Complete Guide to Apple Device Backup Locations
Backing up your Apple devices is essential for safeguarding your data, but understanding where these backups are stored can be confusing. This comprehensive guide will help you locate backups for all your Apple devices, whether they're stored locally or in the cloud.
iPhone and iPad Backups
iCloud Backups
When backing up to iCloud, your iPhone and iPad data is stored securely on Apple's servers. These backups aren't directly accessible as files but can be managed through your device settings.
Where to find them:
On your iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups
On the web: Visit iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple ID, and go to Account Settings > Manage Storage > Backups
On a Mac: Open System Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage... > Backups
What's included in iCloud backups:
App data and settings
Device settings
Home screen and app organization
iMessage, text (SMS), and MMS messages
Photos and videos (unless you use iCloud Photos)
Purchase history from Apple services
Ringtones
Visual Voicemail password
iTunes/Finder Backups (Local)
When you back up your iPhone or iPad to your computer, the backup files are stored locally.
macOS Catalina or later (using Finder):
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/macOS Mojave or earlier, or Windows (using iTunes):
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows 10/11: \Users(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Windows 7: \Users(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Note: Each backup folder is named with a long string of alphanumeric characters (device identifier).
Mac Backups
Time Machine Backups
Time Machine is macOS's built-in backup system, storing incremental backups of your entire Mac.
Where Time Machine backups are stored:
External drive: In a folder called "Backups.backupdb" at the root level of your Time Machine drive
Network storage: In a sparse bundle disk image named after your Mac's hostname with the extension ".sparsebundle"
iCloud Drive Documents and Desktop
If enabled, macOS can sync your Documents and Desktop folders to iCloud.
Where to find them:
On your Mac:
/Library/Mobile Documents/comapple~CloudDocs/On the web: Visit iCloud.com and click on "iCloud Drive"
On iOS devices: In the Files app under "iCloud Drive"
Apple Watch Backups
Apple Watch backups are automatically included with your paired iPhone's backup. There isn't a separate backup file for the Watch.
Where to find them:
The Watch backup is included within your iPhone backup (either in iCloud or locally on your computer)
When you restore your iPhone backup, your Watch data will be available to restore to your Watch
Shared Content and Additional Backup Locations
iCloud Photos
If you use iCloud Photos, your photo library is stored in iCloud rather than in device backups.
Where to find them:
On a Mac: Open the Photos app
On iOS devices: Open the Photos app
On the web: Visit iCloud.com and click on "Photos"
iCloud Drive Files
Files stored in iCloud Drive are synced across devices rather than being part of device backups.
Where to find them:
On iOS devices: In the Files app
On a Mac: In Finder under iCloud Drive
On Windows: In File Explorer under iCloud Drive (requires iCloud for Windows)
On the web: Visit iCloud.com and click on "iCloud Drive"
Notes, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Bookmarks
These data types are synced through iCloud separately from device backups if iCloud sync is enabled for them.
Where they're stored:
Synced through iCloud and accessible on all devices signed in with the same Apple ID
Not typically stored as accessible files but as database entries
How to Access iTunes/Finder Backups Manually
iTunes and Finder backups are stored in a format that isn't directly browsable. However, third-party tools can help you extract and view the contents of these backups.
For advanced users who need to manually access backup files:
Navigate to the backup location mentioned above
Each backup is in a folder named with a unique identifier
Inside these folders are files with long strings of hexadecimal characters as names
These files contain your data but are not directly readable without specialized software
Tips for Backup Management
Regular cleaning: Delete old or unnecessary backups to free up storage space
Verification: Periodically verify that your backups are completing successfully
Multiple backup methods: Consider using both iCloud and local backups for critical data
Encryption: Enable encrypted backups in iTunes/Finder for maximum security and to include sensitive data like Health and Keychain information
By understanding where your Apple device backups are stored, you can better manage your data, ensure successful backups, and know where to look when you need to restore your information.
