Where are my iPhone Backups stored on my Mac's HD?

james-bailey · Nov 7, 2011, 02:50 PM

Hey there, just wondering where the location is of my iPhones backups created by iTunes on my Mac's hard drive?

Id like to save them and not overwrite a certain one.

Also, does it matter what OS was on the phone at the time of the backup? I figure that one may of been from like IOS 4.2 - would that be able to be restored to a phone now on IOS 5?

Thanks

deeddawg · Nov 7, 2011, 02:54 PM

From putting "iphone backup location" into Google:

http://osxdaily.com/2009/09/11/iphone-backup-location/ says:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
or C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

r2shyyou · Nov 7, 2011, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james-bailey

Hey there, just wondering where the location is of my iPhones backups created by iTunes on my Mac's hard drive?

Id like to save them and not overwrite a certain one.

Also, does it matter what OS was on the phone at the time of the backup? I figure that one may of been from like IOS 4.2 - would that be able to be restored to a phone now on IOS 5?

Thanks

I believe in the following location:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

I'm away from my Mac so I can't confirm but I'm guessing others will chime in.

james-bailey · Nov 7, 2011, 03:03 PM

Yeah that location is what I googled, however in Macintosh HD / Library / Application Support I dont have a folder called MobileSync?

----------

Even if I type MobileSync into Spotlight it doesnt show anywhere on my HD?

PNutts · Nov 7, 2011, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeddawg

From putting "iphone backup location" into Google:

http://osxdaily.com/2009/09/11/iphone-backup-location/ says:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
or C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Well played, sir.

deeddawg · Nov 8, 2011, 09:26 AM

@james-bailey: Don't forget the ~ in the beginning, that shortcuts to your user directory.

~/Library is a "hidden" area, to get to it you need to use "Go to Folder" from Finder, either via the Go->Go to Folder menu item or Shift+Command+G keyboard shortcut and put ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ into the popup box.

Lovbrekke · Sep 14, 2012, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeddawg

@james-bailey: Don't forget the ~ in the beginning, that shortcuts to your user directory.

~/Library is a "hidden" area, to get to it you need to use "Go to Folder" from Finder, either via the Go->Go to Folder menu item or Shift+Command+G keyboard shortcut and put ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ into the popup box.

Thanks for the help

fayskelley · Feb 11, 2013, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeddawg

@james-bailey: Don't forget the ~ in the beginning, that shortcuts to your user directory.

~/Library is a "hidden" area, to get to it you need to use "Go to Folder" from Finder, either via the Go->Go to Folder menu item or Shift+Command+G keyboard shortcut and put ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ into the popup box.

doesn't seem to work for me, I have tried finding it using various approaches

just backed up my iPhone 4S... used several GB so it is somewhere
on the HD

Eeeeek ! :-/

jarham · Feb 17, 2013, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fayskelley

doesn't seem to work for me, I have tried finding it using various approaches

just backed up my iPhone 4S... used several GB so it is somewhere
on the HD

Eeeeek ! :-/

Me, either. Why's Apple gotta change stuff like this, and not make you aware? It's like, you leave your house for an hour, come back, and discover a celebrity home redesigner has swept in and rearranged all your furniture, you can't find your shoes, all your books have been exchanged for ones in different languages, and you're pretty sure that's not your dog.

Mafa2 · Mar 30, 2013, 12:15 PM

I think a number of people are confusing

/Library with

~/Library

The ~ is a shortcut for the current logged in users home directory.
eg /Users/<userdirectory>

The backups are in a subdirectory of the Users directory not in the global system wide library

jennyandaisy · Apr 3, 2013, 05:36 PM

Thanks to your detailed instruction (and the details about how to open a hidden folder), I have found the old backup that I need.

However, it doesn't show up in iTunes as an option to use to restore my iPhone. How can I use the old backup? All my contacts randomly disappeared, and they're not on the most recent backup in iTunes because it created a new backup as soon as I connected it to my computer. Thanks for any suggestions!!

Nov 7, 2011, 02:50 PM	#1
james-bailey macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2010	Where are my iPhone Backups stored on my Mac's HD? Hey there, just wondering where the location is of my iPhones backups created by iTunes on my Mac's hard drive? Id like to save them and not overwrite a certain one. Also, does it matter what OS was on the phone at the time of the backup? I figure that one may of been from like IOS 4.2 - would that be able to be restored to a phone now on IOS 5? Thanks
	1

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Nov 7, 2011, 02:54 PM	#2
deeddawg macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: US	From putting "iphone backup location" into Google: http://osxdaily.com/2009/09/11/iphone-backup-location/ says: Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup or C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
	1

Nov 7, 2011, 03:03 PM	#4
james-bailey Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2010	Yeah that location is what I googled, however in Macintosh HD / Library / Application Support I dont have a folder called MobileSync? ---------- Even if I type MobileSync into Spotlight it doesnt show anywhere on my HD?
	1

Nov 8, 2011, 09:26 AM	#6
deeddawg macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: US	@james-bailey: Don't forget the ~ in the beginning, that shortcuts to your user directory. ~/Library is a "hidden" area, to get to it you need to use "Go to Folder" from Finder, either via the Go->Go to Folder menu item or Shift+Command+G keyboard shortcut and put ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ into the popup box.
	3

Mar 30, 2013, 12:15 PM	#10
Mafa2 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2013	I think a number of people are confusing /Library with ~/Library The ~ is a shortcut for the current logged in users home directory. eg /Users/<userdirectory> The backups are in a subdirectory of the Users directory not in the global system wide library
	0

Apr 3, 2013, 05:36 PM	#11
jennyandaisy macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2013	Thanks to your detailed instruction (and the details about how to open a hidden folder), I have found the old backup that I need. However, it doesn't show up in iTunes as an option to use to restore my iPhone. How can I use the old backup? All my contacts randomly disappeared, and they're not on the most recent backup in iTunes because it created a new backup as soon as I connected it to my computer. Thanks for any suggestions!!
	0