Mac 911
FREE UP STORAGE BY DELETING iTUNES BACKUPS OF iOS DEVICES
If you use iTunes to back up your iPhone, the actual backed-up data starts to pile up. Backups often run from gigabytes to tens of gigabytes, retaining anything unique on an iOS device that isn’t synced via iCloud or available from the App Store. For example, if you have iCloud Photo Library enabled, the iTunes backup doesn’t include the Camera Roll.
Apple oddly doesn’t have an automatic “garbage cleaning” routine, or prompt to delete, or ask you if you want to delete these backups.
You can easily fill up your drive with iOS backups, and it will feel mysterious as you won’t even know why you’re running out of storage. However, you can find these backups and delete older ones, as well as archive them on an external drive if you have a need or desire to retain them.
How to manage iOS backup files through iTunes
Open iTunes and choose iTunes → Preference → Devices. In the Device Backups list, you’ll see a list of all the backups that are stored on your Mac. If you’re like most people, you will be amazed by
