HT203977: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Learn about How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Jkjtr

Q: How can I designate the file to which I want my iPhone backup to be saved on my computer?

How can I designate the file to which I want my iPhone backup to be saved on my computer?

Posted on Dec 18, 2014 2:36 PM

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Q: How can I designate the file to which I want my iPhone backup to be saved on my computer?

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  • by Sparkleberry,

    Sparkleberry Sparkleberry Dec 18, 2014 2:42 PM in response to Jkjtr
    Level 4 (3,115 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 18, 2014 2:42 PM in response to Jkjtr

    From

    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4946

     

    Where your backups are stored

    The folder where your backup data is stored depends on your computer's operating system. Make sure the backup folder is included in your data-backup routine. iTunes places the backup files in these places:

        Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

        The "~" represents your Home folder. If you don't see Library in your Home folder, hold Option and click the Go menu.

        Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

        To quickly access the AppData folder, click Start. In the search bar, type %appdata%, then press Return.

        Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

        To quickly access the Application Data folder, click Start, then choose Run. In the search bar, type %appdata%, then click OK.

     

    See here for how to backup

    Back up and restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iCloud or iTunes - Apple Support

  • by sberman,

    sberman sberman Dec 18, 2014 4:12 PM in response to Jkjtr
    Level 8 (40,896 points)
    Dec 18, 2014 4:12 PM in response to Jkjtr

    You should definitely not consider changing the name or location of an iPhone backup.

     

    Like many files on an Apple computer (e.g., all files in the "Library" folder), the iPhone backup file is not intended to be adjusted, tampered with, renamed or moved by a user.  If you need to do something like delete or reference the iPhone's backup file, you should do it through the computer's iTunes app.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Dec 18, 2014 4:18 PM in response to Jkjtr
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 18, 2014 4:18 PM in response to Jkjtr

    Jkjtr wrote:

     

    How can I designate the file to which I want my iPhone backup to be saved on my computer?

    The backup is not a file, it is a SQLite database. For the average phone it will contain several thousand files in a folder, all with hexadecimal numeric names. If you know Unix and you have a Mac you can put it anywhere you want by creating a symbolic link to the location from ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. If this is meaningless to you don't even think of trying it. If you have Windows you are out of luck.