Where iPhone backups live on a Mac, and how to delete old ones
iPhone and iPad backups made on a Mac sit in your user Library until you delete them. Where they are, the two safe ways to remove them, and what to check first.
On this page
Backups of an iPhone or iPad made on a Mac are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup, one folder per device. They stay there until you delete them, even after you've sold the phone. The safe way to remove one is from Finder's Manage Backups list, or from System Settings → General → Storage, where they're listed under iOS Files.
Only backups made with Finder on this Mac live here. iCloud backups are stored in iCloud and count against your iCloud plan, not your Mac's disk.
Where the folder is
Apple's own instructions are the quickest way there: in Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder and paste the path (Apple Support: Locate and manage backups):
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/Each folder inside is one device's backup, named with a long identifier rather than the device's name. That's why I wouldn't delete from here directly: you can't tell which folder is which phone, or how old it is, without opening files inside it. The two methods below show names and dates.
Delete a backup from Finder
This is the method Apple documents, and it works on any recent macOS:
- Connect the iPhone or iPad with a cable and select it in the Finder sidebar. Trust the device if it asks.
- On the General tab, click Manage Backups. You get a list of every backup on this Mac, with the device's name and the date of the backup.
- Control-click the backup you want to remove and choose Delete, then click OK.
The catch is step 1: you need a device connected to open that list, though it shows backups of other devices too. If the old phone is long gone, any iPhone or iPad you can connect will do.
Delete a backup from Storage settings
Without a device to hand, open System Settings → General → Storage and wait for the bar to finish calculating. If this Mac has any backups or iPhone software downloads, there's a row called iOS Files, which macOS describes in its own words as "Permanently erase device backups and software updates to free storage space." If there's an info button (ⓘ) beside it, click it to see the items, grouped as Device Backups and iOS Installers, then select the one you don't need and delete it.
Take that word "permanently" at face value, and don't count on getting a backup back once it's gone.
What to check before deleting one
- Do you still own the device? If not, and you've set up its replacement, the old backup is usually safe to delete.
- Is there a newer backup somewhere? If the device backs up to iCloud, check the date in Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup on the device itself before you delete the Mac copy.
- Is it encrypted? Apple's backups from a computer leave out Activity, Health and Keychain data unless encryption was turned on (it's off by default). An encrypted backup may be the only copy you have of saved passwords and health records (Apple Support: Backup methods for iPhone or iPad).
- Is it the only backup of a phone you're about to reset or repair? Then keep it until the work is done.
What a Mac backup does and doesn't contain
According to Apple, a backup made on a computer includes almost all of a device's data and settings. It leaves out what's already stored in iCloud, such as iCloud Photos and messages synced with iCloud, plus content from the App Store and iTunes Store, and Face ID, Touch ID and Apple Pay settings. So a phone that keeps its photos in iCloud makes a much smaller Mac backup than one that keeps every photo on the device.
Apple doesn't describe any automatic clean-up of old backups, and I've never seen macOS remove one. A backup of a phone you stopped using stays until someone deletes it.
If you'd rather not back up to the Mac at all
The device's General tab in Finder also has the option to back up to iCloud instead of this Mac. Apple's comparison of the two is in the backup methods article; the short version is that iCloud backups need iCloud storage, and Mac backups need space on the Mac. For managing what's already in iCloud, Apple has a separate guide: Manage your iCloud storage.
Where Spaceback fits
Spaceback, which I make, has a row in its Junk scan for iPhone and iPad backups older than 90 days, one line per device with the device's name, marked as something to check before removing. Removing them is part of Pro. What you pick goes to the Trash, not straight off the disk, so you can still put it back, and the space returns when you empty the Trash. If macOS doesn't let it read the backup folder, it says so instead of showing nothing.
Vlada Misici builds Spaceback, a storage cleaner for Mac and iPhone. Every number in these posts was measured on a real Mac, and every command was run before it went on the page. Found a mistake? Email vlada@queazy.app and it gets fixed.