How to Locate iTunes/iPhone Backup File on Mac or Windows 10/8/7

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"I used iTunes to backup my iPhone a few days ago but I can not find the file location when I planned to restore deleted files from that backup. So where does iTunes store iPhone backups on PC?" Ivan shot me an email about this issue yesterday. So I think it is the time to write a post on that.

If you have been searching for the location of your iPhone/iPad/iPod backup files in your computer then you will be relieved to acknowledge that they are quite easy to search if you know where to look for. It doesn't matter if you are using a Windows computer or Mac. The location of the iPhone backup files are more or less same; iTunes basically generates a backup of your entire device including pictures, videos, messages, contacts, browsing history, media files and other important data and stores it on your computer in a very convenient location that you can use in the future to recover and sync your iOS device.

In this short article, we will pin-point the exact file path where iPhone/iPad/iPod backup files are stored on your Windows and Mac computers. But make sure that you should never ever mess or play with these backup files unless you are sure with what you are doing to avoid any kind of file damage. These backup files are extremely sensitive and even a single modification can completely ruin the backup file. So, please do remember this disclaimer before jumping into any conclusion.

Keep in mind that these backup files looks acutely ugly and they are in hexadecimal form so changing the name of these backup files or they may not be recognized by iTunes at all. Also, if the backup file was encrypted, then you have to enter the correct password to unlock the backup file. Anyways, now let's get started and get to the point where we will find the iPhone backup location.


Part 1: iPhone Backup Location on Mac OS X

Basically, in every version of Mac OS X, your iPhone or iPad or iPod generates backup files and save it on the following directory:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/


Where the (~) symbol indicates the home directory of your computer where you store all your personal files and folders. The simplest way to jump into that location in OS X is to press and hold the Command + Shift + G keys simultaneously and copy the exact directory location in the Go to Folder option.

 

Have a look on how it looks on a Mac computer:


iphone backup file location on macOS


Please remember, these backup names are very odd looking but do not change them to something appropriate of your choice as they mail fail to be recognized by iTunes. These names are often encoded with suitable names that are compatible with iTunes.

 

iPhone Backup Location on Windows 10/7/8/Vista/XP

The location of the iPhone backup files varies in all different versions of Windows computers. But never worry, we will show you the exact location in every version of Windows operating system so that you can implement these steps from any Windows version.


On Windows 8 and Windows 10 computers, the backup files is usually located on the following directory:

\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup


Where “YOURUSERNAME” is the name you have setup for your computer. You can start “My PC” and go to your C drive then follow the path that we must mentioned. Alternatively, you can start the Run program and paste the location to directly jump into that location. The following screenshot indicates how the backup files looks in Windows computers:

iPhone backup file on Windows 10

 

Windows 7 and Windows Vista shares the same location for storing iPhone backup files. Even with the latest service pack 3, the location has not been changed. So, if you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8, then navigate to the following location to find your iPhone backup file.

C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

 

But first you need to open My Computer and then follow this path. Again, you can use the Run program to locate to that folder by pasting the directory path directly into the empty field of the Run application and hit OK.

 

If you are using older version of Windows operating system like XP and others then the path is a little gibberish than the latest Windows versions. But iPhone backup all its files in the following location if you are using Windows XP:

 

C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

 

Please remember, C drive only indicates the primary disk in which you have installed the operating system. Of course, if you have installed the operating system on some other drives then you will have to change the name of the drive in the beginning and then follow the same path.

 

Conclusion: So, in this guide, we just showed you where to find these iPhone backup files. Now they may be required if you are copying the backup file and migrate them to a new computer so that iTunes back recognize your device from the new PC. But again, do remember that if you don’t have any suitable software to extract data from these files then do not rename or mess with these backup files or you may completely destroy these backup files.

June. 7, 2017 14:12 pm / Posted by to iOS

Cathryn Akerman is a professional freelance technology author and worked 8 years as a computer system engineer. Cathryn keeps sharing this computer skills current through UUkeys to her readers and clients.

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