Here’s Where Are iPhone Backups Stored on a Mac

Today I will tell you how to find where are iPhone backups stored on Mac or MacBook. Since Mac and Windows computers work differently, the way you access this backup file is not the same for both.

But, in this explanation, I’ll focus only on Mac users. If your computer uses an operating system that isn’t macOS, then this information won’t apply to you.

Methods to find iPhone backups on Mac

There are 3 methods to find iPhone backups from the Mac operating system. Let us share them with you. If you are Backup your iPhone to iCloud drive, then the last method will work for you.

Method 1: Find Where Are iPhone Backups Stored on Mac Through Spotlight

Step 1: To start searching using this method, you’ll first need to open Spotlight. You can do this by pressing the Command key (⌘) and the Spacebar at the same time on your keyboard. Take a look at the image below for reference:

Methods no.1 to find iPhone backups on Mac

Step 2: In the Spotlight search bar, type or copy-paste the following path:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
To find where iPhone backup is stored in Mac Open Spotlight

Step 3: After that, a folder named “Backup” will appear, and that’s where your iPhone backups are stored. Next, open this folder, and you’re finished!

All of the backups you’ve made will be displayed here. If you find the folder is empty, it means you don’t have any backups saved on your Mac.

Method 2: Find Where Are iPhone Backups Stored on Mac Through the Finder

Now, let me explain how you can access the backups using Finder. Just follow the images provided below.

Step 1: To begin, connect your iPhone to your Mac using a data cable. After that, click on the Finder icon.

Step 2: On the left side, you’ll notice the name of your iPhone. Clicking on your iPhone’s name in Finder will display various details about your iPhone.

A image shows some iPhone names

You’ll see an option called “Manage Backup.” When you click on that, you’ll be able to view all the backups of your iPhone. If you want, you can delete these backup files from this screen.

Related Post: How to Connect Two Pairs of AirPods to a MacBook

Method 3: Find Where Are iPhone Backups Stored on iCloud

As I said in the beginning, if your iPhone is backed up in iCloud then follow this method.

First, go to System Settings from MacBook. Then go to Internet Accounts and tap on iCloud.

Click the Manage button next to Account Storage.

iCloud Manage

You will find many apps here. From there you will find an app called Backups, tap on it.

Backups file

That’s it! You will get all of your backups here.

Backup file of Nayan's iPhone

Warnings

If you remove a backup file from the backup folder then that backup file will no longer work. Therefore, Apple recommends that you do not move, edit, or extract the backup file. Because it can ruin the backup file.

What if you accidentally move the backup file to another folder?

In that case, you need to move the file back to the previous folder. Only then you can restore your iPhone using that backup file.

And if you want to delete the unnecessary backup files, then select those backup files and delete them. Also, do not access that file for any other purpose.

Wrapping Up

Alright, in this article, I’ve shared three updated ways to figure out where your iPhone backups are kept on your Mac. Here are the methods:

  1. Using Spotlight Search
  2. Checking via Finder
  3. Exploring iCloud Storage

Feel free to use any of these methods to locate your backup files with ease. Thanks for choosing ntpor as your source of information!

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