How Much Space Do You Need To Restore Iphone

iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone

Trying to restore from backup, the process starts in iTunes, the iPhone restarts, but then I get an error message: iTunes could not restore the iPhone because not enough free space is available on the iPhone. Does anyone know how to fix this?

- Question from Reddit

Generally, there are three situations when we choose to restore iTunes backup to iPhone: get back lost iPhone data; fix iOS problems; transfer data to new iPhone. However, various iTunes restore problems happening now and then, which prevents us from successfully completing the restoration.

This time you get a message says that iTunes could not restore iPhone because not enough free space on iPhone like the user mentioned above. You have received this message even if there is enough space to restore the backup file. Well, no matter what the situation, keep reading to see how to fix this error.

Solutions to iTunes Cannot Restore iPhone Not Enough Space on iPhone Error

Below are all the solutions that can help fix "iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone" issue. Or if you feel tired of fixing this error, you can go to the next part to get one iTunes alternative to help you backup and restore iPhone easily.

Solution 1. Check iPhone Storage Space

Since it says that "iTunes could not restore the iPhone because not enough free space is available on the iPhone", the first thing you should do is to check your iPhone storage space. Go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage to see how much storage space is available on your device.

- If you find the available space is indeed not enough, you may need to free up storage space. You can delete old photos, videos, songs, messages, not commonly used apps, etc.

- If the backup is not larger than the available space on your iPhone but gets the error messages, it seems that the problem is caused by other reasons. In this case, please try the following methods to fix it.

Solution 2. Restart Your Computer and iPhone

Sometimes a simple restart can solve the problem. Disconnect your iPhone from computer and restart your computer and iPhone. Then run iTunes again to have a try.

Solution 3. Update iTunes & iOS to the Latest Version

It's recommended to keep iTunes and iOS up-to-date. The old version of software can cause many problems. So you may try to update iTunes and iOS to the latest version to help solve the "iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone" problem.

▲ Update iTunes

- Click Help on the menu bar on Windows or click iTunes on Mac > Select Check for Updates > If there's a new version, follow the prompts to make it.

- You can also choose to uninstall iTunes from computer and then download the latest version from the Apple website.

iTunes Check For Updates

▲ Update iOS

- Make it on device: Go to Settings >General > Software Update > Tap Download and Install.

- Make it via iTunes: Run iTunes > Plug in your iPhone > Click theDevice tab > Click Check for Update onSummary page > Click Download and Update button on the prompt window.

Solution 4. Check Security Settings

The iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone error may be caused by the security software that installed on your computer or iPhone. The security software may prevent you from restoring your iPhone from the iTunes backup. You can go to have a check the settings of the apps and disable some options or uninstall the security software if necessary.

Bonus Tip: An Easy iPhone Backup & Restore Tool

Although the above methods can help you solve iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone problem, you may meet other errors next time when using iTunes. It's kind of annoying to solve such a problem. In order to not be troubled by these problems, you may try another tool to backup your iPhone.

AOMEI MBackupper, one free PC-based iPhone backup manager is recommended here. It provides 2 easy iPhone data backup & restore solutions. Compared to iTunes, it's more flexible and safer.

Full Backup

You can make a full backup of your iPhone, such as photos, contacts, call history, text messages, memos, calendars and so on. The backup can be done with one click.

Full Backup

Selective Backup

You can also backup data selectively.

- iTunes will not let you choose what you would like to backup/restore but AOMEI MBackupper supports.
- iTunes will not allow you to view the backup files but AOMEI MBackupper supports.
- iTunes will erase the existing data on your device during restore but AOMEI MBackupper will not.

AOMEI MBackupper

The user-friendly interface makes it possible for everyone to handle. Get the tool to explore it by yourself. For the detailed guide, you can click here to learn more.

Conclusion

iTunes backups are usually large in size. You have no choice but to restore the whole backup files to iPhone. It's easy to encounter such iTunes cannot restore iPhone not enough space on iPhone problem.

To avoid such problems in the future, you may try AOMEI MBackupper that supports selective backup and restore.

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