Change backup location?

Turingtest2 - i have Windows 7. Do i need junction tool software to change backup path? I created the link last year, i have the new directory created but all along, my backup was saving to the default c: location. When i attempt to link new path i get "cannot create a file when that file already exists".

I think i need to remove the link, then recreate it. I can't backup our devices any longer to my c: as it is too small so i need backups to my external. Thanks!

Hi turingtest2,

I am still having the same problem. iTunes writes to my junction folder, but does not see it to read from it. If i back a device up it overwrites the older version OK, but still shows this device has never been backed up to this computer and under the devices tab in preferences nothing is listed. If i click on the junction folder it takes me straight to the backup files. i have tried new junctions, removed and reinstalled iTunes, waited on hold with apple numerous times for hrs only to be hangup on.Please help. Cheers

Hi..I am having the same problem and I have been reading this post since the beginning. My computer is running Windows XP. I downloaded the junction.exe from the link that turingtest2 posted, extracted it and tried to run it but it disappear. Am i doing something wrong? How do I actually run this junction.exe? why did it disappeared? how to actually run this file properly? Please help. Thanks so much.

Junction is a command line tool. If it disappears when you try to run it then perhaps you have anti-virus software that considers it to be harmful. The page at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb896768 should give you enough information to use it but if you tell me where you've moved the data to then I can check the command that you're using. Note both source and destination drives must be NTFS.

tt2

Hi TT2,

Just reading this thread and trying to follow while trying to restore my iPhone

Apologies if I am asking a question again - I'm not not savvy in tech language.

I was able to follow all of the commands, and created the junction to my D drive. However when going to restore my phone it now says that it has never been backed up to this computer before. I still have the old backup folder in C drive - could this be the cause for the problem - so by deleting Itunes will appropriately recognised syncs on D drive? I'm very cautious about deleting things as I don't want to make the situation worse!

If your iPhone is in need of restoring that probably isn't the best time to be moving the backup data around. If the old backup folder is on the C drive at the original path then you cannot have set up the junction correctly. If you renamed the folder did you also make a copy of it on the new drive where it is going to live and use the junction to connect to it? When the junction is set up properly Windows shows a different icon for the linked folder, but otherwise all the files & folders appear just as they did before you started, and iTunes can see any existing device backups.

tt2

Hi TT2,

I since resolved the issue since asking the question of you. The 'shortcut' folder to the new backup destination (D drive) was present and said to be working (but obviously wasn't!)

I rebooted my computer and used %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync to determine the back up location following this and it was back in the original spot with the shortcut folder having disappeared. In the end I just found my latest back up in D drive and moved it back to C drive in the current back up folder and it solved the issues.

Thanks for your help though

Thanks tt2 for your swift response!

As there was never a backup done in the external drive, I just deleted the folders created in it. Is that all I have to do or do I need to do anything in command to delete the link?
(sorry my first time creating mklink so I ain't sure how to delete it)

turingtest2Nov 10, 2014 5:41 PM in response to kalirob2k13

It works! You need to perform the following task in sequence

1. copy backup files from original itunes backup directory to the new one you just created.

2. delete the backup files and 'Backup' directory from original itunes backup directory

3. run

MkLink /J "C:\Users\My\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\Mobile

Sync\Backup" "K:\iTunes\MobileSync\Backup"

4. Expected result: the backup files will be stored in new backup location although you still see files in the original backup directory.

Sorry to bother you, but I am new to forums. I have a question like this, but dont know where to go or how to start... Please help...

Here is my question I wanted to post-

I have read many posts since 2012 for this question.

It is now 2016, and I have a small C:// drive and a huge TB D:// (secondary drive).

All my itunes media is on the D:// drive, but the backups still go on the C:// drive by default.

How do I tell my computer to save all device backups to the D: drive?

I have read some 2012 postings, but this is October of 2016. Have the directions changed?

What do I do now with a HUGE iphone that needs a big place to back up?

Please help... I am not super savvy on computers, but I did make it to here.

Why does Apple make this so difficult??? I get Permission Denied, I change to administrator prompt, still getting the same. I try the second command and get

MkLink /J "C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\Documents\Backups\Apple"

"Cannot create a file when that file already exists."
Why, why, why???????? This should be a setting in the program itself! Ridiculous! I am so sick of iTunes wasting my time and am actively seeking alternatives since I haven't been able to get this program to work properly for 2 years! I hate iTunes!!!!

I take it you've moved the existing Backup folder over to the D: drive, which is formatted as NTFS, placed it inside D:\Documents\Backups, renamed it Apple, and there is no existing file or folder inside C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync called Backup?

If so then the command ought to work.

tt2

I have followed the above isntructions and have not had any luck. I have a laptop that has a smaller C: drive (188gb) and a seperate drive D: (1tb). It is a new laptop, and i was unaware the default save location for all files and content was to the smaller drive. Now I am unable to back up/sync to itunes for my phone/ipod. I have tried following the above methods, and still not able to. Does anyone know if there are any other methods to try? Apple Support call lasted over an hour and they said they couldn't help me and that I should just upgrade the storage space on my C:

What is the current format of the C: and D: drives? Reformatting destroys any data currently on the drive so you would need to backup that data first, then restore it afterwards. assuming it is necessary. NTFS should be the default format for any reasonably recent Windows computer. How much free space is there on C:? How big are the device backups? My understanding is that the first step when you try to restore a device is that the existing backup is duplicated. If there isn't enough room for that operation the restore fails, but iTunes may not clean up the duplicate data it has started creating.

tt2

User name on my computer is just my first name. And the back ups I tried to copy to another location then opened a windows command/ junction which said was successful, but still unable to even start a sync through iTunes.