Solved | How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Windows 10 and Mac

Updated on Jun 19, 2024 | by Woodward

If you have no clues about where to find your iPhone backup location on Windows 10 or Mac, relax, this page will tell you how. Plus, if you want to change iPhone backup location, delete backup files, or back up iPhone files, we also prepare some tips for you to get it done.

PAGE CONTENT:

Part 1. Where Does iTunes Store Backups on Windows 10 and Mac
Part 2. How to Change iPhone Backup Location on Windows 10
Part 3. How to Delete Backup Files in Windows 10
Part 4. How to Backup iPhone to Mac and Windows

Part 1. Where Does iTunes Store Backups on Windows 10 and Mac

Generally speaking, iTunes saves backups to a Backup folder in your Users folder, and the specific location of the Backup folder varies by different versions of the operating system. Here are some tips to find your iPhone backup location on Windows and Mac.

Before you proceed, remember that you can copy the backup folder, but you should never drag it to a different folder, external drive, or somewhere else. Also, remember that any changes you make to your backup files might ruin your files.

on Windows 7,8, or 10

On Windows PCs, you can either choose to follow the below paths to find your iPhone backup location or use the below steps to get the job done.

On Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10, you can locate the path: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup.
On Windows XP, you can locate the path: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup.
The Microsoft Store iTunes backup in \Users\(username)\AppleMobileSync\Backup.

Step 1. Find the Search bar on your computer.

Step 2. In the Search bar, enter %appdata% or %USERPROFILE%.

Step 3. Press "Return."

Step 4. Double-click "Apple" or "Apple Computer" > MobileSync > Backup.

On macOS or OS X:

Usually, your iPhone backups are stored in: /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. If you fail to find it by following this path, then you can follow the steps below to find your iPhone backup location on Mac.

Step 1. Open the Finder or iTunes on your Mac, and then click your device.

Step 2. In the Finder or General tab, click "Manage Backups" to see a list of your backups.

Step 3. In the Finder, you can directly choose the backup you want and choose "Show in Finder." In iTunes, you need to click on Preference and click your device icon, then choose "Show in Finder." Once you choose, click "OK."

Find iPhone backup on Mac

Part 2. How to Change iPhone Backup Location on Windows 10

Generally, you can change the iPhone backup location in two ways - default way via Windows and non-official way with Qiling MobiMover. Compared with the steps of the two methods, the latter is easier.

Option 1. Change iPhone backup location in the default way

Before getting started, you'll need to prepare:

A PC running Windows Vista or newer
Some available iTunes backup

Note: Once you change the location, you can't restore your iPhone with the relocated backup unless moving it back to its default location.

Step 1. Open the iTunes backup location by using methods offered in Part 1.

Step 2. You'll then see a folder labeled "Backup" - the default location that contains your iPhone backups. Press the F2 key on your keyboard to rename the "Backup" folder to a different name like Backup. old.

Change iTunes backup location

Step 3. Hold down the "Shift" key and right-click a blank area within File Explore to open the context menu.

Step 4. Select the "Open PowerShell window here" (Also called "Open command window here").

Change iTunes backup

Step 5. Enter the command as listed below.

For desktop iTunes users: cmd /c mklink /J "%APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\New iTunes Backup"

For Windows Store iTunes users: cmd /c mklink /J "C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Apple\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\New iTunes Backup"

Step 6. Press the "Enter" key to execute the command. After everything has been done, you'll see a new folder named Backup appears within the MobileSync folder.

iTunes backup folder

Also Read: 2 Methods to Change iTunes Backup Location on Mac

Option 2. An easier way to change iPhone backup location

Quite frankly, we don't recommend you to change the default iPhone backup location on your computer because any improper operations you do or changes you made during the process may ruin your backup files. For Apple, this is a yet to be solved technical problem. If you don't want to lose any important backup files, just try some other backup solutions instead.

There are many backup tools in the market. Most of such tools do a good job in data backup. Here we'll mainly focus on this perfect iTunes alternative - Qiling MobiMover.

Compared with iTunes and iCloud, this program offers more backup options, such as:

It offers two backup solutions - backup the entire iPhone/iPad or backup only selected files.
It allows you to set the default backup location.
It lets you transfer iOS files between iOS devices seamlessly.
It provides additional tools: video downloader, WhatsApp manager, and data management tool.

You can now free download Qiling MobiMover on your computer and start to back up files with ease.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your PC running Windows 7/8/10 with a USB cable. Tap "Trust" on your iPhone screen if asked. Run Qiling MobiMover and navigate to "Backup Manager" > "Back up".

Step 2. All the supported categories are selected by default. Click "One-Click" backup to start backing up your iPhone to PC.

Step 3. Wait patiently until the backup process completes.

Part 3. How to Delete iPhone Backup Files on Mac

Deleting iPhone backups can be easily done on Windows and Mac computers as long as you locate the backup files. And the detailed steps on how to find iPhone backup location have been introduced in Part 1, so we won't list the steps in this part.

But on macOS Catalina, users use Finder to manage their iPhone backup files. So, the process is somewhat different.

Step 1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac with a USB cable.

Step 2. Launch Finder and click your iPhone in the left sidebar.

Step 3. Under the "Backup" section, click "Manage Backups..."

Step 4. Click "Delete Backup" in the bottom left corner.

Part 4. How to Backup iPhone to Mac and Windows

Backing up data is a good habit that is worth persevering. Not only does it make sense in case your iPhone or iPad is stolen or your system crashes, but it also means that you have more options for recovery when you need these files.

There are plenty of options available for you looking to backup your data, all with their pros and cons. Here we'd like to introduce some backup solutions for both Mac and Windows users. You can choose either one of them based on your needs.

For Windows users, you can either use iTunes, iCloud, or Qiling MobiMover to back up your iPhone.

For Mac users, you can use iTunes, iCloud, Qiling MobiMover, and Finder to make a copy of your iPhone data.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, it is not easy to find or change the iPhone backup location on Windows and Mac computers. But don't worry, Qiling MobiMover can simplify the procedure. Not only that, but it can also allow you to modify, rename, or extract backup contents.

We hope this guide is helpful to you. If it does, don't forget to share it with your friends who need it.