Every time you back up an iPhone or iPad to your Mac, the backup is stored on your startup disk. A single backup can be as large as the data on the device, and if you have replaced phones over the years, you may have several old backups taking space.
Find your backups
In Storage settings
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage.
- Click ⓘ next to iOS Files.
- You will see each backup with the device name, size and last backup date.
In Finder
- Connect your iPhone or iPad with a cable.
- Select it under Locations in the Finder sidebar.
- On the General tab, click Manage Backups.
The backup folder
Backups are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. Each backup is a folder with a long name. Do not rename, move or edit files inside a backup, as that can make it unusable.
Decide what to keep
- Keep a recent backup of every device you still use, unless the device backs up to iCloud and you are happy relying on that.
- Delete backups of devices you no longer own, once you have confirmed everything you need is on your current device or in iCloud.
- Keep archived backups on purpose. An archived backup is a snapshot that will not be overwritten by future backups. These are useful before a major update, but easy to forget.
If a backup is encrypted, you will need its password to restore it. If you have lost the password, the backup cannot be restored anyway.
Delete a backup
In Storage > iOS Files, select the backup and click Delete. In Finder's Manage Backups list, right-click a backup and choose Delete. Confirm when asked.
Move backups to an external drive instead
If you want to keep old backups but not on your Mac's internal disk, copy the backup folder from MobileSync/Backup to an external drive before deleting it from your Mac. To restore from it later, you would need to copy it back into the same folder. Keep the folder intact; partial copies will not work.
Consider iCloud Backup
If you have enough iCloud storage, turning on iCloud Backup on your iPhone (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup) means your Mac does not need to store full local backups. Old iCloud backups can be managed in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups.
Frequently asked questions
Where are iPhone backups stored on a Mac?
In ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. You can see and manage them in System Settings > General > Storage > iOS Files, or in Finder with your device connected.
Is it safe to delete old iPhone backups?
Yes for devices you no longer own, once you are sure you have everything you need. Keep at least one recent backup of each device you still use unless it backs up to iCloud.
What does Archive do for an iPhone backup?
Archiving keeps that backup as a fixed snapshot so it is not replaced the next time you back up. It continues to use storage until you delete it.
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