How to Find and View iTunes Backup Files on a Computer?

- "How to scan iTunes backup folder?"
- "How to look at backups on iTunes?"
- "How to see what is backed up on iTunes?"

Have you ever deleted data from your iDevice or lost your device by accident? Or do you just want to replace your old iPhone with a new phone but want to keep the original stuff? Well, you can easily locate and view iTunes backup files by simply extracting them from your "iTunes backup", as long as you have synced your iDevice(s) with iTunes before. (How to sync iPhone to new computer without erasing?)

To work out how to find and view iTunes backup files on your computer, please go through this passage, and we will cover the causes and the methods in the following.

Part 1: Why Do You View iTunes Backup?

In general, there are at least three reasons for that purpose:

• You have several backups of different devices on your PC/Mac, and you need to verify whether the backups contain the data you want.
• You want to clean up the disk on the computer, so you have to make sure the old backups exclude the files you need in case of data loss. (What does an iTunes backup include?)
• The third one could be that you just intend to see what is backed up on iTunes.

If you simply want to figure out where iPhone backups are stored on the computer, you can make it directly without installing any iTunes backup viewer.

But, for those who want to know how to view my iTunes backup files, some third-party software should be taken into account to decipher the iTunes backups, because they are unreadable codes and thus cannot be opened with any existing program on the computer directly. Next, we will introduce how to find and access iTunes backup easily.

You May Need:

• Does iTunes Back Up Photos from iPhone? Here's What You May Need
• What if iPhone Won't Restore? Here Are the Full Li&st of Fixes

Part 2: How to Find iTunes Backup on PC and Mac

Where are iPhone/iPad backups stored? You can directly get to iTunes backups on your computer, but note that the iTunes files are not human-readable.

On your PC, the iTunes backup location is: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\. And you can locate and read itunes backup files on PC as follows:

• Open your search box on your Windows:
  Windows 7: Click on Start;
  Windows 8: Click on the magnifying glass in the top-right corner;
  Windows 10: Go to the Search box nearby the Start button.
• Click inside the search box.
• Type in: %appdata%
• Hit Enter or Return on your keyboard.
• From here, open the folders: Apple Computer > MobileSync > Backup.

On your Mac, your iPhone backups are located at ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. To find it, you can:

• Open iTunes if you are running macOS 10.14 or earlier, or open Finder if your Mac is with macOS 10.15 or later.
• In iTunes, go to Preferences.
• Click the Devices tab.
• Control-click the backup you want from the list.
• Click "Show in Finder".
• In Finder, connect your iPhone/iPad to your Mac. (What to do when iPhone won't connect to Mac?)
• Select the device from the list of Locations.
• In the General tab, click Manage Backups.
• Right-click a backup and choose "Show in Finder".

Part 3: How to Find and View Files in iTunes Backup on PC/Mac

To further get to and view the detailed iTunes backup files, you have to get an iTunes backup viewer. MobiKin Doctor for iOS, a tried and tested program, gives you the option to view any iTunes backups and extract what you want whenever needed. Before presenting the backups, you only need to use it to scan iTunes backup folders without even connecting your iOS device to your computer.

Overview of Doctor for iOS:

• View iTunes backup files directly on your computer.
• Let you recover data from the backup selectively, without deleting data on your iPhone/iPad.
• Work for various file types, including Contacts, Call Logs, Messages, Message Attachments, Camera Roll, Photos, Notes, Note Attachments, Safari, Safari History, Calendars, Reminders, Voice Memos, etc.
• Retrieve deleted iPhone contacts, text messages, etc., directly in the absence of backup.
• Run smoothly on various iOS devices, such as iPhone 13/13 Pro (Max)/13 mini/12/12 Pro (Max)/12 mini, iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max, iPhone X/XR/Xs/Xs Max, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6S/6 Plus, iPod touch, iPad, etc.
• It won't divulge your privacy.

How to check backups on iTunes from a computer with Doctor for iOS?

Step 1. Run the program on a computer

Install and open the program on your computer. Choose "Recover from iTunes Backup File" from the left menu. Then, all iTunes backup records on this computer will be scanned out. Please select the one you want and tap "Start Scan".

Step 2. View iTunes backup

You'll soon get the main screen of this utility. Click on any of the data type(s) you wish to check and click "Start Scan" again to load the details on the chosen iTunes backup file.

Next, you can handpick what you desire from the right and tap "Recover to Computer" to restore the items from this iTunes backup if necessary.

Know More:

• Top 6 iTunes Alternative for Android Phones/Tablets in 2021
• iCloud Not Backing Up on iPhone 13/12/11/XS Max/8 Plus/8? Here's the Fix!

Bonus: How to Delete iTunes Backups

If you want to free up space on your computer or simply don't need it anymore, you could choose to delete any iTunes backup file according to the steps below:

• Launch iTunes on PC/Mac.
• For Windows, go to Edit > Preferences.
• For Mac, head to iTunes > Preferences.
• Click on "Devices".
• You'll now find a list of all the iTunes backup files.
• Choose the backup file to get individual details.
• Once you've decided which ones you wish to get rid of, select them and tap "Delete Backup".

At Last

We detailed why you need to view your iTunes backup files and how to get to/read iTunes backups in this post. Now, if you just want to check where the backups are on your computer, you can do this according to the second section above. And as mentioned earlier, iTunes backup is encrypted, which won't let you view the details directly. Thus, you should turn to MobiKin Doctor for iOS if you want to view the backups or select the specific items before extracting them.

Related Articles:

Top 4 iPhone Backup Browsers/Viewer You Can't Miss

How to Restore iTunes Backup to Samsung Galaxy/Android?

[5 Ways] How to View/Get iPhone Text Messages on Computer

Where Does iTunes Store Backups & How to Change iTunes Backup Location?

What is The Latest Version of iTunes? How to Update & An iTunes Alternative

iTunes Driver Not Installed? Here're 7 Fixes and the Best iTunes Alternative