Mobile Sync Backup Folder: Can I move individual Older iOS backups to an external drive

I'm sitting here in shock that there actually is no longer a way to do this, given the *absolute necessity* of it, given the way Apple themselves has things set up? I need to back up a 256 GB iPad to my Mac, which is brand new yet already only has about 150 GB of free space. What Am I supposed to do? Purchasing an extra service *cannot* be the only option offered for a *necessary* (and so common as to be approaching universal) process. Who doesn't have multiple devices (iPads, iPhone) they need to back up? This is unbelievable and unacceptable.

why in the world wouldn't Apple allow for a backup of an iphone be made on an external hard drive? Not Okay!

I know, that is really frustrating. Apple used to be a company "for the rest of us" that empowered users. Now they are constantly finding ways to cause grief with contrived limitations. Backups belong on plater drives, not on your most expensive SSD that is the only one you can boot from.

I bet this discussion will turn into selling you iCloud storage, for the cost of a whole hard drive every year.

Hello dogghouse,

We'd be happy to clarify the details of that process further.

Copying a file is distinct from editing, relocating, renaming or extracting contents from a file, as it does not make any changes to the original file. You can also delete an unneeded backup, as that completely removes the associated files, as opposed to editing or altering them.

You can make copies of your backups or delete backups that you no longer need.

So you are correct that you would want to move any unneeded backups to an external drive, and move them back to their original location if they are needed in the future. You just want to refrain from taking any steps that would alter the files or their hierachy, such as renaming them or moving a file into a subfolder.

Should you have any further concerns, don't hesitate to let us know.

Apple is forcing us to buy into iCloud

My 500gb M2 Mac mini SSD is full due to 2 iPhone 15 pro max backups (mostly photos/videos) and some iPad backups.

I should not have to reserve blazing fast SSD storage to backup our phones. I should be able to select a backup location on an encrypted external drive attached to my Mac mini.

Our phones get backed up overnight but now I can't even update my Mac OS until I delete or move them.

Yes, symlink works perfectly for this. I've used a symlink for redirecting for many years for all sorts of issues where huge files don't need to be auto-stored on my main drive (big plugins, graphics files, etc). @ceramicwhite described this accurately above.

The command ln means link. The -s flag means symlink (which is essentially stronger than an "alias" - it works at the system level...system link...so

ln -s ...then drag in the folder you want the backups stored in... then add on /Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/MobileSync (because this is where the files are usually stored.) You're essentially telling your computer to treat that folder you dragged in as if if were MobileSync)

ln -s '/Volumes/<External Drive>/<Backup Folder> /Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/MobileSync

doesnt help at all lol. does anyone know the answer to this?

To be clear, and for the avoidance of any doubt, assume your reply indicates

(a) a copy of backup made from iphone/ipad etc. can be made, and copied and pasted to an external hard drive D:

(b) deletion of file created, and presumably on harddrive C: with OS under MobileSync causes no issues in itself with potential future use for restoring a device using copied file IF the

(i) copied file has not been altered (and simply created and then moved from C: to D: w/o any name change), provided

(ii) copied file is then simply cut and paste or copied and paste from D: to C: into backup folder in MobileSync to enable restoration of device

Please confirm that's correct, thx.

Hello dogghouse,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you have questions about moving iOS backups. You can find information about this here: Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

• "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."

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

This is truly a totally unacceptable solution and here is why. I have an iPad Pro with 2tb and I am trying to backup to a Mac Studio with 512gb. Will never work. I should be able to redirect the MobileSync back to an external hard drive with sufficient space which is what I used to be able to do. I know there are other options such as purchasing a new Studio with more disk space, use iCloud or possibly plug in an external drive directly to the iPad. These are all not very good options and I guess I will have to completely rethink my work flow for no really good reason. Very disappointed Apple.

Anyone tried symlinking their external?

i.e.

• Delete MobileSync folder
• Create a Backup folder on your external
• Open terminal and run

df -h

• Find the path your external is "Mounted On"
• Then run:

ln -s '/Volumes/<External Drive>/<Backup Folder> /Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/MobileSync

Should work and not get a permissions error.

So you don't run out of hard drive space on the C drive of your iPad, Mac, PC, etc...

Or... You can buy a new iPad, Mac or PC with increased storage space every 12 months.