how to move MobileSync backup folder?

shoodabinacowboy wrote:

My point with all that is I do want to free this space up, but I don't want to MOVE anything to another drive.

iTunes prefs > Devices.

Delete all backups except the most current.

It is Absolutely ridiculous that Apple does not allow you to configure the location of the Apple folder, the very WORST place you can put it is in a Windows profile as it has to load that every time to load windows and if you work on a network it will drag it to any PC you use.

It should not take hack to fix this

I did it on my child's Ipad and it messed it up.

It has been Years and what has Apple done about it, NOTHING

My Iphone will not back up and messes up my PC for trying, even when it fails it leaves 8gb of broken data in my profile, data I cannot use because the backup did not complete.

This worked perfectly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kac73WxnW44🙂

Creating a Junction Folder can be done for any Large Folder.

Step 1: Move your original folder to another drive letter "D:\iTunes\Backup"

Step 2: Download SysInternals Junction (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx), place it in the "C:\Windows" folder.

Step 3: Delete your original folder and its contents "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync"

Step 4: Open CMD as administrator

Step 5: Type the following: junction.exe "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync" "D:\iTunes\Backup" -s

Step 6: Hit Enter

Now when you connect your iPhone it will backup to "D:\iTunes\Backup".

This helped me on Windows 8

1. Search for "Command prompt"

2. Right click - run as administrator

3. c:\WINDOWS\system32>cd c:\Users\Jan\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\

4. c:\Users\Jan\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer>mklink /d MobileSync d:\Backup\MobileSync

symbolic link created for MobileSync <<===>> d:\Backup\MobileSync

This does not work unless you delete all the text prior to the word "junction" and you need to go to the destination drive and invoke the command prompt.

I saw many solutions that came close but yours is the only one that actually worked...you need to clarify the you invoke the command prompt from the destination drive.

1. Close iTunes. Also Removed the Iphone connection to the PC

2. Download junction.exe from Microsoft and in Windows 7, place it in the C:\Windows folder.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx

3. I also executed the Junction.exe file in C drive as well as D drive, C being my Primary drive out of space and D the larger drive.

4.Remove the BACKUP folder from "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync" for that was the ONLY folder under Mobile sync.

5. Create a new folder structure on an other drive for example: "D:\Backup" and I did not create any other subfolders under Backup.

6.In Windows 7, open a command prompt as an administrator. Now execute the following line....Earlier running without Administrator did not work for me. To Run as Administrator search for CMD in the windows start Panel. Once the CMD Icon shows up on the windows 7, right click on the CMD and then select "Run as Administrator"

7.Change my drive in command prompt to D drive(the drive i am having my new back up file). Type "CD.." to move to root directory and then just type "D:"

8. Then typed the command "junction.exe "junction.exe "C:\Users\USER FOLDER\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\Backup" -s

9.Voila I see the command successfully executed, you should see a message "Created: C:\Users\USER FOLDER\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup Targetted at: D:\Backup"

10.Two errors that i encountered,

*I was running the Junction command on the C drive and it was giving an error that " "Error creating C:\Documents and Settings\gonzr\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup: Cannot create a file when that file already exists."

* Did not delete the Back up folder on the C drive under Mobile sync folder which was giving me the issue.

11.The command will have created an folder (looking like a shortcut) in the origional location on the "junction.exe "C:\Users\ananthanarayanan_s\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync" with the shortcut named "Backup"

12.Now connect your Apple device of choice and watch the folder "D:\Backup\MobileSync" get filled up with stuff.

13. Used the below tool http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx

Important : don’t use MkLink function for I tried and did not work.

I had to do the above for my wife forgot her passcode and then after several attempts disabled her iphone too. Had to then connect to iphone and initiate the Restore Iphone procedure and follow the above steps on her last done back up.

That was really useful, thank you.

your steps were nearly perfect, only part i had an issue with was step 8. your command line was confusing. you only need to type:

junction.exe "C:\Users\USER FOLDER\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\Backup" -s

(or replace junction.exe with junction64.exe if you're using the 64 bit version.)

you had an extra "junction.exe" in the command you provided and i got an error in command prompt.

The only person who read the question right....
The rest of you windows noobs are posting in the wrong section!