Programs are also written by people, so they do not always work correctly and 100% correctly. Equipment usually suffers from program errors. In the case of phones, a virus or simply a broken program may require resetting it to factory settings.
And to restore all the contacts, photos and passwords accumulated over the years, you will need a backup copy. Or even better – several! Therefore, we recommend making backup saves in several ways at once, in order to avoid complete data loss. Although even with an already made backup, you need to know where the iPhone backup copy is stored on the computer, how to use it. Therefore, today we will analyze all these stages.
Where are iPhone backups stored?
To understand where to look for the backup copy we need, it is worth remembering what exactly we used to make it. There are three ways to make backup copies of your iPhone data: in iTunes (on Windows or Mac), iCloud, and third-party programs.
We do not recommend using the latter method, because unofficial developers who do not work closely with Apple may use your backups for extortion purposes (for example, asking for money for activation).
But even if these developers are honest and do not plan to deceive anyone, such programs do not always work correctly. Because of which your valuable data can disappear forever. Therefore, we will analyze in detail using examples only the first two methods, which are officially confirmed on the Apple website.
Find a backup in iTunes
If you know for sure that you have a computer with iTunes installed, then there should be no problems. It will take just a few steps and your data will be back with you.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer via cable;
- Launch iTunes, after which it should be automatically detected in the system;
- Next, find the phone icon in the upper left corner and find the “Backups” section on the right.
- After that, in the small window that opens, select the required backup version from the list and confirm the data transfer by clicking the “Restore” button.
Didn’t find iTunes, but are sure that you definitely had it? Then you can try to search for the folder where your data was saved.
For Mac
- Connect the device via cable;
- Open the Finder application and find the Go tab;
- To find your phone’s backup, enter the following line in the “Go to folder” section: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
For Windows
- Open the folder “C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\” (the disk name may differ);
- If such a path does not open in the system, try changing the disk or enabling the display of hidden folders and files in the system settings.
Find a backup copy in third-party programs
If for some reason you decide to use this not very reliable method, then there will not be such universal instructions as in the previous paragraph.
And all because different programs have not only different algorithms of actions, but also different interfaces. First of all, if you have difficulties finding a backup copy, you should read the program documentation on the developer’s website. Didn’t help? Then you should look for forums on the topic, where all the available information specifically for your software can be collected.
Find a backup in iCloud
Couldn’t find iTunes or other applications with similar functionality on your computer? Then perhaps you made a backup in iCloud. Finding it shouldn’t take long either, if you manage to make copies of your data in Apple’s cloud storage in time.
Here everything will depend on the device to which we need to download the files. After all, it will not be possible to find them in the usual way on the iCloud.com website.
On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- In the settings, go to your account and find the iCloud item;
- Next – “Manage account storage” and “Backups”;
- Select the backup option you need.
On a Mac running macOS Catalina or later
- Here you will need to open the regular “System Preferences” in the menu and click on our Apple ID;
- Again, select iCloud, where we look for the “Manage” item;
- We click on “Backup copies” and rejoice.
On a Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier
- Go to the menu and go to “System settings”;
- Next, the sequence of actions is the same as in the previous point: iCloud —> “Manage” —> “Backups”.
On a Windows computer
- And here we will first have to download the iCloud application, if it is not there yet. You can do this on the official website ;
- Download, install, open;
- In the “Storage” tab, select “Backup”.
Managing iCloud Backups
Also, sometimes there is a need not only to find, but also to partially transfer only some of the data or delete old copies to save new ones. In the first case, iCloud has special features. All you need to do is follow the standard instructions for restoring files on an iPhone.
But in the second case, there are several excellent tips that are best combined with each other to achieve the best effect:
- Apple phones have a great feature called “Recommendations for You”. The system will automatically select rarely used data, copies of the same files and a lot of unnecessary stuff. You just need to look at what is offered and choose what you don’t mind losing.
- Limit third-party apps’ access to iCloud. Many developers try to build in their own feature so that your accounts in their apps are saved even if you change your phone. However, this also leads to an increase in the backup size. And we, it seems, are fighting this here.
- Delete old restore points, because they also take up space. And sometimes quite a lot.
Clean up the data in the “iCloud Photos” section. Photos in good quality (and the quality of the iPhone cameras is excellent) can “eat up” such valuable gigabytes. Therefore, select all the unsuccessful takes and millions of photos of the cat that are already on the computer. Videos, by the way, weigh even more. So it is better to transfer them to a large disk on the computer, instead of limited cloud storage.
- Check the iCloud Drive section for unnecessary files and folders. Sometimes backups can contain unneeded things. Get rid of them too.
However, if this information did not help save the data, do not rush to do anything else. After all, if you are promised to transfer all files in seconds and even restore them without previously made copies, then these are most likely scammers.
In case of any difficulties with Apple devices, it is always better to contact an authorized service center, where specialists will help you with any problem. In addition, self-manipulation of the phone can void your warranty, and hardly anyone wants to lose the warranty.