How To Change The Location Of Iphone Backup On Mac

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How to alter the iTunes fill-in location

The default iTunes backup location is set to the PC or Mac's primary disk, and in macOS 10.xv, iOS backups as created by Finder are stored in the same place. Many users have large backups or backups from a number of iOS devices, and as a consequence they find themselves running depression on disk space.

It is possible to configure a calculator such that iTunes backs up to a secondary hard-disk, or to an external HDD or NAS.

But put, this is washed by replacing the iTunes backup folder with a symbolic link to the desired location. This is an easily reversible change, so it is possible to restore the default fill-in location to its original directory.

Delight note that if the iTunes fill-in location is changed to a volume that is not available at all times, the iTunes backup process will fail when the new location is unavailable.

What you'll need

In guild to alter your computer's default iTunes backup location, the following is necessary:

• Medium competency with a PC or Mac
• 10 minutes
• An agreement of the desired new backup location path
• A Mac running macOS 10.7 or newer, or a PC running Windows Vista or newer
• The Reincubate support team are on manus to assistance, and tin can propose customers on how to do this.

Changing the iTunes iOS fill-in folder automatically

The free version of iPhone Backup Extractor will automatically bear witness you your estimator's default iTunes backup location -- and permit you change it.

1. Download and install iPhone Backup Extractor.
2. Choose Preferences from the main menu
3. Select Backups from the Preferences window

   

   The "Preferences" pane showing backup locations

4. Click the Alter button to beginning the process of irresolute your iTunes default backup folder.

Manually changing the iTunes iOS backup folder on Windows

1. Open the default Backup location in Explorer using the Windows Run command. Printing ⊞ Win + R and the Run window should appear. Enter %APPDATA%\Apple Reckoner\MobileSync and press⏎ Enter.
2. The Explorer window that opens will show a folder named "Backup". This contains any iTunes backups which are already present on the computer. In order to alter the backup folder's location, this binder must exist renamed, moved or deleted. As an example, one could rename it to "Backup (Old)".
3. Once the "Fill-in" folder has been renamed, moved or deleted, a symbolic link tin can be created to the desired backup location. In order to do this, a Control window must exist opened. By holding ⇧ Shift and right-clicking in the recently opened MobileSync Explorer window, users will run into a menu with the option "Open up command window here" or "Open PowerShell window here". Click that.
4. Use the following control mklink /d Backup "[desired-new-fill-in-path]". Once this command has been entered, printing⏎ Enter and the change volition exist complete.
5. Subsequently restarting Windows, iTunes will shop its backups in the new location.

Manually changing the iTunes iOS backup folder on macOS

1. Launch the macOS Terminal application. This can be found using Finder, under Applications / Utilities / Concluding. Alternatively, it tin can be launched using Spotlight by pressing⌘ Cmd +  and typing "Terminal" before pressing⏎ Enter.
2. Instruct the Last to alter to the default iTunes backup location, by entering cd ~/Library/Awarding\ Support/MobileSync and then pressing ⏎ Enter.
3. Reveal the electric current backup folder in Finder past entering open up . and and so pressing ⏎ Enter.
4. The Finder window that opens will testify a folder named "Backup". This contains any iTunes backups which are already nowadays on the figurer. In order to alter the fill-in binder's location, this folder must be renamed, moved or deleted. Equally an example, i could rename information technology to "Backup (Old)".
5. In one case the "Backup" folder has been renamed, moved or deleted, a symbolic link can be created to the desired backup location. Utilise the post-obit command ln -s [desired-new-backup-path] ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup. Once this command has been entered, printing⏎ Enter and the modify will be consummate.
6. Afterwards restarting the Mac, iTunes will store its backups in the new location.

How to restore the iTunes backup binder to its original location

If you've taken the steps above, and you'd similar to rever the modify, the process is straightforward:

1. Browse to the iTunes backup folder.
2. Delete the Backup symlink that will appear at that place.
3. Drag your original Fill-in folder back in, renaming it if necessary to match its original proper noun.

Other challenges?

We've had some users reach out who have already moved their iTunes fill-in folder to another location -- but by dragging it -- and now lack the necessary symlink for iTunes to be able to see the backup.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel to solve this, and there are two options:

1. Drag the folder back to where you found originally. If yous've forgotten, it should be called Backup, and it lives in ~/Library/Awarding Support/MobileSync.

2. Create a symbolic link pointing to it -- in the same way that the instructions to a higher place draw. If you're at this stage, y'all should open up a Final and exercise this:

cd [location of the folder which at present has "Fill-in" in information technology] ln -s Backup ~/Library/Application\ Back up/MobileSync              

It should be as simple as that.

Are in that location situations where this isn't possible?

This technique works on every Mac, only it won't piece of work on Windows PCs built prior to 2000. Prior to the release of Windows 2000, Windows used Fat-formatted filesystems past default, and those aren't capable of creating symlinks. Whatever Windows PC build since then will almost certainly be using NTFS-format disks, and these support symbolic links just fine. If yous're running Fatty and endeavor to create a link, yous may run into this fault: Local volumes are required to complete the operation.

Fortunately, Microsoft provide some instructions on how to upgrade a disk from FAT to NTFS. Information technology'south a niggling more technical, merely it is possible.

Aidan Fitzpatrick

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