Itunes could not back up your iphone because an error occurred

I am using an iPhone 4 running iOS 7.1.2 and am trying to back up the device onto a Window 7 pro (64bit) (4GB RAM, Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU) machine using iTunes 12.0.1.26 using the USB connection. iTunes and iOS are currently up to date. There are a few (less than a month's) updates outstanding for Windows. When I try to back up the iPhone, iTunes gives the following error: 'iTunes could not back up the iPhone "Mike's iPhone" because an error occurred'. Hmm ... no error code! So, I searched on the Internet for solutions or even for potential problems. I have deleted all of the photos on the iPhone. I rebooted the iPhone and PC. I am not using a USB hub. I tried disconnecting from the Internet and disabling all anti-virus software. The iPhone is not jail-broken. I tried backing the iPhone up using an old PC running Windows XP pro, with a fresh installation of iTunes. I still got the same error message. So, I tried installing CopyTrans Shelbee version 1.013 software for managing iPhone backups. This also gave me an error message, albeit a somewhat cryptic one: 'Your device returned an unknown error (open_dprotected_np error: Too many levels of symbolic links (62) at path "/var/mobile/Applications/28EF45E0-435A-4777-823F-8E286739B7ED/Documents/Locati onToCoreData.sqlite" )'. Has anyone had anything similar or have any idea how I might get around the problem? From the Shelbee error message, it looks as though the iPhone itself is having a problem generating the information for the backup rather than the PC application having problems making sense of that information. Failing any solution with iTunes or Shelbee, are there any other backup solutions I might try?

mike.robins,
We've an article that details a number of troubleshooting steps that can help get a backup successfully created in iTunes.
If you can't back up or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod using iTunes
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203271
Cheers,
Allen

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Error Message: iTunes could not back up the iPhone because an error occurred

Error Message: iTunes could not back up the iPhone because an error occurred.
The thing is - I have no idea what error have I encountered!
Usually, I would assume the previous backup file is corrupted and I will proceed to delete the old backups. I did the same this time round, and it's still unable to sync. Now I have no more backup files!
I have tried -
1. Deleting old backup files.
2. Restarting iPhone 4S & iMAC.
3. Remove
I am using iOS 5.1 on iPhone 4S, and iTunes 10.6.1 on Mac OSX Lion. My phone is not jail-broken in the first place.
Does anyone face the same problem?
I need to back up my files!!!

Unfortunately, "because and error occured" doesn't give you much to go on. Some general things I would try if you haven't already:
Use Disk Utility on your mac to repair disk permissions, then reboot and try backing up again.
Use Finder to go to ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/, then control-click on the Backup folder and select Get Info, then check Sharing & Permissions at the bottom and make sure your username has read & write priviledges
Try closing all apps, then reset your phone: double-tap the home button, tap and hold the apps at the bottom until they wiggle, tap the minus sign on all apps to close them. Then reset your phone: hold the on/off and home buttons until you see the Apple logo (ignore the off slider that appears first), and release
Try a different usb to dock connector cable; ensure that your case isn't interfering with a good connection to the dock connector at the bottom of your phone; clean the dock connector at the bottom of your phone (e.g., with a dry toothbrush); troubleshoot your usb connection (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1286)
I know this looks like a laundry list, but unfortunately it's hard to isolate the problem without a clear error message. If the problem persists, you might try posting in the iMac or iTunes forums for other ideas.

Previously posted troubleshooting doesn't work for my error message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because an error occurred". What other options do I have?

Previously posted troubleshooting doesn't work for my error message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because an error occured". What other options do I have to backup my iPhone data properly?

Hi there kchagape,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
iOS: Troubleshooting backup issues in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2529
-Griff W.

Getting an error message when backing up Iphone using itunes. "iTunes could not back up the iphone, because an error occured"

More information
Error message:
Hope this helps.
We have an issue with the iphone as it currently can't connect to a wireless network so cannot back up to iCloud. So trying to backup to itunes before visiting the Apple store to get some help.

Hello sulty09,
Thanks for the question, and welcome to Apple Support Communities.
The following resource outlines the best steps to potentially resolve your issue with backing up in iTunes:
iOS: Troubleshooting backup issues in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2529
Thanks for thinking ahead!
Matt M.

How do I get rid of error message, "iTunes could not back up the iPad because an error occurred."

During a recent syncing of my iPad and iTunes, I cancelled a sync during the backup step of the process. Since then I whenever I sync the ipad I know get, "iTunes could not back up the iPad because an error occurred."
I have reset my iPad and turned off the MacBook, still the message occurs.
Can someone offer some advice on how to get rid of this error message?

You can try deleting your backup. Launch Itunes on your Mac and go to iTunes>Preferences>Devices. Highlight the name of the iPad backup and select delete. Quit iTunes, restart your Mac and try to sync again.

Message "iTunes could not sync contacts to iPhone because an error occurred while committing data"

Hello all. I recently replaced the HD in my MacBook Pro. Just after, I retrieved my old files from the Time Machine backup, which I made just before the replacement. During the first sync of my iPhone via iTunes and while I was trying to sync my contacts I saw the message "iTunes could not sync contacts to iPhone because an error occurred while committing data". After that, I lost my iPhone contacts (I have them only from iCloud). The only problem is contacts, all the others (Calendars, Apps) are normally syncing. Does anybody has a solution? Thanks in advance!

hello,
There was a similiar posting that I have seen from others and they found out that the back up was bad. https://discussions.apple.com/message/6139533#6139533
I would use a previous backup (earlier one) to the one you have tried to just do.

I get error message iTunes could not sync calendars to iPhone because an error occurred while merging data

I get error message iTunes could not sync calendars to iPhone because an error occurred while merging data on my wifes phone how do you correct problem without losing calendars info on phone.

One thing that might help.
1. open itunes preferences from the edit menu and click on the devices tab.
2. check the box to disable syncing for iphones connected to itunes and click ok.
3. Then click the button to reset sync history.
4. Now click ok to close the preferences window.
5. connect the iphone to itunes and go to the info tab.
6. scroll to the bottom of the info page and check the box to replace the ical data on the iphone.
7. then click apply on the bottom right of itunes.
This will overwrite any events on the iphone, including any events that has become corrupted.
Hope this helps

HT4528 I can't seem to sync my iPhone with iTunes. I keep getting this message: iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because an error occurred while reading from this device. What can I do?

I can't seem to sync my iPhone to my computer; I keep getting this message: "iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because an error occurred while reading from this device." I get the same message with my iPad, even though they all share the same account. What can I do?

This could be caused by a USB connection issue. Make sure the iPhone is directly connected to the Mac using the USB cable it came with. Also, try disconnecting all other USB devices.
If you haven't already try resetting the iPhone by holding the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons until you see an Apple logo as described here:http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305743

ITunes could not back up the iPhone because a session could not be started with the iPhone

Hi
I have just updated to iTunes 10.7.(oh it just scrolled off the screen give me 5 minutes for it to come back again) 10.7.0.21 - the latest version
I run Win7 64bit & during installation i got the blue-screen of death & windows crashed
I went to apple website & downloaded iTunes manually & installed (it tried to install in the (x86) folder as usual, so i forced it into the 64 bit program folder like i always have to do.
It now runs fine but when ever i sync in get the error "iTunes could not back up the '' iPhone because a session could not be started with the iPhone"
I have tried deleting the existing backup as suggested in the forums but that didn't solve the problem, and now i have no backups at all
I have restarted the iPhone & the computer but the error is still the same.
PS i have "Encypt local backup" selected, if i try to unselect that option at the moment it says my password is incorrect, my password is correct, i made a record of it & know exactly what password i used but iTunes is saying it is wrong, is this because i have no backups at the moment or is iTunes completely broken
I have also tried to backup to iCloud as a temporary measure but it says i don't have enough space so must buy some!
Any help would be appreciated

Could be that iTune can't read your latest backup file. You might have to delete it, follow this article to find out how to delete the backup from the list: iTunes: "Backup could not be saved on the computer" alert message

ITunes could not back up the iPhone because the back-up could not be saved

I updated my 3GS to the 4os software and after the sync was complete All seemed okay but I am not able to use my camera nor am I able to access my photos on my iphone. It says "updating library" and then closed out of the application. I just tried to sync my phone again (A week later) and I get an error message: "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the back-up could not be saved on the computer" I have 200GB free space on my hard drive so I know it is not a memory issue. Is this the same issue everyone is experiencing?
Is this an iPhone issue or an iTunes issue?
Any suggestions to get this to work?

Hi!
I had the same problem with my iPhone4, and I could resolve it thanks to some ideas that I took from Loopster77´s post.
You have to delete the current iTunes backup directory on your computer, that is on PC:
C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\<40 letters and numbers>
being "xxxxxxxx" the username of the computer owner.
What you have to delete is that "<40 letters and numbers>" directory.
After that, your iTunes will be perfectly capable of doing the backup.
I hope this will help you.

I am getting error message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone". I have deleted the backup and restarted my computer, but continue to get this error message. What do I need to do now?

I have recently updated my phone and am attempting to sync it. I got the error message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone". I deleted the backup, restarted my computer, and even restored the iPhone, but continue to get the same error message. What do I need to do now?

iTunes places the iPhone backup in the following location. Navigate there & delete everything in the backup folder, but not the folder itself. You will have to turn on "Show All Hidden Files & Folders" to see it:
Mac:~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows XP:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Windows Vista and Windows 7:\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

I want to backup my phone before upgrading to ios5 but I get an error message itunes could not back up the iphone because a session could not be started with the iphone. Please help me..

I want to backup my phone before upgrading to ios5 but I get an error message: itunes could not back up the iphone because a session could not be started with the iphone. I want to go to ios5, but I do not want to lose everything. I've gone to my device under preferences and I have no backup currently.
I have a Verizon Iphone 4 and a PC.
Please help me..

Hi Judy,
Im using windows 7 and im not a computer wizard, i've tried the method by using the instruction for Win7 but it does not work, same problem still exist.
Could uninstall itunes and reinstall it back on my pc fix my problem, please advise...... Many Thanks!
VBR,
ray

Itunes could not back up the iPhone because an unknown error occurred

I am trying to update my Iphone 3GS to the 4.01 update, but I keep getting this error: "Itunes could not back up the iPhone because an unknown error occurred" Then Itunes tells me to reconnect my Iphone and try again, I do so...and I retry the update and I get the same error over and over again. What do I do? I can't update my phone...

Nevermind, I misread.
Message was edited by: Melissimo

How to resolve error message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone. Delete the backup for this iPhone, then try again."

I inadvertently deleted my iPhone backup on my MacBook Pro. I restored iPhone to factory settings and then synced remotely with iCloud. However the error message repeatedly states:
iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone. Delete the backup for this iPhone, then try again.
Any ideas as to how this can be resolved please. Thank you very much.

My wife's iPhone 5 would not backup, after upgrading to iOS 8.     The "genius" at the Apple store succeeded in DELETING, the only recent backup of her phone so
recovery became more critical.
I followed all the procedures for troubleshooting it, but still it would try to backup and then stop due to an error. We particularly wanted to preserve some game data/history/progress that she'd been working on for years.      This game (Dream Fish) would no longer open after the iOS 8 upgrade ... and the phone would not successfully backup, and so we had no confidence that it would restore from an older backup either.       I googled for solution and found Phoneview and iFunBox.      These apps allow you to see & access data files in the iPhone.      Phoneview was too fragile and crashed when copying a file any size.
I found "iFunBox".     iFunBox was excellent.      I used iFunBox to recover her game data.    It allows you to make a copy of data files that reside on the iPhone... and store them as a manual backup on the Mac.
And in the process I found 2 games that caused iFunBox to crash.      The 2 games in question were not important enough to try to keep, so I deleted them from the iPhone.
So then, I had a manual backup of the important iPhone data, and had eliminated two game files that apparently had a conflict with iOS 8.
My next Backup attempt was successful.        The iPhone with iOS 8 would now backup to both the Mac and to the Cloud.
Next I deleted Dream Fish from the iPhone and downloaded a fresh version from the Cloud.    The new Dream Fish with no history opened in iOS 8.
Then I used iFunBox to copy my wife's Dream Fish data history from the Mac back into the new game.
Once the transfer was complete, Dream Fish would now OPEN and all of her progress was there and working like normal.
Hope this helps.

HT1766 Error message: "iTunes could not back up the iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone. Delete the backup for this iPhone, then try again." But how do I delete the backup?

Error message when attempting to backup up iPhone4S to Mac says "iTunes could not back up the iphone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone. Delete the backup for this iPhone, then try again." But how do I delete the backup? Can't find answer to that anywhere.

We had this problem after upgrading to iOS 8.       The iPhone 5 would not backup either to the cloud or to the computer.   Backup always ended with an error message.
Long story short, with the help of iFunBox ( which I used to make manual backups of some important iPhone data files ), I discovered two games that
would crash iFunBox.      They were not important games for us, so I didn't try to isolate the offending data files.     And I deleted the two games from the iPhone.
Apparently these two games conflicted with iOS 8 just as they did with iFunBox.      The next backup without those games was then successful.
I backed up to both the Mac and the cloud.
Hope this helps.

Itunes could not back up your iphone because an error occurred

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