If your Mac is running low on disk space, one of the fastest wins is to delete iPhone backups on your Mac. Local iOS device backups are stored silently in a hidden Library folder, and a single backup for a 256 GB iPhone can consume 15–25 GB or more. Over several years and multiple devices, that folder can quietly swallow 50–100 GB of your drive. This guide shows you exactly where those backups live, how to identify which ones are stale, and how to remove them safely.
Where are iPhone backups stored on Mac?
Local device backups created through Finder (or iTunes on older macOS versions) are stored here:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/The tilde (~) is shorthand for your home folder. Each subdirectory inside Backup/ is named after a device's UDID — a long alphanumeric string — so the folder names are not human-readable at a glance. Inside each UDID folder is an Info.plist file that records the device name, iOS version, and the date of the last backup.
A note on iCloud backups
iCloud backups are not stored on your Mac. They live in iCloud's servers and do not consume local disk space. This guide covers only local backups created through Finder or iTunes. To manage iCloud backups, go to Settings on your iPhone, tap your name, then iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups.
How to check how much space iPhone backups are taking up
Open Terminal and run:
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/*This prints the size of each backup folder individually, so you can immediately see which ones are largest. If you just want the total:
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/To open the folder in Finder so you can browse visually:
open ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/You can also press Command + Shift + G in any Finder window, paste ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/, and press Return.
Which backups are safe to delete?
Not every backup deserves the same caution. Here is a practical breakdown:
| Backup type | Safe to delete? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Old device you no longer own | Yes | No reason to keep a backup for a phone you traded in years ago |
| Older backup of your current device (not the most recent) | Generally yes | Keep only your most recent backup in case you need to restore |
| Most recent backup of your current device | Only if you have iCloud Backup enabled | If you rely solely on local backups, keep this one |
| Encrypted backups | Yes, but with awareness | Encrypted backups include Health data and saved passwords; delete only if you are confident you don't need to restore that data |
The golden rule: if you have a more recent backup of the same device, the older one adds no value. Deleting it is permanent and cannot be undone.
How to delete old iOS backups using Finder (macOS Monterey through Sequoia)
Finder provides a safe, labeled interface for deleting device backups. It shows device names and backup dates instead of raw UDIDs, which makes it much easier to identify what to keep.
- Open Finder.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad, or simply open Finder — you do not need the device connected to manage existing backups.
- In the Finder menu bar, choose Finder > Settings (macOS Ventura or later) or Finder > Preferences (Monterey), then confirm "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices" is checked under Sidebar if you want to manage a currently connected device.
- Alternatively, with your device connected and visible in the Finder sidebar, click its name, then click Manage Backups… in the General tab.
- In the Manage Backups window you will see a list of all local backups, with device name, iOS version, and backup date.
- Select any backup you want to remove, then click Delete Backup.
- Confirm the deletion when prompted. The backup is immediately removed and the space is freed.
You do not need your device physically connected to delete a backup. All local backups from all devices appear in this list regardless.
How to delete old iOS backups from the command line
If you prefer Terminal, first identify which UDID folders correspond to which devices by reading each Info.plist:
for dir in ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/*/; do
echo "---"
echo "Folder: $dir"
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :Device\ Name" "$dir/Info.plist" 2>/dev/null
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :Last\ Backup\ Date" "$dir/Info.plist" 2>/dev/null
du -sh "$dir"
doneOnce you have identified the UDID of the backup you want to remove, delete it with:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/<UDID>Replace <UDID> with the actual folder name. Triple-check the folder name before pressing Return — rm -rf is immediate and irreversible.
Tip: Using Finder's Manage Backups dialog is safer for most people because device names and dates are shown explicitly. Use the Terminal approach only if you are comfortable with the command line and have verified the correct UDID.
Why iOS backups show up under "System Data" in Storage
If you open System Settings > General > Storage on macOS Ventura or later (or About This Mac > Storage > Manage on Monterey), you may notice a large "System Data" category that doesn't itemize clearly. iOS backups contribute to this figure. Removing old backups will reduce the System Data total, though it can take a few minutes for the Storage view to update its count.
Spotting stale backups with Crumb
If you are not sure what is taking up space across your whole drive, Crumb can help. Its whole-Mac disk audit flags large items in your Library folder — including the MobileSync Backup directory — and shows each item's size alongside an "Is this safe to delete?" explanation before you remove anything. That extra context is useful if you have several old backups and want to understand the deletion risk for each one before committing. You can download Crumb and run the audit for free.
After deleting: confirm the space is reclaimed
After removing backups, macOS should free the space immediately. Verify with:
df -h /Or check System Settings > General > Storage. If the numbers look unchanged, wait 30 seconds and check again — the storage graph sometimes lags.
Preventing backup bloat going forward
- Switch to iCloud Backup if you have enough iCloud storage. This eliminates local backup accumulation entirely.
- Delete after upgrading devices. Whenever you set up a new iPhone, delete the backup of your old device from Finder's Manage Backups dialog once you are confident the new device is set up correctly.
- Review backups annually. Old backups for devices you no longer own tend to accumulate quietly. A quick check once a year takes under two minutes.
Conclusion
iOS device backups are one of the most consistently overlooked sources of disk bloat on a Mac. The process is straightforward: open Finder, navigate to Manage Backups, identify old or redundant backups by device name and date, and delete the ones you no longer need. Keep at least one recent backup for your current device unless you have iCloud Backup fully covering it. Everything else is fair game, and the space reclaim is immediate.