How to Delete iPhone Backup on Mac and Windows Using iTunes
It’s simple enough to delete your old iPhone backups manually, provided you know where to look. Here’s what to do.
Open iTunes. Click iTunes > Preferences. PC users should select File > Preferences. Click Devices. Click the name of the backup you want to delete. Multiple backups may be listed. If it’s hard to know which one you want, check the date and timestamp next to them to assist you. Click Delete Backup. Click Delete. Click OK.
How to Delete iPhone Backups Manually
If you don’t want to use iTunes, it’s still possible to delete your old iPhone backups by finding it manually on your computer. Here’s where to look.
On a Mac, click the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar. Copy and paste the following into the search bar: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ Windows users can find the relevant folder under \Users(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\ Press Enter. Click Backup. Hold CMD+Delete to delete the folder.
How to Delete Backups on Mac Running macOS Catalina
macOS Catalina no longer uses iTunes, meaning the process is slightly different. Here’s what to do when you want to delete your iPhone backup while running Catalina.
Connect your iPhone to your Mac. Open Finder. Click your iPhone’s device name. You may need to scroll down depending on how many favorite folders you have set up, and how many external devices are connected. Click General > Manage Backups. Click the backup you want to delete. Click Delete Backup > OK.
How to Delete iPhone Backup From iCloud
It’s also possible to remove iPhone backups from iCloud, but there’s a different process involved for how to delete iCloud backups. You’ll need to have access to your iCloud account. This applies to all devices.
