iPhone backup stored on Macbook moved to ICloud?

[AnnicaDenmark]

Hello guys!

Please help me! I have a problem and I am not a genuis in all this...

Long story short:

I backed up my Iphone 11 through Music. I reset my Iphone and when i needed the backup it was gone. Music could not locate any backup.

I have found the backup using the "~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/" but I don't know the next step from here to get it back on my Iphone. What can i do? I have searched and searched but i just can't figure this out.

Please help a desperate newbie!

 

[lostom]

Hello guys!

Please help me! I have a problem and I am not a genuis in all this...

Long story short:

I backed up my Iphone 11 through Music. I reset my Iphone and when i needed the backup it was gone. Music could not locate any backup.

I have found the backup using the "~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/" but I don't know the next step from here to get it back on my Iphone. What can i do? I have searched and searched but i just can't figure this out.

Please help a desperate newbie!

When you say "reset your phone" do you mean, erased everything to a new phone state?

If so, you should be able to do (with your phone connected to your computer), restore from backup.
Select the backup you want - probably the latest and setup your phone from that.

Have you used iCloud in the past on your phone?, you can restore a "new" phone from there as well.
As the phone goes through it's start up, select - set up manually and restore from iCloud.

 

[Mike Boreham]

You don't need to go via Music app, though it goes to the same place.

Open Finder and it should visible in the Sidebar like this:

It does sometimes need a bit of encouragement to appear. Use a cable if it hasn't been set to use to use wifi, and cable will be quicker anyway.

Your backup is in the correct location so you should be able to restore the backup.

iCloud backup is good alternative and happens automatically every night if turned on.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

Hi

Yes i reset the phone - Deleting everything on it, so its new phone state.

I have tried to connect my phone to Itunes but there is not a backup available.
I found my backup by typing "~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. I moved the whole folder to my ICloud and tried to back it up that way but still it tells me that there is no backup to find.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

You don't need to go via Music app, though it goes to the same place.

Open Finder and it should visible in the Sidebar like this:

View attachment 1738383

It does sometimes need a bit of encouragement to appear. Use a cable if it hasn't been set to use to use wifi, and cable will be quicker anyway.

Your backup is in the correct location so you should be able to restore the backup.

iCloud backup is good alternative and happens automatically every night if turned on.

What is visible?
When i connect my phone i also see it in the sidebar.
I just don't understand why the Phone don't want to accept the backup if its in the correct place....

 

[Mike Boreham]

What is visible?
When i connect my phone i also see it in the sidebar.
I just don't understand why the Phone don't want to accept the backup if its in the correct place....

You can't move the ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync backup to iCloud. That was a mistake. Is it still in your user library? Where did you move it to? can you move it back?

You may need to make your user library visible.

iCloud backup of the phone is quite different. With iCloud Backup turned on in your AppleID settings it will make its own backup to iCloud, and which can be used for a full restore instead of the Finder one.

You mention iTunes...what macOS are you using?

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

I moved it back to the originale location when i figured out i couldn't back it up from there.

I now did what the article told me to do / I made my user library visible.

I am using Mac os Catalina - Every article is just talking about iTunes but i have Music.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I moved it back to the originale location when i figured out i couldn't back it up from there.

I now did what the article told me to do / I made my user library visible.

I am using Mac os Catalina - Every article is just talking about iTunes but i have Music.

Finder does what iTunes used to do. This is the screen I see in Finder for my iPhone 12. Do you see this?

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

I see the same

 

[Mike Boreham]

I see the same

What do you see when you click manage backups? I see this....these are what is in my Application Support/MobileSync folder.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

I see this...

 

[Mike Boreham]

That explains why you are not being offered a backup. Maybe something went wrong during you attempt to move out it to iCloud and back again.

Did you definitely put it back in the User Library not the main library. Can you send a screenshot of your ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup folder Mine looks like this: Ignore reference to iMazing and that my "Backup" folder is a symlink. Yours should look similar.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

Before i moved the backup to iCloud i had the same empty box.

Here is a screenshot

 

[Mike Boreham]

Before i moved the backup to iCloud i had the same empty box.

Here is a screenshot

That has me stumped. From that screenshot there appear to be four devices backed up, but Manage Backups is not seeing any of them.

What is that iCloud Backup folder...is that something you created? I have never seen anything like that. If you put it there I would delete it.

You could try rebooting if you haven't already.

Is there any possibility that iCloud has been backing up the phone without you realising? Not sure whether it is on by default? You can tell by either looking at your iCloud storage usage in Apple ID or on your iPhone Settings > YourName > iCloud > Apps using iCloud > scroll down to iCloud backup. Bit of a long shot this as I think you should see in the Finder if it has been backed up to iCloud. Also don't think it is on by default.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

That has me stumped. From that screenshot there appear to be four devices backed up, but Manage Backups is not seeing any of them.

What is that iCloud Backup folder...is that something you created? I have never seen anything like that. If you put it there I would delete it.

You could try rebooting if you haven't already.

Is there any possibility that iCloud has been backing up the phone without you realising? Not sure whether it is on by default? You can tell by either looking at your iCloud storage usage in Apple ID or on your iPhone Settings > YourName > iCloud > Apps using iCloud > scroll down to iCloud backup. Bit of a long shot this as I think you should see in the Finder if it has been backed up to iCloud. Also don't think it is on by default.

View attachment 1738436View attachment 1738437

There is nothing in that iCloudbackup file - See Screenshot.
I clicked on the Info of the file - See the screenshot.
Its modified because i moved the backup in that folder as well, because i thought that would make a difference but it is created in 2017.

I have already rebooted many times

I have never used iCloud backup before today. I have always backed up in Music, so i know that it hasn't backed up automatically - I wish...

 

[Mike Boreham]

There is nothing in that iCloudbackup file - See Screenshot.
I clicked on the Info of the file - See the screenshot.
Its modified because i moved the backup in that folder as well, because i thought that would make a difference but it is created in 2017.

I have already rebooted many times

I have never used iCloud backup before today. I have always backed up in Music, so i know that it hasn't backed up automatically - I wish...

There is only one screenshot attached to your last post...the one showing the empty iCloud backup folder which I would delete. There is no "Get Info" screenshot.

Here is a theory. The MobileSync/Backup folder had a few backups in it: your most recent one and some from 2017. When you tried to put the most recent one on iCloud and move it back, it went somewhere else. The ones left in the MobileSync/Backup folder are the 2017 ones, which maybe don't show in Manage Backups because they are so old.

What does your MobileSync/Backup folder show in List view?...is your most recent one there? This is mine:

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

There is only one screenshot attached to your last post...the one showing the empty iCloud backup folder which I would delete. There is no "Get Info" screenshot.

Here is a theory. The MobileSync/Backup folder had a few backups in it: your most recent one and some from 2017. When you tried to put the most recent one on iCloud and move it back, it went somewhere else. The ones left in the MobileSync/Backup folder are the 2017 ones, which maybe don't show in Manage Backups because they are so old.

What does your MobileSync/Backup folder show in List view?...is your most recent one there? This is mine:

View attachment 1738448

I have attached the info regarding the Icloudbackup file. I have removed it to the bin now.
Here is the list screenshot.
I have attached the file that shows the file i created for a few days ago - Its also the file with stuff in it

 

[Mike Boreham]

My theory appears to wrong. I am stumped again. Your recent backup appears to be in the right place but it is not being offered as an available backup to restore, and does not appear in "Manage Backups".

I did find this old thread about someone who appeared to have exactly the same problem and solved it, also for someone else. It is old but it might well still work. You may feel it is better to call Apple at this point...or maybe setting it up as a new phone wouldn't be as bad as you think.

Sorry can't help more.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

My theory appears to wrong. I am stumped again. Your recent backup appears to be in the right place but it is not being offered as an available backup to restore, and does not appear in "Manage Backups".

I did find this old thread about someone who appeared to have exactly the same problem and solved it, also for someone else. It is old but it might well still work. You may feel it is better to call Apple at this point...or maybe setting it up as a new phone wouldn't be as bad as you think.

Sorry can't help more.

I will try and look at the link. I don't have apple support or whatever its called. I can also set my phone up as a new phone but i lost all my pictures. It is actually the pictures i really care about in the backup.

Thank you so much for your amazing help!!

 

[Mike Boreham]

I will try and look at the link. I don't have apple support or whatever its called. I can also set my phone up as a new phone but i lost all my pictures. It is actually the pictures i really care about in the backup.

Thank you so much for your amazing help!!

It sounds like you didn't have iCloud Photos turned on then, or they would been your computer in Photos, well worthwhile IMHO

The other way you may be able to get your photos back is a third party app like iMazing which can extract data from your backup. It might even be able to do a full restore to the phone. well worth looking at.

 

[Mike Boreham]

iMazing is quite expensive but there are others that may be cheaper. I would think there is a very high probability of being able to get your photos back, and maybe also restore the whole backup. You could ask them about a trial and buy if it works but not if it doesn't.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

I will try and look at the link. I don't have apple support or whatever its called. I can also set my phone up as a new phone but i lost all my pictures. It is actually the pictures i really care about in the backup.

Thank you so much for your amazing help!!

I just followed that link and did what the girl did in that post. Now i don't know if you read it, but i got as far as to this "Now, with that info on your clipboard, close this file and go back to the backup folder. Now open the back up that you actually want (the older one that is not showing up in itunes). In that folder you will also find the Info.plist"
The folder where i have the back up located do not have a info.plist. It only has a status.plist....

 

[Mike Boreham]

I just followed that link and did what the girl did in that post. Now i don't know if you read it, but i got as far as to this "Now, with that info on your clipboard, close this file and go back to the backup folder. Now open the back up that you actually want (the older one that is not showing up in itunes). In that folder you will also find the Info.plist"
The folder where i have the back up located do not have a info.plist. It only has a status.plist....

Hmm. Personally I wouldn't risk it then. The format could have changed since then.

In your shoes, from what you have said, I would probably setup as new and use iMazing or similar to extract the photos from your backup. If iMazing works it will extract your other data too.

 

[AnnicaDenmark]

Hmm. Personally I wouldn't risk it then. The format could have changed since then.

In your shoes, from what you have said, I would probably setup as new and use iMazing or similar to extract the photos from your backup. If iMazing works it will extract your other data too.

I have downloaded iMazing but can't really get it to do anything with the folders

 

[Mike Boreham]

I am not that familiar with iMazing but can't you navigate to the MobileSync/Backup folder and point it at them. Maybe explain your situation to iMazing Support.