iPad Won’t Backup To iCloud? Here’s How to Fix it

Every morning, you wake up to find that your iPad hasn’t been backed up to iCloud in days or weeks, and you don’t know what to do. Or maybe you’re trying to back up your iPad manually, but you keep getting error messages. Before you yell “My iPad won’t backup to iCloud!” you should know that this is a very common problem on iPad and the fix is simple. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix the problem when your iPad won’t backup to iCloud.

Why Won’t My iPad Backup To iCloud?

There are a number of reasons your iPad may not be able to backup to iCloud. Fortunately, most are relatively easy to fix. For an iCloud backup to work, your iPad needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and there needs to be enough storage space on iCloud to store your backup — so that’s where we’ll start. I’ll show you how to fix those two most common issues that interfere with iCloud backups: no Wi-Fi connection and not enough iCloud storage space.

Note: For iCloud backups to work overnight, 4 things need to happen: Your iPad needs to be connected to Wi-Fi, there has to be enough iCloud storage space available, the iPad needs to be plugged in, and the screen has to be off (meaning that your iPad is asleep).

1. Make Sure Your iPad Is Connected To Wi-Fi

iCloud backups only work over a Wi-Fi connection because of the amount of data that can be backed up in a single backup. If your iPad wasn’t connected to Wi-Fi, you could burn through your entire wireless data plan overnight. Even if you have unlimited data, it’s usually slower than Wi-Fi and the backup could literally take days to complete. Here’s how to make sure your iPad is connected to Wi-Fi:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Wi-Fi at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the Wi-Fi network you’d like to connect to.
4. Type in the network password if prompted and press the Done button at the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Now that you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, try performing an iCloud backup by doing the following:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap your name at the top of the settings screen and then tap "iCloud."
3. Tap iCloud Backup. Make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is turned on.
4. Tap Back Up Now.

2. Make Sure You Have Enough iCloud Storage

It’s possible that you don’t have enough space on iCloud – particularly if you have more than one iOS device. You can choose to back up fewer items to make better use of the available space, or you can purchase more storage space.

To manage your storage:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top of the settings screen.
3. Tap "iCloud" and then tap "Manage Storage."
4. Tap "Backups" and then tap the entry for your iPad.

Under "Next Backup Size," you should now see a list of all the apps installed on your iPad. (You might need to tap "Show All Apps" to see them all.) Since iPadOS stores all the data with its app, turning off an app like "Photos" also stops the iPad from backing up your photos and videos.

If you’d rather purchase additional storage, do this:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top of the settings screen.
3. Tap "iCloud" and then tap "Manage Storage."
4. Tap "Change Storage Plan." From here you can choose a storage plan and payment options.

Once you’ve ensured you have enough iCloud storage, try backing up your iPad again by following the steps above.

Sign Out Of And Back Into Your iCloud Account

Another possible solution when your iPad won’t backup to iCloud is to sign out of and back into iCloud on your iPad. This can fix any verification issues that may be preventing iCloud backups from working.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on **your name **at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
4. Tap Sign Out But Don’t Erase.
5. Tap Continue.
6. Select any iCloud data you would like to keep stored on your iPad.
7. Tap Sign Out, then **Sign Out **again to confirm.

Does Signing Out Of iCloud Permanently Delete The Files On My iPad?

A few readers have asked about the pop-up that appears on your iPad when you sign out of iCloud. The message says that you’ll be removing (or deleting) data from your iPad. I completely understand the apprehension a lot of people feel when they see it, but there’s nothing to worry about.

Think of iCloud like a record building that keeps copies of all of the files on your iPad. Even though you’re removing them from your iPad, all of your files are stored in iCloud Drive for safe keeping. When you sign back in with your iPad, all of your data will automatically redownload to your iPad. You won’t lose anything in the process.

4. Reset All Settings

If you’re still having issues backing up your iPad to iCloud, it’s time to reset your iPad’s settings. This process won’t wipe any content from your iPad — only the system settings like Wi-Fi network passwords, Accessibility settings, etc. In turn, this reset may erase any settings interfering with your iCloud backups.

1. Open Settings on your iPad.
2. Tap General -> Transfer Or Reset iPad -> Reset -> Reset All Settings and confirm that you’d like to proceed. After your iPad restarts, test your it by performing another iCloud backup. If it doesn’t backup, read on.

5. Backup Your iPad In iTunes Or Finder

If the fixes above didn’t work, you may need to restore your device. Before doing this, however, connect your iPad to your computer and back it up using iTunes or Finder (on Macs running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer). To back up iPad using your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Connect iPad and your computer with a cable.
2. In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, click your iPad.
   To use the Finder to back up iPad, macOS 10.15 or later is required. With earlier versions of macOS, [use iTunes to back up iPad.
3. At the top of the Finder window, click General.
4. Select "Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac."
5. To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, select "Encrypt local backup."
6. Click Back Up Now.

To back up iPad using your Windows device, follow these steps:

1. Connect iPad and your computer with a cable.
2. In the iTunes app on your Windows device, click the iPad button near the top left of the iTunes window.
3. Click Summary.
4. Click Back Up Now (below Backups).
5. To encrypt your backups, select "Encrypt local backup," type a password, then click Set Password.

To see the backups stored on your computer, choose Edit > Preferences, then click Devices. Encrypted backups have a lock icon in the list of backups.

6. DFU Restore Your iPad

After your backup has completed, follow our tutorial on how to DFU restore your iPad. A DFU restore is different from a traditional iPad restore as it erases both your iPad’s software and hardware settings, clearing your iPad of any potential issues and bugs. This type of restore is often seen as the end-all-be-all solution for iOS software glitches.

iPad Backing Up To iCloud Again

And there you have it: Your data is safe because you iPad is backing up to iCloud once again. Make sure to share this article on social media to teach your friends and family what to do when their iPad won’t backup to iCloud. If you have any other iCloud issues, let us know in the comments section below!

See also: How to back up an iPad