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Where are iPhone backups stored on a Mac, and how do I delete them?

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

By Parsa Nasirimehr

In ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup, one folder per device. A full local backup takes roughly as much space as the data on the phone, and backups of phones you no longer have stay forever. Delete them in Finder's device view.

How big it gets

On the Mac we measured, a working developer's Mac on macOS 27: None on the Mac we measured; it backs up to iCloud. A local backup is roughly the size of the phone's used storage.

What it is

What writes itFinder (or iTunes on older macOS) when you back up an iPhone or iPad to the Mac, including the backup before a software update.
Folder namesEach backup folder is named by the device's identifier, so Finder's list is the easier way to tell them apart.
Full Disk AccessTerminal and other apps see this folder as empty without Full Disk Access, so it hides from many disk tools.
Encrypted backupsOnly encrypted backups keep saved passwords, Health and Wi-Fi data. Delete an old one only if you no longer need to restore it.

How to clear it

  1. Connect any iPhone or iPad, select it in Finder's sidebar, and click Manage Backups.
  2. Select a backup and click Delete Backup.
  3. Or open the Backup folder in Finder (Go › Go to Folder) and move old device folders to the Trash.

What you lose: The ability to restore that device to that point.

With Scrubs: With Full Disk Access, Scrubs shows MobileSync on the map with each backup's size; without it, the space counts as unaccounted rather than vanishing. Download Scrubs; scanning is free.

Related folders

Photos libraryWhy is the Photos library taking up so much space on my Mac?Messages attachmentsWhy is Messages taking up so much space on my Mac?macOS installersCan I delete the Install macOS app in Applications?

Sizes measured with du on 1 November 2026. Paths and commands apply to macOS 15 and later. See also how to free up disk space on a Mac.

About the author: Parsa Nasirimehr is a mobile app developer who builds Scrubs, a disk map for the Mac. Spotted something wrong? Write to support@getscrubs.app.