How to delete old iPhone backups on your Mac

Where iPhone backups are stored on a Mac

When the Finder backs up an iPhone or iPad to your Mac, it saves the backup here:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

To open it, choose Go > Go to Folder in the Finder (⇧⌘G), paste the path and press Return. That's the method in Apple's Locate and manage backups.

Inside you'll find one folder per backup, each with a long name of letters and numbers rather than the device's name. That's why the Finder's Manage Backups list is the easier place to work: it shows which backup belongs to which device.

macOS treats this folder as private. Terminal, and any app that wants to read it, needs Full Disk Access:

Apple menu, then System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

iPhone and iPad backups

Made by

Finder

What it is

Backups of your iPhone and iPad made by Finder or iTunes. Each folder is a full backup of one device.

Does it come back?

Doesn't come back

Without it

Those device backups on this Mac would go with it. Backups in iCloud aren't affected.

How to manage it

Finder → your iPhone → Manage Backups

What a backup on your Mac holds

Apple's article on backup methods says a computer backup includes almost all of your device's data and settings. It leaves out what's already stored in iCloud, such as iCloud Photos and messages kept in iCloud, along with App Store and Apple Books content, music and video synced from your Mac, Face ID or Touch ID settings, Apple Pay and Mail data. Health, Activity and Keychain data are included only when the backup is encrypted.

So for anything on the device that isn't in iCloud, the backup on your Mac may be the only other copy. That's worth knowing before you remove one.

Make a fresh backup first

Before you remove anything, make sure every device you still use has a current backup. To back up to the Mac, following Apple's steps for backing up with your Mac:

1. Connect the device with a cable, open the Finder and select the device in the sidebar.
2. If asked, trust the computer on the device and enter its passcode.
3. Click Back Up Now. To include Health and Activity data, first select Encrypt local backup and set a password. Apple warns that you can't recover the backup without it.
4. When it's done, the date and time of your last backup appear.

Or back up to iCloud on the device itself: open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap iCloud Backup, then Back Up Now. Apple's iCloud backup article says the date and time of the last backup appear under that button, which is also the quickest way to check that iCloud has a recent one.

Delete old backups in the Finder

These are Apple's steps, and they're the same on macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe.

1. 1

   Connect the device

   Connect your iPhone or iPad to the Mac with a USB cable. If asked, tap Trust on the device and enter its passcode.

2. 2

   Select it in the Finder

   Open a Finder window and click your device in the sidebar.

3. 3

   Open Manage Backups

   Click the General tab, then click Manage Backups.

4. 4

   Delete the backup you don't need

   Right-click the old backup and choose Delete. To keep one instead, choose Archive so later backups don't replace it.

5. 5

   Click OK

   Click OK when you're done. Apple says a deleted backup can't be recovered.

Each new backup of a device replaces the last one unless you archive it, which Apple describes as the way to keep a backup so later ones don't replace it. So if you see more than one backup for the same phone, the older ones are usually archived copies, for example from before an update. Once you no longer need to go back to them, they're usually the first to go.

Check sizes and dates with Terminal

If you want to see how much space each backup uses before you choose, this lists every backup with its size, device name and last backup date. It only reads. Terminal needs Full Disk Access for it to work.

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup
for d in */; do
  printf "%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\n" "$(du -sh "$d" | cut -f1)" \
    "$(plutil -extract "Device Name" raw -o - "${d}Info.plist" 2>/dev/null)" \
    "$(plutil -extract "Last Backup Date" raw -o - "${d}Info.plist" 2>/dev/null)" "$d"
done

If you see "Operation not permitted", Terminal doesn't have Full Disk Access yet. Turn it on in the setting above, then quit and reopen Terminal.

When the iPhone isn't with you

Apple's steps start with connecting the device. If you sold it, lost it or replaced it, you can still remove its backup by hand:

1. Use the Terminal command above to find the folder whose device name and date match the backup you want gone.
2. In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and open ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/.
3. Move that whole folder to the Trash.

This way the backup sits in the Trash until you empty it, so you can still put it back if you picked the wrong one. Move whole backup folders only. Don't rename, edit or remove files inside a backup, because a partial backup is no use for a restore. When you're sure, empty the Trash to get the space back.

Which backups are safe to delete

Apple's own Free up storage space on Mac article lists them among the things you can remove: if you use your Mac to back up an iPhone or iPad, you can delete old backups. The question is which ones.

Usually safe:

• Backups of devices you no longer own, once you're sure you don't need anything from them.
• Archived backups you made before an update that went fine.
• Backups of a device that now backs up to iCloud, once you've checked that the iCloud backup is current.
• Encrypted backups whose password you've forgotten. Apple says that without it you won't be able to use previous encrypted backups.

Keep:

• The only backup of an iPhone or iPad you still use, unless it backs up to iCloud.
• A backup you might need to set up a new device, until the new one is set up.

A backup can't be made again later. If a phone is lost tomorrow, the backup on your Mac may be the only copy of what was on it. That's the difference between a backup and a cache: a cache comes back on its own, a backup never does.

Deleting a backup on the Mac doesn't touch the device itself or any backups stored in iCloud.

Downloaded iOS updates

Next to backups, the Finder keeps software update files it downloaded to update or restore a connected device, in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates and ~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates. These are safe to remove: the Finder downloads them again the next time it needs one.

Suggestions rule · iOS backups

Downloaded iOS updates

Software update files the Finder downloaded to restore or update a device. It downloads them again when needed.

• ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/*
• ~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates/*

Checked for you, because it's safe to lose and doesn't come straight back.

How MacClearings handles backups

MacClearings lists your device backups in Suggestions, each with the device's name, model and the date of its last backup, so you don't have to decode folder names. It never checks a backup for you, whatever its age. A backup doesn't come back on its own, but it can't be made again either, so the decision stays with you:

Suggestions rule · iOS backups

iPhone and iPad backups

Device backups the Finder made. Each one may be the only copy of that iPhone or iPad's data, and it can't be made again later, so none are checked for you. Make a fresh backup, or turn on iCloud Backup, before you move an old one to the Trash.

• ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/*

Listed, but you decide whether to check it.

Because macOS protects this folder, MacClearings needs Full Disk Access to see the backups at all. Without it, the group says so instead of guessing.

If you check a backup, it goes into the review list with everything else, and only Move to Trash in that list moves it. It lands in the Trash, and History can put it back as long as it's still there. MacClearings never empties the Trash, so the space comes back when you empty it yourself, ideally after your next fresh backup. The Breakdown also shows how much of your Library is device backups, and our guide to freeing up space on a Mac covers the other big folders.