Now button to start the process. If you want to protect your data safe and private, please check the Enable Backup Encryption option and you can also change the backup path.

Don’t Miss: What to Do If I Forgot Backup Password After Encrypting It in iTunes >

Method 4. Delete Corrupted Backups

Could not back up the iPhone because not enough free space is available on this Mac/PC? Deleting corrupted backups to free up more space can be a direct way to get more free space and fix this error. The steps are quite easy. Just follow as below.

Launch iTunes: go to iTunes > Preferences > Devices. Select the backup file and click the Delete Backup button.

Method 5. Check USB Port

Make sure that the USB port is working correctly. You can try connecting to a different USB port or cable. The iTunes could not backup the iPhone because not enough free space is available on this computer problem should be solved.

Method 6. Get out of This Issue via AnyFix

System/iTunes issue troubleshooter, AnyFix – iOS System Recovery, provides an efficient way to get you out of any iTunes/system troubles. If all these methods mentioned above are failed to work this problem out, We truly recommend you give AnyFix a try which won’t let you down.

It can solve 200+ iOS system errors and 130+ iTunes issues, like iTunes not letting me backup iPhone, iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on computer, iTunes cannot recognize iPhone/iPad, stuck in recovery mode, frozen screen, etc. All the issues will be solved in simple clicks.

Here the leading steps will give you a clear tutorial to fix the backup issue.

Step 1. Download AnyFix and run it on your computer > connect your iOS device to the computer > choose the iTunes Repair.

Step 2. Click on the second one – iTunes Connection/Backup/Restore Error > Tap on the Fix Now to go on.

Step 3. In this step, AnyFix will analyze iTunes’ components to check out the problem. Moments later, you will be asked to authorize the administrator right to AnyFix, click on the yes and OK button to continue.

Step 4. Minutes later, you will see the successfully repaired page on your screen.

How to Backup iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch over Wi-Fi

To back up the iPhone over Wi-Fi, you just need to enable the “Air Backup [your iPhone] Automatically” option in AnyTrans. Then it will backup your iPhone automatically when your iPhone and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Please make sure that you have enabled the “WiFi sync option” in iTunes before trying this function.

Step 1. Free Download AnyTrans on your computer > Run it > Click on “Backup Manager” > “Back Up Now”. If this is the first time that you use the Air Backup function, please connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.

Step 2. Check the “Enable [your iPhone] Air Backup”. You can schedule Air Backup frequency as you like. You can also change your backup to the space you like by changing Backup Path.

If you don’t want to continue the Wi-Fi backup plan, just click the “Remove Device” to remove the device from Air Backup history. Then, it will not back up your iPhone anymore.

The Bottom Line

The above are some useful solutions to fix “iTunes could not backup the iPhone because not enough free space is available on this computer”. As you can see, AnyTrans would be your best helper to selectively or 1-click backup iDevice data when you cannot backup iPhone/iPad/iPod with iTunes. And if this issue is caused by iTunes errors, you can also try AnyFix to fix. Just choose a methods you like to solve this problem now.