Back up your data before repair

Updated information: September 9, 2026.

Quick answer: A useful backup isn't just an enabled option: it's a recent copy that you can check the date of and, ideally, restore. Before a repair, identify important photos, documents, conversations and codes. Use iCloud, a computer, Time Machine, or other suitable media, then keep your credentials out of the public form.

Open prepare a repair request and also keep recovery assessment handy to check information specific to your model.

In this guide

1. What should be backed up first?
2. How to save an iPhone or an iPad?
3. How to prepare a Mac?
4. How to check the copy without taking any risks?
5. What information should I share with the workshop?

What should be backed up first?

Start with what can't be recreated: photos, videos, personal documents, work, notes, recordings and application data. Add contacts, calendars and conversations if their service doesn't already sync them. Consider passcodes and account recovery methods; a copy of data does not necessarily replace access to the account.

How to save an iPhone or an iPad?

Depending on your setup, use an iCloud backup or an encrypted local backup on a Mac or PC. Check the space, leave the device powered in normal conditions and wait for completion. A photo sync is not always a complete backup. Note the date of the last completed backup in the settings before putting the device down.

How to prepare a Mac?

Time Machine allows you to copy the Mac to external media configured for this purpose. You can also keep essential files separately. Verify that the disk is detected, the backup completes, and important files appear in the history. A drive permanently connected to the same computer is not protected against all incidents.

How to check the copy without taking any risks?

Check the date and size, open a small sample of files and confirm that you have the means to decrypt or connect. Do not delete the original to make room immediately after copying. A restoration tested on a few elements gives more confidence than a simple green symbol.

What information should I share with the workshop?

Explain whether a backup exists, its date, and whether the data is a priority. Do not place any codes, passwords or recovery keys in the form. If access becomes necessary for an agreed test, address this directly and ask when you can reinstate your protections. For unstable support, stop testing and prioritize recovery evaluation.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to know the exact model before asking for advice?

Yes. The model, year, size or variant may change compatibility, price and useful controls.

Does general information replace a diagnosis?

No. This guide helps prepare the application; an ambiguous symptom requires examination of the device concerned.

Where to check prices and address?

Use the Pricing page for benchmarks by model and the Contact page for NAP and benchmark times.

Article prepared by Repair & Coffee. For a request related to your device, use the Quote page or consult the prices per model.

Transform the guide into a verifiable file

To apply “Back up your data before a repair”, create a small folder dedicated to your preparation of a backup. First enter priority data, date, medium, encryption and verification. Add the date, context and what has changed since the last normal operation. The objective is not to make a diagnosis yourself, but to make the observations comparable and to know what information is still missing.

Step 1: Establish the starting point

Describe the device or the offer in precise terms, then return to the central questions of the guide: What should be backed up first?; How to save an iPhone or an iPad?; How to prepare a Mac? Answer each in one factual sentence. If you don't know something, write "to verify" instead of replacing it with a guess. This discipline prevents an estimate from becoming, over the course of discussions, a fact presented as certain.

Step 2: Compare equivalent items

Build two columns and keep the same criteria: priority data, date, medium, encryption and verification. A difference in model, condition, capacity, technology or scope must remain visible. In particular, it is necessary to distinguish between synchronization, copying and restoration. A useful comparison explains each discrepancy; it does not automatically choose the lowest price or the option whose name seems most reassuring.

Step 3: test the least risky hypothesis

Start with external checks that don't open the device or write to its data: observe, note a message, check a known cable, or view system information when the device allows it. Stop if you notice abnormal heat, distortion, mechanical noise, odor or liquid. These signs require a tailored assessment rather than a series of improvised tests.

Step 4: protect the trace and data

Save what can be saved without multiplying manipulations on an unstable medium. Keep a capture of messages, dates, references consulted and description sent. Keep passwords, codes and recovery keys out of a public form. If access becomes useful for an agreed test, ask how it will be used and when you can reinstate your protections.

A concrete decision scenario

Consider two options for your backup preparation. The first seems cheaper, but the model or scope is not described. The second names exactly the device, the work and the price including tax. The second is easier to check, even before deciding. If a cause remains uncertain, add a diagnostic step rather than a randomly chosen part, then repeat the comparison with the result obtained.

Takeaway Questions

• Are the priority data, date, medium, encryption and verification criteria all written?
• Do the model and variant match exactly?
• Is the price indicated including tax with the name of the option?
• Are the data and access required for the test explained?
• Is the following limitation respected: a success icon does not replace a file control?

What this guide does not allow you to conclude

Keep a clear boundary: a success icon is not a substitute for a file check. The text therefore does not make it possible to promise a result, duration, availability or commercial coverage for a particular file. These elements must come from the device, the listing and the conditions actually applicable. An old ad or the offer from another seller does not provide information on the current situation of Repair & Coffee.

Read again before deciding

Reread your backup preparation file as if another person were to understand it without oral explanation. It must be able to identify the model, the facts, the option compared, the price and the unknowns. If a word remains vague, replace it with a question. For a request in Brussels, finally check the address and hours on the Contact page, then keep a copy of what you send.

Additional Questions

What document should I prepare for this subject?

A short statement bringing together priority data, date, support, encryption and verification, with unknowns clearly indicated.

What to do when information is missing?

Note it as a point to check and request a response related to the model or product concerned.

Can we draw any promise from this guide?

No. A success icon does not replace a file check.