If you accidentally deleted some information from an iOS device and hope to recover it, an iTunes backup can be a great help.
iTunes backups happen automatically, each time you connect your iPad or iPhone with iTunes (if you didn’t turn on the iCloud Backup option), or manually, when you right-click the device in iTunes and choose ‘’Back Up’’. They are saved on your computer and contain important data, such as contacts, text messages, calendar, notes, call history and app data.
So where are iPhone or iPad backups stored? It depends on which operating system your computer is using, although the default backup location is the same between iOS versions.
Where is the iTunes backup folder on Windows?
iTunes backups are stored in %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync on Windows.
On Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista, this'll be a path like \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup.
With Windows XP that'd be similar to \Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup.
The Microsoft Store version of iTunes is a little different: it stores its backups under %HOMEPATH%\Apple\MobileSync. That'll be a path like \Users\[USERNAME]\Apple\MobileSync\Backup.
Where is the iTunes backup folder on macOS / OS X?
iTunes backups are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync on macOS.
That folder is typically at /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup.
In macOS 10.15, Finder creates iPhone backups, instead of iTunes. However, these backups are stored in the same location.
How to find the iTunes backup folder automatically
iPhone Backup Extractor automatically finds the iTunes backup folder for you, and can open it with a click. This functionality is in the free version, so this won't cost a thing.
- Download and install iPhone Backup Extractor
- Open the Preferences window from the app's pull-down menu
- Select the Backups tab.
- Where the window says "We always look for backups in your default folder", click the "default folder" link. Easy!
Opening the iTunes backup folder on Windows
Open the default Backup location in Explorer using the Windows Run command. Press ⊞ Win + \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup0 and the Run window should appear. Enter %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync and press \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup2.
For the Microsoft Store version of iTunes, you could do this: Press ⊞ Win + \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup0 and the Run window should appear. Enter %HOMEPATH%\Apple\MobileSync and press \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup2.
Here's what this looks like on Windows 10:
The Explorer window that opens will show a folder named "Backup". This contains any iTunes backups which are already present on the computer.
Finding the iTunes backup folder on macOS
The default backup location can be shown in Finder using Spotlight. Pressing \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup7 + and type ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync before pressing \Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup2.
The Finder window that opens will show a folder named "Backup". This contains any iTunes backups which are already present on the computer.
Changing the iTunes backup folder location?
If you'd like to change the folder that iTunes backups up to by default, we have a handy guide in our support centre.
To protect all the data on your iPhone, you can backup it to your Mac or PC via iTunes or backup it with iCloud. After the backup is created, you may want to find iPhone backup files in following situations:
◉ Check if the backup files are intact.
◉ Delete some backup files that are no longer needed to get more free space on your Mac or PC.
◉ Copy backup files to another location. (However, Apple doesn't recommend moving backup files. To restore from a relocated backup file, you need to move it back or the file won't work.)
If you have no idea where iPhone backups are stored, please read on. No matter you have created iPhone backups via iTunes or iCloud, you can follow the instructions below to find the backup files on Mac or Windows PC.