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
Preferenceswindow from the app's pull-down menu - Select the
Backupstab. - Where the window says "We always look for backups in your default folder", click the "default folder" link. Easy!
iPhone Backup Extractor showing the default iTunes backup folder
Opening the iTunes backup folder on Windows
Open the default Backup location in Explorer using the Windows Run command. Press ⊞ Win + R and the Run window should appear. Enter %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync and press ⏎ Enter.
For the Microsoft Store version of iTunes, you could do this: Press ⊞ Win + R and the Run window should appear. Enter %HOMEPATH%\Apple\MobileSync and press ⏎ Enter.
Here's what this looks like on Windows 10:
Find iTunes backups 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 ⌘ Cmd + ␣ Space and type ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync before pressing ⏎ Enter.
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.
