How to remove ios files from mac

I have in my MacBook pro a folder called MyName iPhone. Which is taking up about 21gb of space.

It seems like a backup of the phone. It says last accessed: 2 years ago which happens to be when I go my MacBook pro.

What happens if I delete this folder? Is it recommended? What will I lose? Will my phone's data be lost or unrecoverable?

asked Apr 7, 2020 at 23:31

OutsiderOutsider

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Yes. You may safely delete these files listed in iOS Installers as they are the last version of iOS you installed on your iDevice(s). They're used to restore your iDevice without needing a download if there has been no new update to iOS. If you delete these files and you later need to restore your iPhone, iTunes will update to the newest iOS version by uploading the appropriate installer file.

I manage my iPhone 8 & an iPad 6th Gen through iTunes and this is what I see. The top section are backups, and the bottom section the installer (.ipsw) files:

answered Apr 7, 2020 at 23:58

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• On your Mac, drag the item to the Trash in the Dock or select the item, then press Command-Delete. If an item is locked, click Continue to confirm you want to move the locked item to the Trash.

To search for and locate files you want to delete, see Narrow your search results.

If an item is locked, you need to confirm you want to move it to the Trash, or unlock the item before putting it in the Trash. To unlock the item first, select it, choose File > Get Info (or press Command-I), then deselect the Locked checkbox. If you’re not logged in as an administrator, you may need to click the lock

Find a list of your iOS or iPadOS backups on your Mac, PC, and iOS or iPadOS device. Learn how to delete backups, copy them, and more.

• Find backups stored on Mac or PC
• Delete or copy backups stored on Mac or PC
• Find and manage backups stored in iCloud

Find backups stored on your Mac or PC

To avoid ruining any of your backup files, here's what you should know:

• The Finder and iTunes save backups to a Backup folder. The location of the Backup folder varies by operating system. Though you can copy the Backup folder, you should never move it to a different folder, external drive, or network drive.
• Don't edit, relocate, rename, or extract content from your backup files. For example, to restore from a relocated backup file, you need to move the backup file back to where it was in the Backup folder or the file won't work. Backups serve as a safe copy of almost all of your device's data and settings. So while you might be able to view or access a backup file's contents, the contents usually aren't stored in a format that you can read.

Search for the backup folder on your Mac

To find a list of your backups:

1. Click the magnifier 
   
    in the menu bar.
2. Type or copy and paste this: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
3. Select the Backup folder under Folders.

Find a specific backup

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later:

1. Open the Finder. Click your device.
2. Under the General tab, click Manage Backups to see a list of your backups. From here, right-click on the backup that you want, then choose Show in Finder, or select Delete or Archive.
   
   
3. Click OK when you're finished.

Search for the backup folder on Windows 8 or 10

1. Find the Search bar:
   • In Windows 8, click the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner.
   • In Windows 10, click the Search bar next to the Start button.
     
2. In the Search bar, enter %appdata%. If you don’t see your backups, enter %USERPROFILE%.
   
3. Press Return.
   
4. Double-click these folders: "Apple" or "Apple Computer" > MobileSync > Backup. 

Delete or copy backups on your Mac or PC

Don't edit, relocate, rename, or extract content from your backup files, because these actions might ruin the files. You can make copies of your backups or delete backups that you no longer need.

Copy backups to another location

If you need copies of your backups, you can find the Backup folder and copy the entire folder to another place, like an external drive or network-storage location.

Time Machine automatically copies your Backup folder when you back up the Home folder on your Mac.

Delete backups

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later:

1. Open the Finder. Click your device.
2. Under the General tab, click Manage Backups to see a list of your backups. From here, right-click on the backup that you want, then select Delete or Archive.
3. Click Delete Backup, then confirm.
   
   

Find and manage backups stored in iCloud

If you use iCloud Backup, you won't find a list of your backups on iCloud.com. Here's how to find your iCloud backups on your iOS or iPadOS device, Mac, or PC.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
2. Tap Manage Account Storage, then tap Backups.
3. Tap a backup to see more details about it, choose which information to back up, or delete the backup.

You can choose which content to back up only from the Settings menu of the device that stores that content. For example, while you can view your iPad backup from your iPhone, you can choose which iPad content to back up only from the Settings menu of your iPad.

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later:

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.
2. Click Apple ID.
3. Click iCloud.
4. Click Manage.
5. Select Backups.

On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier:

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.
2. Click iCloud.
3. Click Manage.
4. Select Backups.

On your PC:

1. Open iCloud for Windows
2. Click Storage. 
3. Select Backup.

Learn more about how to delete or manage iCloud backups from your Mac or PC.

Learn more

• Learn the difference between iCloud and iTunes backups.
• Follow steps to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• Learn about encrypted backups.

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Published Date: October 24, 2022

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