This is a complete guide on how to find your iPhone backup’s location on Mac and Windows computers.
Despite iTunes backup (only on PC) feeling old school, it’s still the favorite way to back up iPhone for many iOS device users.
If you have ever synced your iPhone, your iPad, or other iOS devices to your Mac, you have backup folders stored on your users’ folder.
But most people (including me) never bother to find their iPhone backup location on their computers until they really need it. And you may wonder how can I view iPhone backup files or where are iPhone backups stored?
In this article, you’ll learn how and where to find your iPhone backups on your Mac or Windows PC.
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How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Mac
How to view iPhone backup files on Mac?
Your iPhone backup location is buried into a directory on your Mac. Regardless of what version of macOS your Mac is running, all backup files are backed up and stored at the following location:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Method 1
You can locate your iPhone backup location by clicking on the Search icon (magnifying glass) located on the right of the menu bar. Then, copy and paste the following command:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
A window will appear on the screen with your most recent backups. As you can see, my last backup was September 26, 2019.
Method 2
Alternatively, you can open a Finder window, click on “Go” located in the menu bar, then scroll down and click on “Go to Folder”. You could also simply hit “Command + Shift + G” on the keyboard.
The preference box with an input field will pop up on the screen, type in the following command:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Method 3
You could also find your iPhone backup location while you’re on iTunes. Click on “iTunes” in the upper left corner of your Mac, then click on “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
From the window that appears on the screen, you’ll see all of your currently stored backups. Hold down the “Control key” and click on a specific device.
Then, click on “Show in Finder” from the list of available options to locate the location of your iPhone backup. You can delete or archive your backups if it’s what you desire.
How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Windows PC
On Windows computers, your iPhone backup’s location may be different depending on the version of the operating system.
Here’s how to view iPhone backup files on a Windows PC:
- Open your search box.
- Windows 7: Click Start
- Windows 8: Click the magnifying glass in the top-right corner
- Windows 10: Click the Search box next to the Start button
- Click inside the search bar and type: %appdata% (with the percents)
- Press Enter (Return) on your keyboard
- Then, open these folders: Apple Computer > MobileSync > Backup
Wrap-Up: iPhone Backup Location
There you have it. That’s how you find your iPhone backup location on your Mac or Windows PC.
You have different methods to find your iPhone backup’s location on your Mac computer. Feel free to choose the one that works best for you. For Windows computers, you only need to make a simple search.
If you’ve set a password when you back up your iPhone and forgot it, here’s what you need to do when you forgot your iPhone backup password.
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